Keeping warm this winter!

When the dreary and drizzly winter days seem to stretch on endlessly, a spicy meal can warm you up and lift your mood. The fiery little fruits can reduce the winter sniffles and ease sore throats. High levels of vitamin C may even prevent coughs and colds taking hold.

When the GG Garden produces a bumper crop of chillies we dry them for use throughout the year, ready for when a winter warm-up is most needed! You can dry them slowly in the oven on the lowest setting, or thread them through the stalks into an attractive garland which can be dried in the airing cupboard or above a radiator. Our favourite recipe for using the flavoursome dried chillies is this simple sauce, which adds a piquant kick to soups, stews or marinades.

Hot Chilli Sauce

1. Slice open 3 dried chillies and remove the seeds, remember to wash your hands extremely well immediately!
2. Warm the chillies in a dry frying pan over a low heat but remove from the heat before they colour.
3. Pour boiling water over the chillies until completely covered and allow them to rest until they are plump, swollen and softened.
4. Lift the chillies out of the water and whizz them in a blender with the 1 clove of garlic, a pinch of salt, a few grinds of black pepper and 2 crushed dried cloves.
5. Add the water that the chillies were soaked until you achieve the desired consistency and puree until smooth.
6. You can add some of the seeds that were sliced out, if you desire a more fiery flavour.
7. Sieve the mixture into a saucepan and add in a tablespoon of olive oil.
8. Simmer for ten minutes and skim off any foam, before decanting into glass jars.