Smoked Paprika Chutney No it's more like Ketchup

I spent a few hours in the garden over the weekend.  Clearing vegetable plots in readiness for next year.  

I have pulled out the last of the marrow and courgette plants and did a quite a bit of weeding. The squash and pumpkin plants did not do well at all, so they got pulled out too. 

These are the last courgettes, some with flowers in tact.  I will be chopping and then roasting them in the oven with a little oil and seasoning, and then dousing them with a squirt of fresh lemon juice to be served as a side dish.

The red tomatoes in the greenhouse are still coming along.  Soon there will be no more red tomatoes, just greens ones. I will have to pick up some jars, so that I can make green tomato chutney. 

We also have some rainbow chard in the garden plot. 

My husband, who I affectionately call D on the blog pulled out the last of the rhubarb stalks. I thought they may have been too far gone, but apparently the season ends September.  They appeared and felt okay, so I chopped them up and put them in the freezer in readiness for winter Rhubarb Crumbles.  We also have some cooking apples, which are also getting the same treatment, peeled and chopped and then transferred to the freezer.  I have also made some jams and chutneys (see below)

This was supposed to be Apple Chutney, however the apples turned to pulp, that it was more a thick sauce like ketchup, than chutney. Also I could not find sweet paprika, so ended up adding smoked paprika which of course overwhelmed the whole thing.  So we will be eating this with vegetarian sausage rolls. My husband was so convinced that there were tomatoes in this, because it is so red, but the red is coming from the smoked paprika.  

Smoked Paprika Ketchup
Adapted from this recipe. Please note for the above recipe, I made the mistake of using smoked paprika in place of sweet paprika.  Also please feel free to include or omit the raisins.

My contributions to Harvest Monday seem to be every other fortnight, but at least I join when I can and I am pleased about that.  Harvest Monday is hosted by Dave who blogs at Our Happy Acres.  

Oh we also have some black kale and curly kale.  It seems to be having a second lease of life, with new leaf emerging free of pests.  So I may still get to enjoy some homegrown brassicas.  For those of you interested, I also host a vegetarian #EatYourGreens vegetarian food event, Just follow this link to see how you can participate. 

Three Easy Plum Jams Recipes with Liquorice, Star Anise and Vanilla and Drowned Plum Cake

Every year I make the same Cinnamon Plum Cake.  This year I wanted to try some different recipes including an Upside Down Plum and Raspberry Cake.   

Well this is supposed to be a Plum Studded Cake, except the plums got engulfed by the cake batter and disappeared beneath the golden cake.  

You can imagine my disappointment as it does not make a good photograph, but it was nice to eat, so instead I have dubbed it Drowned Plum Cake. 

Well as well as making this drowned plum cake, I have also made Three variations of my popular Cinnamon Plum Jam, these include Plum Jam with Liquorice, Plum Jam with Star Anise, and Plum Jam with Vanilla. These will be gifted to unsuspecting new work colleagues come Birthdays or Christmas.

I am sharing this recipe with Cook Once Eat Twice hosted by Searching for Spice. 

Zucchini - Courgette and Apricot Chutney

The rain from the skies came pouring down this weekend, and most people looked up at the sky as if they had forgotten what rain looked like?!  It was kind of funny, well I thought it was.  

Anyway, here is a link to some of my homemade jams, chutneys and preserves. The reason I am sharing the link is to highlight how surprised I am at myself in that I have never blogged a Zucchini - Courgette Chutney recipe, considering its the one vegetable I grow every year.  

I have also bookmarked these from Pam Cobin Spicy Courgette Chutney and Courgette Jam. I would have made these too, but I am running out of jars. By the way, do you have a courgette chutney recipe to share?

Lemon Marrow Conserve Jam Jelly

I  was going to make Lemon Velvet Marrow Cream with my homegrown marrows, but when I looked in my storage cupboards, I still had two jars from last year. I changed my mind and decided on Marrow Jam instead. 

Here it is all potted it up.  I have to admit I was not really sure what to call it, so am calling it everything under the Western sun from conserve to jelly to jam.  I would even call it marmalade as that is how it looks to the eyes.

As I have only made this Lemon Marrow Conserve recently, I have not had opportunity to crack open a jar  and taste it fully, but from the leftovers in the pot it reminded me in texture of preserved ginger pieces, a little bite.  

I am going to make some Lemonade Scones and in place of red berry jam, I will use this Lemon Marrow Conserve and will give you more insight into what these corn yellow jars mimics the most.  For now, here is a link to some other Unusual Homemade Preserves, Jams and Chutneys.

I am sharing a jar of this Lemon Marrow Conserve with Eat Your Greens challenge hosted this month by The VegHog - You still have time to share your #EatYourGreens recipe! 

