Chilli & Red Pepper Jam

If you’ve never tried Chilli Jam then you’re missing out, seriously.  I made it a couple of years ago as a DIY Christmas gift for my mother in-law and was surprised how well it went down.  Sweet and spicy, it’s not exactly made for your morning toast (although she eats it like that sometimes!), but it goes great with meat and cheese and I’ve even spread it over potato wedges before cooking them.  It’s easy to make and makes a great foodie gift for anyone who likes things on the spicy side 😉

Chilli and Red Pepper Jam (from Nigella)

Ingredients

• 75g of chilli peppers (up to you which variety you use – I’ve used green chilli peppers in the past which worked out quite well)
• 75g of chopped red peppers (You can use bell peppers, but I like using the sweet Romano variety)
• 350 ml Apple Cider Vinegar
• 500g Jam Sugar

1. Fill your empty jam jars with boiling hot water to sterilise them.
2. In a large pan dissolve the jam sugar with the Apple Cider Vinegar on a low heat – don’t be tempted to stir it!
3. Roughly chop all the peppers and then blitz them in a food processor.  If you haven’t got one, then just chop them until they’re in as small pieces as possible, but for the love of God wear gloves!  Don’t do what I did the first time I tried this recipe and chopped all the chilli peppers with bare hands – they will burn for hours.  Trust me.
4. Place a small plate in the freezer (this will make sense in a sec!)
5. Once the sugar has dissolved add the chopped/blitzed peppers to the pan and turn up the heat and allow the jam to boil for ten minutes.  Watch the pan doesn’t boil over though as things can get sticky and messy very quickly!
6. Grab the plate from the freezer – you’ll know the jam’s ready if a small blob of it sets quickly on the plate.
7. Allow to cool in the pan and then ladle into your jars!
8. If you’re giving them as gifts don’t forget to label and jazz them up!  I found the holly garland in Tiger for £1.

*Psst!  You can find full tutorial of the recipe on my Instagram Stories Highlights!