True confession, and I think we better get it said and out of the way. I would hate for you to hear it from someone else, after all this time we’ve spent together. So,….
…it’s true what they say – I truly am one – a cry baby. I cry when I’m happy, I cry when I’m sad, I cry when I’m angry and I cry when I’m broke :-). I cry when I feel hard done by, when I think someone’s being unfair like a few weeks ago, I cried when I got a parking ticket in a car park, just because some stallholders ‘lied’ that I drove through orange cones and the police believed them over me. With my huge car (3 car seats needed), I pointed out various inconsistencies to the policeman but it was too late, I’d been yellow-slipped. I was mad and rather than explode, silent, still angry waters flowed!
This evening we went to see the new ‘Karate Kid’ with Jaden Smith, son of Will and Jada Smith. OMW (Oh my word), I was BLOWN away. Within the opening minutes of the film, someone tickled the bladder near my eyes and it burst loose, soaking my eyes and creating tiny rivulets running down slightly raised cheeks. I won’t spoil it but watching a scene about ‘moving’ created such hope and despair for me. I remember leaving Nigeria only a few short years ago, the fears, the wishes, the desires and boy, oh boy the realities of living in a different culture – growing to know it, learn it and live it.
Within minutes, I was in laughter – you can imagine that a movie that has in it the DNA of ‘funny’ Will Smith and Jackie Chan! For the two hours plus we sat fixated to the big screen, I vacillated between laughter and tears: the experiences in motherhood, trials children face in school (and one of my daughters was bullied for a brief period), the joys of discovery and the bittersweet, spicy flavours of life.
Oh people, that’s life aye?
Take this ancho strawberry preserve for instance, it is a delightful recipe that may keep your eyes moistened, depending on how many chillies you use. It will bring bursts of laughter too, or moans of pleasure swirled through some Turkish yogurt, especially if like me, you’re a sucker for yogurt and jam and imagine it as a trio of elements in a Bruléed French toast (recipe will be shared later on this week).
It has all the elements – mystique, intrigue, excitement, good looks and more. But I can’t take any credit, I was inspired by a recipe by Amanda Hesser on food52 titled Preserved Strawberries with Chiles.
Oh and before I forget, yes, we’re still eating healthily, even as we end week 4!
Here’s what we ate this week:
| Week 4 | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner |
|
Sunday |
Chestnut bread |
Fruit |
Cumin-scented puree of Autumn ‘oranges’, Turkey strips and crumbled fried sage |
| Monday | Yogurt with peach jam and flaked almonds |
Green Salad |
Lentils with curry sauce, coriander leaves and almonds |
| Tuesday |
Peach crisp adapted from Elana’s Pantry |
Salad of apple and goats cheese |
Mango slaw a la smitten kitchen and roasted duck |
| Wednesday | Yogurt with peach jam and flaked almonds |
Nectarine salad |
Yam, black-eyed beans and fish stew |
| Thursday |
Cherry Clafoutis |
Waldorf salad with pecans and feta |
Suya with cumin scented puree of Autumn oranges |
| Friday | Yogurt with peach jam and flaked almonds |
Chestnut bread, apple slices and goat’s cheese |
Thai flavoured roast chicken a la smitten kitchen with roasted broccoli and carrots, adapted from food 52 |
| Saturday | French Toast |
Fruit |
Yam and peppersoup (Nigerian chicken soup) |
My adaptation of Amanda’s recipe follows but first, things you should know – I’ve swapped maple syrup for the sugar, lime juice for lemon, added some vanilla extract and used (part of ) an ancho chilli instead of a New Mexico chilli.
I recommend this recipe if you want to taste a bit of ‘when summer met Mexico’. If you want to experience the pungent fragrance of ancho chillies, choose a cool summer’s night where a stillness in the air and a lack of sea breeze can’t chase the ‘chilli’ scents away. If your ancho came in a bag like mine, grab your scissors and punch a hole in the pack and wait, it will hit you hard. Chilli. Chilli. Chilli.