Spiced Butternut Squash and Golden Raisin Chutney

This Mildly Spiced Butternut Squash and Golden Raisin Chutney was scrummy.

I don't really like sweet relishes or chutneys , but this one was very reminisce of the Red Chili Spiced Pumpkin Chutney I made a long while back and I loved it.   

I made this Spiced Butternut Squash and Golden Raisin Chutney over the weekend as I had picked up two squashes at a bargain price, after filling the sterilised jars I had a little left over - they call it cooks treat or cooks perks, but it was plenty for me to share with D.  We had it in the evening with cheddar cheese crackers that we had left over from Christmas and New Year.

Taking of  crackers, someone at a works bring and share food day bought in some homemade Iced Custard Square Slices, what some of you may call Iced Vanilla Custard Slices.  I've been wanting a recipe for this for a long while as its one of my Dads favourite sweet treats.  He has a thing for cold set custard, as his other favourite Sweet treat is Custard Nutmeg in Shortcrust Pastry Tarts.  I had a slither of one of these Ice Custard Square Slices and noted the pastry base was actually made from Jacobs Crackers, not puff pastry.  I was both amazed and bemused.  I do prefer proper pastry, but some people would not notice the difference.  I asked for the recipe from the person who made it and she laughed as she wrote it down for me.  Telling me it was one of the world's easiest and economical recipes.  I hope to make it soon for my father and see what he thinks.  

Anyway, back to this Spiced Butternut Squash and Golden Raisins Chutney, I also adored the colours so much: like golden embers from a log fire not only warming your cheeks but your belly too.  I am sharing this with #CookBlogShare hosted by Easy Peasy Foodie.
Other Chutney Recieps You may like
A Seasonal Veg Tables Spiced Apple Chutney
A Seasonal Veg Tables Fiery Scotch Bonnet Apple Chutney
Green Gourmet Giraffe - Tomato Kitchen Sink Chutney
Little Black Fox 's Carrot and Chilli Chutney
Little Black Fox's Mango Chutney

Golden Chioggia Beetroot Curry and Beetroot Chutney

This Sri Lankan style Beetroot Curry is one of my husbands favourite dishes, in fact anything with beetroot he loves. 

This Beetroot Curry is a mildly spiced, earthy and a little sweet.  The sweetness comes from the golden beetroot.  

Here are the beetroots picked up from a farmers market in South Wales.  We have Golden Beetroot, Chioggia described by many Brits as the 'sticker rock' beetroot because of the pink and white striped on the inside and the more recognizable Beetroot that makes our hands stain when we peel and chop it.  It even stains our lovely wooden chopping board.

I was very careful stirring the different beetroot together upon cooking as I did not want to lose the colours.  It was a little difficult but with a wide pan, I managed, a little bleeding of the beetroot into the yellow an chioggia could not be avoided though, that was naturally going to happen.  

The photograph directly above was taken in the garden where there was still a little light, but don't expect me to keep popping out in the garden where its icy cold for decent pictures. I have to admit in the next few weeks, if not two months my food blogging may slow down.  I will still of course be cooking, just not photographing and blogging about it due to poor lighting, but know that I always eat well.

Finally, a little while back I promised you all a recipe for Beetroot Chutney Chutney.  I seem to have misplaced the recipe that was given to me, when I locate it I will up-date this blog post, for now - please just admire that beautiful Gothic deep red colour.  I will be twisting open a jar come the Christmas holidays.

Homemade Preserves, Jams and Chutneys for Christmas Gifts

Once upon a time, I used to snug my nose  if someone gave me a pot of homemade jam.  I don't know where that snobbery came from, certainly not from my parents.  I think it was partly to do with peer pressure and the rise of supermarkets and consumerism.  I also took for granted the domestic goddess that was my mother snubbing homemade stuff for brand names that became the desirables, but then something happened in my mid 20s.  It made me think, I mean seriously think and re-evaluate what was important to me and since I have always preferred homemade.  This was further enhanced by my own vegetable growing antics at the allotment.  Also I now try my utmost to support indie craft stallholders and snatch the opportunity when I am offered a jar of homemade jar of jam; homemade anything in fact gets me excited - Yes I am easily pleased these days.  

Unlike previous years, I've not been the most organised this year with foodie gifts for family and friends.  Saying that though,  a little while back I did make some Beetroot Chutney and some Plum Jam and Plum Chutney; and a new work colleague friend from Slovakia has given me some homemade Dandelion Honey that happens to be accidentally vegan.  But I have decided to show off some of my favourite preserves, jams and chutneys that I have made over the years.  

Popular Rose Petal and Rhubarb Butter.  I also have Hibiscus and Rhubarb Butter.  The colour is utterly gorgeous.

