My bowels aren't what they used to be. If I smother everything in silly-hot chilli now, I pay for it in painful and frequent instalments. I still crave the buzz, but now I prioritise the bouquet over the burn. So, while this chilli oil is muscular, it's also surprisingly elegant; the Patrick Swayze of chilli oils, if you will.
A good selection of condiments is like a first aid kit for leftovers. How many times have you rescued a sausage from an imminent binning with a smear of mustard? A modest drizzle of this chilli and fennel oil will revive pastas, soups, stews, sandwiches and dips. And because fennel and chilli are pretty universal flavours, it's good on Italian, Spanish, Middle Eastern, Indian, American, Mexican, Asian and, well, anything that isn't dessert. Saying that, I've never actually tried it on dessert. I'll give it a whirl and get back to you.
Chilli & Fennel Seed Oil
~ Makes just over a litre ~
Ingredients
100g chilli flakes
100g fennel seeds
1 litre oil (vegetable, canola or sunflower)
Method
Toast the fennel seeds on a medium heat in a heavy pan. Heavy is good because it heats up slowly and evenly. If you're anything like me and oh shit Alan Arkin just died you get easily distracted, you need to put your fucking phone down and pay attention to these seeds. They go from toasty and fragrant to blackened and acrid faster than you can say I loved him in Edward Scissorhands.
When they've darkened from pale green to khaki, turn the heat down to low, add the chilli flakes and stir for about a minute. You'll know it's done because the fumes released by the lightly toasted chilli will be catching the back of your throat.
Pour in the oil and stir until it starts to bubble. Let it bubble very gently for a minute, then turn off the heat and leave it to cool in the pan.
