It's early December and I just want the year to end already. I'm tired, tetchy and have reached peak I-don't-give-a-fuck. Still, the chirpy little go-getters at my day-job continue bringing me projects to complete before I'm allowed to fuck off and eat cheese for a week.
So I can't be arsed with anything complicated this week; I've found five appropriately tired green chillies in my fridge and I'm going to fob you off with the quickest recipe in my repertoire. Luckily, it's an absolute cracker.
How good are Charred Chilli Pickles?
I have a medical condition that flares up when I'm in the same room as a chilli. If I eat just one, I'll be writhing around with stomach cramps, then sitting on a toilet so long I'll lose the feeling in my legs. If I eat two, there will be a modest amount of internal bleeding to contend with. Yet that is a price I'm prepared to pay for these smokey, garlicky, violent little vittles. You lot (my 11 followers) will hopefully get all the zing without the sting, the yum without the bum, the feeding without the bleeding...
Charred Chilli Pickles
Ingredients
5 - 10 green chillies
3 large garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced, à la Goodfellas
3 tbsp decent vinegar (sherry, wine or cider)
1 tsp salt
A good grind of black pepper
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Method
Pre-heat your BBQ and char your chillies over the flames. Turn them to get a good even blistering - but don't let the flesh inside burn.
Put your hot chillies in a bowl and with a sharp knife, put a couple of slits in each.
Add all the other ingredients and let the chillies sit in the marinate for at least 20 minutes. An hour is better. Keep turning them to ensure they soak up the marinade.
That's it. They're ready to do some damage. I eat them with cheese or grilled meat, I chop them up and toss them through spaghetti, put them in a sandwich or serve them with my Massive Middle Eastern Meatballs. What you don't eat can go in the fridge - they're good for a week or so.
Right, I'd better do some real work to keep the chirpy little go-getters happy.
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