Nut

Baked Well, Not Stirred

Spicefreak1 Comment

Hey folks, how’s it going? Today, I thought I’d give Pembrokeshire Chilli Farm another go, given how much I enjoyed them last time, and what could be a better fit for the current winter holiday season than a spicy jam specifically designed to go with turkey?

But I’m not talking cranberry. Oh no, that’s already been done. I’m talking about their Chilli Bakewell Jam:

A sweet blend of peppers, cherries and almond essence, made to taste like the the classic tarts.

Let’s see if it does, shall we?

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Sweet & Savoury Sriracha Nuts

Spicefreak1 Comment

Hey folks, happy sunday! Today, I’d like to share with you all a new recipe from my buddy, PixelTea. But, unlike his last, it is in no way themed around the Super Smash Bros. Series.

This sweet and savoury, sriracha-candied cashew recipe comes to us courtesy of his community discord server. And, more specifically, his “quarantine cooking” section, meant for sharing simple, lockdown-friendly creations featuring readily available and long life ingredients.

Which is probably why today’s deliciously dark nuts focus so heavily on their fermented, asian flavour.

A flavour which doesn’t let slip their simplicity in the slightest and is simply too good not to pass on to you readers.

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Chestnut Roast

Spicefreak2 Comments

Happy sunday, folks! I hope you’re having a good weekend and recovering nicely from your festive feast but, if you are still in search of more season’s eatings, I do have one last late christmas recipe for you. A variation on a vegan nut roast – Made to share with my vegetarian family – that makes use of both pasilla peppers and winter chestnuts.

RoastDone

And, meat free as it may be, those chestnuts certainly aren’t umami free. They come through with a slight meaty richness that few vegan foods possess and, if you aren’t sworn off the animal products, pair beautifully with a blend of gravy and Chilli Scrumptious’s Java Hot.

Because yes, delicious and moist as this one might be, on the inside, all nut roasts benefit from a little extra sauce on top.

Here’s how I made it.

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Beardy Butter

Spicefreak1 Comment

Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to the last of my Gingerbeard reviews. At least for now, since I’ll probably be picking up something new when I go back for more of their fabulous piccalilli.

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves too early, though. That product may have been a real winner but today’s was always the one that I was most looking forward to. And the one that sounded most representative of the company, themselves.

This Gingerbread Satay may be another of their many collaborations but it’s the only one to give their namesake spice and company logo a starring role.

GingerbreadSatay

Plus, are those almonds chasing down the gingerbread man? Could this perhaps be a little more indian and a tad less thai than its “satay” name implies?

Well, the label’s light-green, bamboo-patterned background does say asian but I’m intrigued, either way, and, as always, I intend to get my answers in the form of a taste test.

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Laterra on the Web

Spicefreak4 Comments

Hey folks, Today I’m back with another importer highlight but also an apology to Laterra.

In my post about Mex Grocer, I mistakenly referred to their product as their “Savoury Mexican Tomatillo Sauce”, when that was not its name at all. It was merely the product description.

The true name of that sauce was “Michoacan”, after the region that inspired it – A name that I had mistaken for the sauce’s place of origin.

No such mistakes will be made today, however, as I look at another pair of Laterra’s sauces, purchased from Spices on the Web.

Twinterra

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Nutty Butters

Spicefreak6 Comments

Hey folks, happy pancake day!

Unfortunately, I haven’t managed to write a special blog post for my favourite food-based holiday this year.

I wanted to but, when I found out when the event was, I was too ill. In fact, I still am, to an extent.

Not ill enough to impair my brain function, anymore. I can write again but there is one thing that the remnants of my cold still have over me – I can’t trust my sense of taste right now. Or my sense of heat, for that matter.

So, instead of me writing something topical and special, here’s a post I pre-prepared about one or two of my weirder finds. A couple of the more out there products that I promised I’d be showcasing this year.

Today, I have a pair of peanut butters for you:

2017-09-14 11.36.02

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Homemade Hot Chocolate

Spicefreak2 Comments

Hello and welcome to the year of the dog. It’s chinese new year today but this isn’t going to be a themed post.

My chinese recipe didn’t work out as well as I’d hoped and I haven’t had time to refine it yet so, while it may make an appearance later in the year, today is going to be something mexican.

A mildly spicy, molé-inspired hot chocolate to warm you through the winter.

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Cooking With Vanilla

Spicefreak2 Comments

Hey folks, it’s the last weekend of the month so it’s time for another recipe. This one, however, is a little different to most.

It’s an adaptation of something I found in Janet Sawyer’s vanilla cookbook, kept mild and made vegetarian (vegan even) to suit the relatives I’m eating with. Yet, for those who do want it, I’ll be giving instructions on how to sub the meat back in.

The tofu may add texture to the dish and it’s an unusual but lovely vanilla curry either way but, for those who do eat it, chicken would most definitely help to bring the flavours together and give them a base on which to build.

Regardless of which version you choose to make, though, I’ve made a few other tweaks to ensure that you get the best possible flavour from the curry, while also highlighting a more interesting chilli.

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Formerly Mild

Spicefreak3 Comments

Hey everyone, this week it’s recipe week and I’d like to talk to you about one of my favourite curries.

The humble korma, however, doesn’t have the best of reputations, being considered both too mild and too desert-like to be called a “proper curry” by many.

It’s the sweet, rich, creamy, coconut-heavy and utterly chilli free dish used to introduce people to the spices of indian cuisine but, in my opinion, it’s a little more than that.

Made well, the almond, coconut and dairy base of this dish gives it the unique, rich, mild and milky flavour you might expect, ideal to be built upon with other things, such as its often quite complex spice palette. In fact, it’s a perfect carrier for these spices because, as with chilli, their flavours are mostly oil based, allowing them to be absorbed into the milk fats quite easily to spread throughout the meal.

But, depending on where you look, you’ll see many variations on the korma, some of which have rather different ideas on what flavours should permeate its thick, underlying sauce.

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