Seasonal Golden Pumpkin Rum Butter

Carrot Halwa Butter

My famous Slow Cooked Apple Butter (2010) thanks to my Scottish neighbour Nessie (RIP) 

Honeydew Melon and Chilli Jelly Jam Spread

Apple Chilli Jelly

Time to start foraging for those rosehips.  Here is another very popular recipe on my blog Rosehip Jelly.

I made these jars of Pickled Nasturtium Seed Pods this year, they are very similar to capers. 

Will you believe me if It ell you that i still have some green tomatoes in my greenhouse - I do and I plan to make some Green Tomato Chutney with it.

Another one that was very popular with D's friends when they came over to visit us from America many years ago.  D's friend absolutely loved this Fiery Scotch Bonnet  Apple Chutney.

And something that I have been making on and off since discovering the magic of chia seeds - Chia Seed Jam.  I've made Chia jam with every berry fruit you can imagine.  This blog post is part of Vegan Month of Food: The Theme is Holidays.

Pickled Nasturtium Seed Pods

The nasturtium blossom flowers are still blooming in my garden plot. I watch with delight when I find a bumbling bee snuggled up in there, but the flowers they will not last with the weather turning autumnal and the flowers turning to seed pods.   

A few week back I harvested some fresh green nasturtium seeds for pickling.  I promised some of you that i would share the  jars, here they are - the nasturtium seeds are not quite packed in the jar and bobbing around, but I am not overly fussed as this was something I have been wanting to try out for a long while.  If they are any good, next time I will pack the jars to the brim.

Now I have to wait.  I am looking forward to see how they compare the pickled capers we find here in jars.   

Vegan Friendly Giant 'Jaffa' Cake

How Golden Am I?  Have you noted the last four recipes have been made with gold coloured vegetables and also happen to be accidentally vegan too.

Well here is another - my Giant 'Jaffa' Cake.  

Chickpea, Potato and Mango Chutney Filo 'Samosa' Pie

This Chickpea, Potato and Mango Chutney Filo 'Samosa' Pie is ultimately a vegetarian samosa Not traditional triangular shape, but more of a round pie wrapped up in a paper thin filo pastry and then baked in the oven, not deep fried.  It has comforting mashy potatoes, nutty chickpeas and green peas.  There is also some fenugreek in this to give it a curry hint and a couple of fresh green chillies (with seeds of course - I like it spicy) and finally some mango for a little sweetness. You could make your own mango chutney, but honestly there are loads of good brands out there that you don't have to.  

These Chickpea, Potato and Mango Chutney Filo Pastry Pie  were very filling, but like any good samosa it needs minty or coriander chutney or a raita of sorts to accompany it.  I made a simple home-made minty tomato salad with it, which worked really well.  

The prompt for today was make/eat something inspired by a book or movie.  One movie that I really, really like that takes me a roller coaster of emotions was Monsoon Wedding by Mira Nair.  

So the idea was to make something Anglo -Indian either a South Asian snack like samosa or with a fruit from the Indian sub-Continent like mangoes (loyal readers remember mangocheeks!).  I couldn't remember top of my head if there was a samosa eating scene in the movie, or even  a scene about mangoes maybe... but there were plenty  of edible flowers throughout the movie and more specifically marigolds (sadly not featured in the recipe here, though I did have some in the garden). 

Image source here

Other than the final fantastic dance scene, one of my favourite scenes was which involved the character PK Dubey, the wedding planners blossoming romance with the family's housekeeper Alice.  Dubey is not a pleasant character at all, and not in the least attractive, but you find yourself warming to him as the movie progresses and his character becomes softer as he begins to fall for Alice.  Well, this particular character PK Dubey is found pretty much munching on marigolds pretty much in every scene that he is in, except for the one below where he presents as an apology to Alice - a heart made from marigold flowers. Ah romance like this can only be found in the movies.   I am sharing this with Fabulous Foodie Fridays hosted by Bake Play Smile and Create Bake Make;

Rhubarb and Custard Cream Cheese Bars

I have had a jar of Duerr's Rhubarb and Custard Jam in my kitchen cupboards for a few good months now, every time I went to use it something came up and then it went back into the cupboards.  I made a decision to bake with it this month, the so-called month of Love, and as my husband loves rhubarb (and custard), I thought I would make him a few delicious treats.  I have already made him Rhubarb and Custard doughnuts - that happen to be vegan and gluten free. 

However, these Rhubarb and Custard Bars are made with cream cheese.  I added a teeny bit of red food colouring to the cream cheese for the pink colouring, as I thought it would look a bit more pretty, and therefore more appealing, hope you agree - but obviously its all about the taste and that did not disappoint.  These bars are not overly sweet, just sweet enough.  They are a cross between a cereal bar and a cheesecake, so definitely one that is a little more luxurious than your average breakfast bar, and not good for the hips, tums and bums, but still very very nice.  