Wrinkled with its own peculiar gloss, almost leathery, this chilli pepper would make a great designer bag, only if we are thinking new age though. Bag, definitely not shoes. My attempts to chop it up into nice bits with a sharp knife were painful and torturous so out came my scissors again and snip, snip, snip I went.
When I was done, I threw all the ingredients into a pot and as the blue flames danced underneath my silver pan, I watched the mixture come alive. First a gorgeous red but then minutes later, the life sucked out of the strawberries and they took on a pink, rather ungainly look, but not for long. In the interim, the air in our living room was enveloped with the light summeriness of stewed strawberries, something I was all too happy to experience as compensation for the loss of beautiful colour. In the end, gentle stirring, slow cooking and the preserve settled on a gorgeous, translucent deep red.
By this time it was late and so I went to bed, preserve in pot. Next morning, I set it in a clean little pot and popped in the fridge, knowing it would face my peach jam fate in not lasting long.
Ancho Strawberry Preserve, adapted from Amanda Hesser’s Preserved Strawberries with Chiles.
Makes 1+ cup
Ingredients
500g sweet ripe strawberries, washed and hulled (preferably small ones, quarter if large)Chopped bits of an ancho chilli (I used about a teaspoon)
1/3 cup maple syrup 2 teaspoons vanilla extract Juice of 1 lime
How to
Place the strawberries in a heavy, medium-size pot and using a potato masher, gently press down, to release some juice and to bruise the fruit.
Remove the stems and seeds from the chile (no soaking is required) and discard. Using a pair of (kitchen) scissors, roughly chop the remaining dried chilli flesh and add it to the strawberries. Pour in the maple syrup, vanilla extract and lime juice.
Set the pot over medium heat and bring to a boil: as the fruit begins to juice, the sugar will melt the mixture will become rather liquid but don’t worry, it will reduce down nicely.
Reduce the heat to a steady simmer and cook for about 1 hour, gently stirring it every 10 minutes so the strawberries stay intact and candy. Taste and adjust the chilli so you get the right heat/flavour level.
As the preserves cook, use a spoon to skim any scum which rises to the surface.
The preserve is ready when the strawberries are shrunken and lightly candied, and the syrup has thickened but is not so thick that it’s like jelly. (The best way to test it is to pour a little bit onto a plate and let it cool before checking the consistency).
Serve on yogurt or ice cream, with breads and cakes, and like we had – on French toast.
Enjoy your week and thanks for stopping by. What’s your favourite thing to do with strawberries (in the summer)? Lots of love.
[wpurp-searchable-recipe]Ancho Strawberry Preserve, for Week 4 – – – [/wpurp-searchable-recipe]
[…] I like to build on the ancho’s berry qualities and pair it with something sweet — like strawberry preserves or […]
[…] I like to build on the ancho’s berry qualities and pair it with something sweet — like strawberry preserves or […]
Good job with colorful language to accompany your pictures of this delicious treat.
[…] Kid’ with Jaden Smith, kitchenbutterfly.com […]
[…] the ancho strawberry preserve and the peach & orange jam before it, this marmalade with its chunky bits of citrus held […]
I love those big leathery ancho chillies… and this preserve sounds AWESOME. Like you, I am a crybaby. I cry at sad TV ads, I cray over newspaper reports, I cry in movies, I cry over songs… it’s ridiculous! It’s a wonder I am not permanently deyhdrated!!
Love strawberries and anchos! fruit, liquor and chiles are a winning combo! Enjoying your blog.
I love your blog – there is so much here I need to come back….
The first pic is pure joy, seeing strawberries next to one of my fav chiles..makes me super happy, I cry on the drop of the hat, also…I’m super emotional too. We recently saw that movie and I truly enjoyed it, it was heart warming, sad and funny. I love this and can picture myself finding anything to spread this on, oh yum
sweetlife
Oh, Oz, this looks fabulous. I love hot and sweet things. …AND I love that little jam pot! You’re amazing. Thanks for this post. It almost made me cry. 🙂
A good cry is needed sometimes. It really is.
