Jamie Oliver's Christmas Cookbook
By Jamie Oliver
Chilli sauce
Heavenly, homemade & brilliant with just about anything
1 hr plus cooling
Not Too Tricky
makes 2
About the recipe
Simple as this recipe is, it took me months of testing to get it just right. It has provided me, and the recipients of this lovely gift, with bags of pleasure. It’s a beautiful thing – take it, make it, gift it, enjoy it – I know you’ll love it.
Recipe From
Ingredients
4 onions
4 cloves of garlic
20 fresh mild red chillies
olive oil
4 teaspoons chilli powder
1kg ripe tomatoes
300ml cider vinegar
80g golden caster sugar
500ml unsweetened apple juice
Top Tip
Feel free to blend different types of chillies in this recipe – I particularly like to swap in jalapeño or Scotch bonnets. But obviously use your common sense – if you go for super-hot chillies like Scotch bonnets, you can reduce the amount by up to a half, or the sauce will blow your head off!
Method
- Peel the onions and garlic, pull the stalks off the chillies, then chop it all, either patiently by hand or in a food processor. Place a large casserole pan on a low heat with 2 tablespoons of oil, tip in the chopped veg and cook for around 10 minutes, or until soft but not coloured, stirring occasionally.
- Stir the chilli powder into the pan, then chop and add the tomatoes, followed by the vinegar, sugar, apple juice, 200ml of water, and a good pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Carefully pour the mixture into a blender, pop the lid on and cover with a tea towel, then, holding it in place, blitz until silky smooth. If you like your chilli sauce with a bit of texture, you can absolutely leave it as it is. I prefer it lovely and smooth, so I pass it through a fine sieve to get a nice pouring consistency – add a splash of boiling kettle water to loosen, if needed. Either way, have a taste and season to absolute perfection. This is a make or break moment – give the sauce attitude, it’s a condiment to be dribbled over things, so it needs to pack a punch.
- Divide between sterilized jars or bottles, label up and get gifting. It will keep for up to 6 weeks in a cool, dark place. Once opened, keep in the fridge and use within a couple of weeks. Trust me, once you taste it, it won’t last long!
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