The Duerr's Rhubarb and Custard Jam smells very rhubarb and when you close your eyes and taste it, it really does really taste like those hard boiled retro Rhubarb and Custard sweets - tangy rhubarb and smooth creamy custard.  I loved how it maintained it soft gooey texture once baked, as others I have used in the past burn or become really chewy.   And guess what, its suitable for vegans.  I am sharing some of these Rhubarb and Custard Cream Cheese Bards with Recipe of the Week hosted by Emily at A Mummy Too.

Communists Love Rhubarb and Custard Doughnuts/Donuts

This is the first time I have ever made doughnuts or donuts if your in the USA, and vegan and gluten free ones to boast further. Although I am very pleased with on how they turned out, I'm not 100% happy sharing the recipe as it may need a little tweaking.  

You see the original recipes used xanthum gum, an ingredient that appears on lots of gluten free pastry and baked goods recipes.  I did not have any, so I made these doughnuts without it.  Its omission did not seem to do any harm to the recipe, but how would I really know having not made these before.  

Anyway, in half of them I dolloped a teaspoon of Duerrs Rhubarb and Custard Jam into the batter of each doughnut just as they were to go into the oven: and in the other half, only once baked I injected the Rhubarb and Custard Jam with an icing syringe set. Well let me tell you, I now know why jams are not put into the doughnuts whilst baking, they burst or burn into the moulds. As this Rhubarb and Custard Jam's consistency was a little thicker, I used one of the larger nozzles to inject the jam into the finished doughnut.  A word of advise, this icing syringe is great for injecting jam into regular size doughnuts, but is not necessarily good for intricate icing of cookies like gingerbread men.   

D really liked these doughnuts and said that they were moist and had the consistency of deep-fried doughnut, even though these were baked in the oven.  The doughnuts got further praise from one of my brothers who actually sent me a text the following evening describing them as 'delicious - please make more', so they must have been A okay. 

As I said, this was my first time making vegan gluten free doughnuts, so I hope to make them again, with similar results, so I err  a little on the side of caution when I share the recipe below which is adapted from Babycakes. If you don't have this Rhubarb and Custard Jam, then substitute with another jam or try something different like banoffee curd or even my own creation of Rhubarb Hibiscus Butter , just remember to omit the custard powder from the recipe below.    I am sharing some of these doughnuts with Bake of the Week hosted by Casa Costello.

Spiced Plum Chutney

Remember the plums that I harvested early last week, well here is one of the recipes that I promised to share - Spiced Plum Chutney, the other for Star Anise - Plum Sorbet will be shared hopefully tomorrow. 

We have mostly been enjoying the Spiced Plum Chutney in the evenings when we get the nibbles, but it would also be fantastic in a panini for lunch.  Its sharp, tangy with a little bit of spice that hits you unexpectedly. 

I've served this Spiced Plum Chutney here with Nairn oatcakes, but I have in the past made oatcakes from scratch.  Lots of time in fact , especially when I lived in Scotland such a Black Pepper Oatcakes, Chilli Oatcakes, Wild Garlic Oatcakes , and even Welsh Laverbread Oatcakes.

Recipe will be posted at the weekend.

Green Tomato Chutney with Raisins

I was bestowed with some more green tomatoes from my father.  I thought he had pulled them all off, but I was wrong as I came home with some more.  Well I could have opted to make some fried green tomatoes, or even another Green Tomato Curry, especially as I failed to get a photograph of it the last time - but nah - it was to be jars of Green Tomato Chutney.  

For the vegetable and fruit growers amongst you all, what would you have you done had you been given the green tomatoes?  I am always looking for inspiration.     

Rhubarb and Rosehip Jam Cake

This cake looks really amateur-ish next to my other recent bakey delights such as the Raspberry and Chocoalte Cake and  Strawberry Cake.  Why amateurish?  If you look closer you can see at the top what I can only call 'pot-holes' caused by the excess juices from  the fresh rhubarb.  I could have easily covered it over with some cream cheese frosting, but I decided to scatter over some purple coloured sugar, icing sugar and some sugared almonds to distract attention from the visible flaws. It sort of, well kind of did the job.

I had a jar of Rosehip Jam that I made a long long while ago, so I thought instead of sandwiching the two sponge cakes together with rhubarb and ginger jam which was my original plan, I would do so instead with the Rosehip Jelly. In spite of how it looked, it was truly a lovely combination and tasted quite good. 

The taste reminded me a little of bakewell tart but in sponge form.  Serve a slice of this cake with a massive dollop of whipped cream.

An i I am sharing this Rhubarb and Rosehip Jam Cake with Kate of What Kate Baked who has chosen layer cakes for this month's Tea Time Treats . Tea Time Treats is co-hosted by Karen of Lavender and Lovage.

Rhubarb and Rosheip Jam Cake