And I bet this jam is definitely something to smile over, not cry over. The fruitiness of the chile would so compliment the berries.
Katie, let me know if you try it. I love it.
Mademoiselle d, very wise words indeed!
Wizzy, thanks
You make the most intriguing things. I love hot and sweet together
A very detailed blog. This is awesome Ancho Strawberry Preserve. If you wont mind I’d love to guide Foodista readers to your post. Just add the foodista widget to the end of this post so it will appear in the Foodista pages and it’s all set, Thanks!
There’s nothing wrong with tears, as long as they’re a sign of pure emotions =) Food and life are both about honesty.
What a great combo! I am going to have to try this. This has been my summer of experimenting with jam. I’m so excited to see how the spicy and sweetness work together.
What a great combination! I hope to go to a U-Pick tomorrow and get some strawberries. I have the chilies. I will be making it tomorrow night. Thanks for the recipe.
Sarah, let me know how it goes. Thanks
My god I cannot believe the size of that chilli , nor that it came from Tesco??? Do you have Tesco there?
Lousy luck about the cones. Boo to those rotten stall holders.
Nope, we don’t have Tesco’s here – I got it when we were in the UK in May!
Oh, I say boo to the stall holders too for shamelessly lying! Thanks chic
I’ve always been impressed by your beautiful photographs and writing… now I’m impressed by how organized you are 🙂
My husband would laugh his head of Jen, me, organised? In a sort of roundabout, chaotic way, yes! Thanks
For those who don’t mind this type of heat in their preserve…I can really imagine how all those ingredients can pack a great result. My tummy may be a little too delicate ;o)
As usual…a very well thought out and dedicated post;o)
Ciao for now and flavourful wishes,
Claudia
Thanks Claudia, you might be right but the beauty of the recipe is you can vary the amount of chilli you add, from a hint to a lot!
Well, I am a cry baby too! Movies, when I’m angry, happy – you name it! Lovely preserve – I think strawberries and something hot is a great combination that I must try one day… could I put it on top of ice cream too?! 🙂
It would be superb with ice-cream – I LOVE it with thick strained yogurt!
Ancho chile is one of my favorite flavors. I use it for spicy sauces or in a flourless chocolate cake. We’re getting great strawberries right now so I can’t wait to try this!
I’ll have to try it in the chocolate cake!!!!!! What a great idea
Marvelous! I do love a sweet and spicy combination and have usually seen just sweetened chili jams and jellies (no fruit included). I’m trying my hand at jam/preserves-making and will most definitely give this a go! Now, I have to go back and check your nut butter and peach jam posts . . .!
Hope you had fun checking the other post out! 🙂
My best friend has been making wonderful preserves all summer, and I’m sure she would love this recipe. What an exciting combination of flavor! And I feel you on the emotions about moving…we’re about to pack up and move away from my family, and it is such a hard, bittersweet experience.
ahuh- sucker for jam over here as well 🙂
What a great preserve, I can think of many ways to use it.
Your strawberry and ancho preserves is a lot like life both spicy and sweet.
I have been wanting to see the movie Karate Kid. I loved this movie as a kid and the scene was set in high school. The remake is for middle school and I think that is great as I have no doubt that my son would enjoy it.
Great post.
You would love Karate Kid – it broke and pieced my heart back together!
Oh my goodness. I must make this immediately. I love the subtle heat of ancho chilies and with strawberries – you have my everlasting gratitude for thinking this one up. I’m crying tears of joy! I’m a cry baby just like you, its probably a good thing the odds are against us sitting in a theater together or we’d set each other off.
We’re crying together………..and I’ll make sure we don’t go the cinema when we meet!
Mexico and summer combined, heaven! Personally I’m a purist when it comes to strawberries, I love to pick them and eat them warm by the sun and fresh!
Rhona, I too love sunkissed berries!