Why is it that I start each week with a plan of things I wish to achieve, then before I know it Friday has arrived and nothing has been crossed off the list. Everything happening In My Kitchen this month seems to be a continuation of last month’s projects. The large bucket of limes has finally been consumed. The Princess is extremely happy with the lime curd and has been making herself an ‘egg’ for dessert every night, which is really just a puddle of yoghurt with a scoop of lime curd in the centre.
I made a few self saucing lime puddings, and then used the remainder of the limes for this large jar of Indian Spiced Pickles. This is a combination of a few recipes that I found, and I still have to add some additional spices, but so far so good. They are limes, by the way, but they had ripened quite a lot by the time I pickled them which is why are yellow.
I dried my large chilli harvest, but am now stuck as to what to do with them. We don’t consume vast amounts of chilli, but I am still thinking of making an infused chilli oil. I was going to make harissa but every recipe I have so far found uses fresh chilli. Pity I didn’t find those recipes before I dried my entire harvest. There are many more chillies still on the bush though so I can make harissa with those. Any suggestions for the remainder of the dried chillies would be appreciated.
A quick trip to IKEA (is there such a thing?) did not yield what I was actually after, but as we all know you can never escape without something else you didn’t know you needed. These oven proof dishes were on sale for $5 and are a good size for lots of crispy topping on gratins and bakes.
I spied these Mie-Noodles in my local supermarket and was attracted to their similarity to 2 minute noodle cakes. I have been toying with the idea of trying to create my own 2 minute noodles without all the additives and preservatives, so I will be interested to see if these work.
Only one new book on my bookshelf this month, which makes Mr Grumpy very happy. I had The Nourished Kitchen on pre-order, which effectively means I had forgotten it was coming, so it was a lovely surprise to find it on my doorstep one day. I have, however, spent the month straightening the bookshelves and discarding books we longer want, so I now have lots of room for new books. Time to reassess that wishlist.
That is about it for my kitchen this month. Make sure you drop by Celia’s at Fig Jam & Lime Cordial to see what is happening in other kitchens around the world.
Well done on using up your limes! And yes there is no such thing as a quick pop in to Ikea is there? We always come out with loads of things at least an hour later!
Thanks Lorraine. It took a while but they are all gone now 🙂
I really don’t think there’s such a thing as a quick trip to Ikea! 🙂 Your limes are a treasure – our baby lime tree has all of three fruits this year! Loads of lemons though. I blitzed my dried chillies up into flakes – I found that if I whiz them in the mini FP first, most of the seeds fell out, and then I could just scoop the flesh into my spice grinder. A spoonful then went into a bit of oil, which has worked really well, although you could just infuse your dried chillies in oil and I’m sure that would work too. Having said all that, we had about a quarter of what you’ve got, and I’m still not sure we’ll get through them all! 😀
I always go to IKEA with a plan, but always leave with said plan in disarray and more stuff than I can carry back to my car. Always 🙂 I like that idea of blitzing the chillies to remove the seeds. I will give that a go. I may need to develop a series of food gifts this year with a chilli theme to get through them all 😉
Thanks for the lime curd Recipe.. I have heaps of limes and was wondering what to do with them! There is only so much juice and rind you can freeze as well as cake to make! I have a great chilli jam recipe if you would like to email it to me I can send it to you as I haven’t posted it on my blog yet! 🙂
Pleasure. It is well loved in our family. If I have loads of limes I will freeze some of the juice in the right size to make the curd, then I just have to defrost that container when I make a batch. I will drop you a line about the chilli jam. Sounds great. Thanks for that.
A wonderful assortment of goodies in your kitchen again… loving the chillies! I froze mine fresh… there are many of them ready to use when I cook! I also dried some. Good thing is that I NEVER have to buy chillies again! : )
Thanks Liz. Now that is a good idea! I have loads of fresh ones so will stash some in the freezer. I did find myself buying chillies this year before the bush went into full production.
Lime Curd? Oh that must be so wonderful!! I think I would eat it by the spoonful and it would be gone before anyone else had the chance to try some! And what a beautiful photo of your dried chilies. LOVE cookbooks!! I’ll have to check that one out. My collection is not nearly big enough! Thanks for the look in your kitchen!
I gave a jar of the lime curd to my neighbour. Apparently she did eat it by the spoonful 🙂 My cookbook collection is never big enough. There is always another one I need to have. Thanks for stopping by.
Hi Tania, Do those limes look like yellow mandarins? If so they may be Rampur Limes. Which, I am afraid to say aren’t true limes. Check out this link. http://passionfruitgarden.com/2012/08/31/in-my-kitchen-september-2012/. I think chilli powder is the go, whizz some of the dried chillies in your Thermomix. Another cookbook is always good!
