Preserving chili

Dried chili

I put some chilis to a string to hang. I'll let them dry and I can grind them later.

Pickled chili

600g       Medium sized chili
15           Black peppers
5             Bay leafs
2 tbsps    Coriander seeds
5 tspns    Salt
6 tbsps    Sugar
1 l           White wine vinegar

Warm the ingredients in a kettle and bottle.

Harvesting chili

We moved our chili bushes from our greenhouse inside. We also picked chilis from one bush to make it stay balanced.Next I am going to dry them by hanging them. To make it dry completely you should make a scratch to the skin of the chili. Otherwise it might mildew from the inside. I'll put some chili recipes here later.

American pumpkin pie

I made this a few days ago and it was a success. It tasted a bit weird because it
was the first time I was eating a pumpkin pie. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients

a pie pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
3 cups pumpkin glop
1.5 cans milk

For pie crust

1.5 cups flour (about 6 ounces by weight) - plain flour, not self-rising.
2 tablespoons sugar
100g cold butter
1/4 cup cold water

Step 1 -  Prepare the pumpkin

Wash the exterior of the pumpkin 

in cool or warm water, without soap.

Cut the pumpkin in half and scrape
the stuff inside the pumpkin away.  
You want to get out
that stuff that coats the inside
surface. Remove the stem, 
and put the pumpkin into a 
microwaveable bowl. 

Put a couple of inches of water in 

the bowl, cover it, and put in the 

microwave.  I cooked it on high
until it is soft.  That may take 20
minutes or more, 

so like anything else, try 15 minutes,
see how much it is softened, then
do 5 minute increments until it is soft.

Cook the pumpkin until it is soft .   

By blending it, you give the pie a
smooth, satiny texture.

The pumpkin is now cooked and
ready for the pie. 

Step 2 - Make the pie crust

Preheat the oven in 425 F (210 C)
 degrees.

Mix  the flour, butter and sugar
in a food processor. Add water and mix.

Step 3 - Mix the pie contents and pour into the pie crust

Step 4 - Bake the pie

Bake at 425 F (210 C ) for the first 15 minutes, then turn the 

temperature down to 350 F  ( 175 C ) and bake another 45 to 60 minutes, 

until a clean knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Step 5 - Cool the pie and eat it

Taken from here: http://pickyourown.org/pumpkinpie.php

Drying apple

Hello, I'm drying some apple. I made some cubes for tea and some slices  just for eating. They are now in oven.

Fidget pie

Hello, I made a week ago a fidget pie. It tasted a bit weird to me, but it wasnt bad. Here's the recipe:

For the shortcrust pastry:

300g plain flour

200g butter

2 eggs

Beaten egg, to glaze

For the filling:

650g sliced potatoes

Salt

25g butter

1 onion

2 tbsp plain flour

200ml perry or cider

1 tbsp grainy mustard

2 tbsps chopped tarragon

3 tbsps double cream

3 ripe pears

300g thickly sliced ham

1. First the pastry. Put the flour in a bowl. Add the butter and stir it into the flour. Add the egg yolks and 100ml cold water, and mix them in with a round-bladed knife, pushing the mixture together into a firm ball of dough with your hands. Add a little more water, if the dough is too dry and crumbly. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for at least 30 minutes. 

2. Preheat oven to 180 C degrees. Reserve 200g of the pastry. Roll out the remainder on a floured surface and use to line the base and right up the sides of a 20cm springform tin. Let the edges overhang the top of the tin and mould the pastry to fit the sides.

3. Line the pastry case wirh greaseproof paper and baking beans, or beans reserved for baking blind, and bake for 20 minutes. Leave to stand for a few minute before removing the paper and beans.

4. For the filling, put the potatoes into a pan of boiling salted water, return them to the boil and cook for 3 minutes. Drain.

5. Melt the butter in a saucepan and fry the onion for 3 minutes. Blend in the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and blend in the perry or cider, mustard, tarragon and cream. Return the mixture to the heat and cook, stirring until thickened and bubbling.

6. Quarter, core and slice the pears. Layer a third of the potatoes, ham and pears in the pastry case and spoon over a third of the sauce. Repeat twice more, making three layers.

7. Brush the pastry edge with beaten egg. Roll out the remainder pastry and position it to form the lid, pressing it firmly around the sides. Press the tines of a fork around the rim. Carefully trim the excess pastry and use to make leaves to decorate, then cut a cross in the top. Brush with beaten egg and bake for 1 to 1 and a quarter hours, or until deep golden, re-glazing the top halfway through cooking. Leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before serving the pie.

This recipe was taken from Country Homes and Interiors September 2013 issue.

Gordon Ramsay at the London -restaurant

I visited in New York last summer and I visited in Gordon Ramsay at the London -restaurant. It had 2 Michelin stars and it was quite nice. I took some pictures and here they are.

Some ravioli and tagliatella

Hello, I made a week ago
 this ravioli and I used the rest of the pasta dough to do some tagliatelle.
Here is the recipe and the pictures are below.

6 to 6-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

6 eggs

3/4 cup water

2 tablespoons olive oil

SAUCE:

1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes

1-1/2 cups tomato puree

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/3 cup water

1/3 cup tomato paste

3 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons minced fresh basil

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

FILLING:

1 carton (15 ounces) ricotta cheese

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons minced fresh basil

1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley

1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions

• Place 6 cups flour in a large bowl. Make a well in the center. Beat the eggs, water and oil; pour into well. Stir together, forming a ball. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes, adding remaining flour if necessary to keep dough from sticking. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, combine the sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
• In a large bowl, combine the filling ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Divide pasta dough into fourths; roll one portion to 1/16-in. thickness. (Keep pasta covered until ready to use.) Working quickly, place rounded teaspoonfuls of filling 1 in. apart over half of pasta sheet. Brush around filling with water to moisten. Fold sheet over; press down to seal. Cut into squares with a pastry wheel. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.
• Bring a soup kettle of salted water to a boil. Add ravioli. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer; cook for 1-2 minutes or until ravioli float to the top and are tender. Drain. Spoon sauce over ravioli. Yield: 6 serving

This recipe is from tasteofhome.com.