A selection of peppers to be used for sweet chilli sauces
This past Saturday, I was invited to help cook up some sweet chili sauce with a wonderful group of ladies from the Michael Oak Waldorf School in Kenilworth. It was a great honor to be included to create a sauce destined to be sold at the school fair.
Chopping up a storm
All smiles as the last of the chilies are chopped
Our host and my most favorite vegetable gardener, Natalie, decided that she wanted a clear rather than cloudy chili sauce so after much research, she decided on trying two very different recipes. One from Nigella Lawson that used sweet peppers with some dry chili peppers(Natalie has a jar full) and the second one was my recipe that initially used cornflour (cornstarch) to thicken the sauce but we changed to using pectin to give the sweet yet spicy treat a clear and bright look.
some of the ingredients for the sweet chili sauce
After cooking up both sauces, we liked both but decided that the colour and brightness of my recipe was our favorite. We used an excess of jalapeno peppers that I had grown in my garden and had frozen to use one day. So the day did come and the outcome was a big success. It is nice to know that these chilies can be frozen until they are needed.
A precise job of pouring and storing the sweet chili sauce
A job well done of sterilizing and filling the many jars with the sweet chili sauce
Jars at rest before being stored
Finished version of sweet chili sauce with cornflour
- 1 cup (250ml) sugar
- 1 cup (250 ml) water
- 3/4 cup, seeded red jalapeño chilies, chopped in a food processor. The red chili juice adds to the color of the sauce
- 2 garlic cloves
- pinch of salt
- ¼ cup (60ml) cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons apple pectine
- 1/4 teaspoon ascorbic acid(vitamin C)
- Bring water and sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan.
- Reduce heat, bring liquid to a simmer and add the chilies, garlic, salt and vinegar,
- Cook over a low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, or until it coats the back of a spoon.
- Mix in pectine and ascorbic acid
- Continue simmering and allow to thicken slightly.
- Let cool then pour into a sterilized jar.
- To sterilize jars, clean in dishwasher and then heat bottles in microwave for 10 minutes.
- Remember not to place fingers inside the jar and to use protection when picking up the hot jars.
Once the sauce was jarred and put away for the sale in October, Natalie’s chickens were eager to devour any of the chili leftovers. Thank you To Georgie for keeping the chickens so happy.
Spicy treats for the chickens
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