Grilled Summer Vegetables

There are a couple of Farmer's markets here in Houston. My favourite is the Bayou City Market, it's a producers only market and everything must come from a 150 mile radius. As a result the produce is truly seasonal, on our first visit every veg stall was teaming with courgettes and squash of all shapes and sizes. This dish of summer grilled vegetables quickly became a favourite in our house. I usually make a full batch and then mix half with some grilled chicken and cooked pasta for the following day's lunchboxes.


Grilled Summer Vegetables

Serves 4 as a side dish

500g courgette / small squash
olive oil
2 peppers

Dressing:
mix together the following ingredients in a large shallow bowl:
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp mint, chopped
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp honey
4 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

• grill the peppers until the outsides are black and charred, this can be done under the grill but I just place them directly on the gas hob. Don't be nervous, they should be black all over.
  
• place the peppers in a Ziploc bag (or a cling-film covered bowl), seal and leave too cool
• slice the courgettes and squash lengthwise into 2-3mm thick slices
• brush with olive oil and season
• heat a ridged pan over a high heat, brush with olive oil
• griddle the courgettes and squash in batches until charred on both sides
• as you remove them from the pan place straight into the bowl containing the dressing
• remove the charred skin from the now-cooled peppers, chop and add to the bowl
• toss well to coat everything in the dressing
  

I Guess Somebody Liked It!!

At Christmas time it's always a good idea to have something in the fridge that can spice up those leftovers. I made this a few years ago and it disappeared in a flash so I decided to do it again, as well as being good with leftovers it really jazzes up a cheese sandwich. The recipe comes from Paul Flynn's 'An Irish Adventure with Food, The Tannary Cookbook', which has recently been re-issued with a new cover (and hopefully some more proof-reading - the font changes on random pages in the original).

Red Pepper and Chilli Relish
makes approx 5 jars (750g)

50g caster sugar
60ml white wine vinegar
5 red peppers, de-seeded and chopped
1 red chilli, de-seeded and chopped
2" piece of fresh ginger, grated
1 clove garlic, grated
2 x tins (400g each) tomatoes, blended
2 leaves gelatine

• put sugar and vinegar in a pan and bring to the boil
• add pepper and cook for 2 mins
• add chilli, garlic, ginger and tomatoes, season, cook for another 15 mins and then remove from the heat
  
• soak the gelatine in a bowl of cold water
  
• when gelatine is soft, squeeze off excess water and stir into pepper mix off the heat
• fill sterilised jars with relish

To sterilise jars either:

• run through a dishwasher cycle and fill while still warm, or
• place in 150 deg C oven for 15 mins - again fill while still warm

In theory this should keep in the fridge for 2-3 months, however it never lasts that long in my house!!

Pear and Walnut Chutney

When browsing C&Z forums I came across this recipe for pear and walnut chutney courtesy of red dragon. With so many leftovers during Christmas it's always good to have a few things on standby for making that 5th turkey sandwich a little more interesting. This chutney is quite sweet and I feel it was particularly good with spiced beef - the blend of spice and sweetness was just right.

P.S. a word of warning - it took a number of hours for this to reach the required thickness so be prepared to hang around your kitchen for a while.