Latest news with #chillies
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Telegraph
Four fiery ways to inject heat into your summer cooking
Summer spice dishes are your culinary superheroes. Whether you're blitzing fresh chillies, dusting on fiery flakes or stirring in golden turmeric, they all pack serious flavour – as these recipes prove – and feel redolent of sun-drenched shores. Fresh chillies bring a lively heat – think of them chopped straight into a vibrant relish in my monkfish dish – while dried chillies or flakes bring a deeper, smokier warmth and more focused punch. Flakes are also brilliant for sprinkling evenly and dialling up the heat without faffing around with chopping and deseeding. Ground chilli has its moments too, but it can't rival the texture or complexity of flakes or whole dried pods. When you pair bold spices – such as the turmeric and cumin in my green pea pancakes with crispy green beans – they really dance together instead of one overpowering the other; turmeric brings a gentle earthiness and that gorgeous golden hue, while cumin adds a warm, nutty backdrop. And when it comes to quenching a fiery burn, you can't beat an ice-cold beer; a crisp lager – perhaps a light pilsner – cuts through the heat. If you're in the mood for wine, grab a dry, fruity rosé – its chill character and gentle tannins will refresh your palate and keep the spice in check. So don't hold back on the chillies or spice, and team them with other bold flavours, in these easy, delicious summer recipes.
Telegraph
5 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Telegraph
Tomato and chilli pepper soup with oregano
This sits somewhere between a classic tomato soup and a punchy gazpacho, with a nice kick from the chillies. It's great served hot or cold. Ingredients 1 tbsp rapeseed oil 1 large red onion, roughly chopped 2 garlic cloves, chopped 1-2 medium red and/or green chillies, trimmed and roughly chopped, seeds and all 250g ripe tomatoes, or plum or cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped, plus 120g cherry tomatoes left whole ½ tbsp tomato purée 1 litre vegetable stock To garnish 2 tbsp rapeseed or olive oil, plus extra to drizzle 2 slices of sourdough or bloomer, cut into rough 1cm cubes knob of butter 12 cherry tomatoes, halved or chopped handful of oregano or marjoram leaves Method Step Add 1 tbsp rapeseed oil to a large saucepan set over a medium heat and gently cook 1 roughly chopped large red onion, 2 chopped garlic cloves and 1-2 roughly chopped medium red and/or green chillies for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally until soft. Step Add 250g roughly chopped ripe tomatoes (or plum or cherry tomatoes), ½ tbsp tomato purée and 1 litre vegetable stock then bring to the boil. Season and simmer gently for about 30 minutes. Step Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp rapeseed or olive oil for the garnish in a frying pan and cook 2 slices of sourdough or bloomer, cut into rough 1cm cubes, until golden, 3-4 minutes, stirring as they cook. Step Add a knob of butter towards the end, continue frying until it has melted, then transfer the croutons to a plate lined with kitchen paper and season.