No, they are true Tahitian limes Glenda. They were just quite ripe by the time I got them and then it took me a little while to actually pickle them, so they were completely yellow by the time I got them in the jar. I checked out your post though. I have never seen Rampur limes. I do like the look of your chilli powder. I think the Thermomix will make short work of the chillies.
I read over on Glend’as blog that she dehydrated her chillis to make chilli powder – then at least you could gift it in small jars. As for the Ikea Markethall – back away from the incredibly cheap Plim Plom serviettes and Kaarst cracker breads!
I had spied Glenda’s chilli powder already 🙂 I’m thinking that might be the way to go, or I might try Celia’s method as well. I have enough chillies. I can do both. I usually come out with serviettes and blue cheese (of all things). Might need to (not) check out the crackers.
Would love an addititive-free two minute noodle recipe! Get cracking and keep us posted!
For you dear, will do 😉
The Lime pickle looks good- perhaps you should share your recipe.
Thanks Francesca. It was a mash up of a number of recipes though, and in true form I didn’t actually write down what I did. So if it turns out any good I will never be able to recreate it 🙂
G’day! Thanks also for your kitchen view!
Oh my goodness…as my friends know how I am using heaps of chilli too!
Tahitian limes are divine!
Cheers! Joanne
Chillies seem to be everywhere at the moment, don’t they. Thanks for stopping by.
I dont think you can ever have too many limes!!!! Your curd looks delish and Im loving the ‘egg’ too! Your chilli’s look so pretty in the big jars-they will look amazing just on display should you not make oil, etc. Keen to hear your thoughts on new book too xx Loved snooping in your kitchen- Thank you x
It seems to be feast or famine with limes in my house. Either too many or none at all. I think you are right. The chillies will be a display item for a bit longer. I am hoping to enjoy the book properly in the sun this weekend. Thanks for stopping by.
I love lime curd and chilli oil sounds like a great idea. I’ve also dried all my chillies so if I find a use for them I will blog it 🙂
Excellent Tandy. I will keep an eye out for some great chilli related offerings 😉
I am really taken with the idea of ‘the egg’ so will get cracking on some lemon curd. Thanks for a look in your kitchen, I will be on the look out for that cook book.
The egg is entirely The Princess’s invention. I’m happy about it because it gets yoghurt into her. It is a good cookbook. I got mine through Amazon.
love the idea of an “egg” dessert. I still have dried chillies hanging up from three years ago and really should find something to do with them.
A simple dessert she can make herself is a winner in my book 😉 I need to make the effort to do something with my chillies or they will still be in the jar in a couple of years as well.
hi
i sun-dry then blitz the chillies in my food processor so i have dried chilli flakes which last for a year. i also just throw them into a bag and chuck ’em in the freezer whole ready for curries, stir fries, soups you name it.
I think I am going to make myself some chilli flakes. Seems like a good idea. And I am absolutely freezing some of the next crop.
Chillies – love chillies! Are these cayenne or birds eye? Either way, what you could do is rehydrate the dried chillies – place them in a small bowl & cover with boiling water from the kettle. Allow to stand for 10 minutes, covered (a small plate works fine). Drain the water & squeeze excess water out of the chillies, wearing gloves just in case. Then you could make your Harissa as per recipe. I do this a lot with making my Thai curry pastes & sambals from scratch – the flavours can be more intense when the chillies are dried. Let me know how you go. Great to see you part of IMK too
Wow. Thank you for that. I have a lot of new chillies coming on but good to know I can rehydrate the dried ones if needs be. Thanks for dropping by.
See, now I am very jealous. We don’t have an Ikea – from what I have heard, I would spend days there!
Have a happy day.
🙂 Mandy xo
Trust me. It is a good thing you do not have an Ikea nearby. You can lose vast amounts of time (and money) there.
That lime curd looks divine Tania. Yes, I am also familiar with the Ikea ‘trap’ thanks for the tour 🙂
Thanks Taryn. We go through a lot of the curd in this house. Thanks for stopping by.
Can’t wait to hear how the lime pickle comes out! The cookbook looks lovely and for those dried chillies – rehydrate them in boiling water and they should be fine for making harissa 🙂
I’m glad to know I can rehydrate the chillies. Not something I had thought to do. It is a great cookbook. And as to the pickle, only time will tell. Hope it is OK though. There are a lot of limes in there 🙂
Hi Tania, the lime curd looks delicious! Of course you can use dried chilies for harissa, but they are also great for spice mixes and infused oil. Here is a short list of what I use dried chilies for: http://cookingforkishore.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html
Best,
Emily
Thanks Emily. Lots of great uses for chillies there. I must try a few. Thanks for the link.
I love limes and havent you used them well. Lime self saucing puddings delicious. How nice to have a surprise cookbook
We have absolutely had our share of lime self saucing puddings. First thing I made 😉