Hot pepper slices- fermented and deliciously hot!

More deliciousness from Batch.  I set aside a selection of hot peppers from making the hot sauce to make a jar of sliced peppers.  They will be great to add to chilli, top nachos, or add to burgers.

This recipe will fill a 500 ml jar.

A Hot Sauce with a Few Twists- it's wood fermented

Thanks to the folks at Batch for the idea of tucking in a few wood chips to add another layer of flavour to this fermented hot sauce.  An easy sauce to make, it delivers quite a flavour punch!

Summer is the best time to find a great assortment of colourful, hot peppers.  You can arrange the peppers in your crock or a large jar and set aside in a corner of the kitchen while you work on other preserving projects.  Just remember to check on the "brew" every few days.

This recipe makes 2 litres of pure hot sauce or 4 litres diluted with vinegar.

A trio of pestos... stock up the freezer... these are delicious

Frozen pesto is a boon in the winter kitchen.  Great with pasta, in soups, in sauces, it doesn't get much better than this.  So, when I found myself with too many peppers, a lot of basil and extra sun dried tomatoes (that's a problem everyone should have!), it was time to make pesto.  A traditionalist would use a mortar to make the basil pesto, but I much prefer the food processor.  I freeze it in ice cube trays, ready for use anytime...

(clockwise from the top: traditional basil, pesto rosso- dried tomato, red pepper pesto)

Pesto no. 1 is the traditional basil pesto made with fresh basil, pine nuts, garlic (fresh and local), olive oil.  I add the parmesan cheese after thawing.

Pesto no. 2 is pesto rosso- dried tomatoes in olive oil, olives. fresh garlic, rosemary, toasted almonds. olive oil- delicious.

Pesto no. 3 is red pepper pesto- fresh garden ripe sweet red peppers, toasted almonds, a little onion, garlic, olive oil.  Parmesan cheeses added when thawed.  Fresh tasting and delicious.

Each recipe made about 12 cubes with a little left over for immediate tasting.