Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss’d cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For summer has o’er-brimm’d their clammy cells.
From the poem To Autumn by John Keats (1795 – 1821)
Sometimes I think it would be lovely to live in the countryside with a bit of land to grow some vegetables and fruit trees. Sheep bleating in nearby farmers’ fields which greet me along with the morning sun. I get nervous, though, at the isolation and especially the horror stories I hear from friends about the lack of well-resourced local hospitals.
For now, I am strictly staying in London and making do with potted plants. Space being limited, I quite like herbs and especially growing chillies.
Last week I picked the green and red chillies and made some shatta, which is a Middle Eastern spicy sauce. Both types of shatta can be used to perk up any type of meal. For me, one use would be to accompany some Hainanese-style poached chicken and rice.
Thinking ahead, being red and green, this would make perfect Christmas gifts for your foodie friends. If you are considering this, the cheapest place to source fresh chillies would be from ethnic grocery stores as supermarkets are woefully lacking here. Start making the shatta at the beginning of November, as it lasts for six months in the fridge. I am sure you will find many uses for it leading up to Christmas.
The recipe is taken from Falastin by Sami Tammy and Tara Wigley, was published by Ebury Press, ISBN 978-1785038723.
For the Shatta:
250 g red or green chillies, stems trimmed and then very thinly sliced (with seeds)
1 tablespoon fine sea salt
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Olive oil, to cover and seal
Variation for the red shatta:
250 g red chillies, stems trimmed and then very thinly sliced (with seeds)
1 tablespoon fine sea salt
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons lime juice
Olive oil, to cover and seal
You will also need some sterilised glass jars for storing the shatta. I sterilise my jars by washing them first with washing up liquid and hot water, rinsing, drying, then putting them through the dishwasher. I also used a disposable food preparation glove (on my left hand, as I am right-handed) when cutting the chillies.
How to Make:
Wash and dry the chillies, trim off the stems then slice very thinly. The seeds can be used as well.
Place the chillies and salt in a medium sterilised jar and mix well. Seal the jar and store in the fridge for 3 days.
On the third day, drain the chillies, transfer them to a food processor and blitz: you can either blitz well to form a fine paste or roughly blitz so that some texture remains.
Add the cider vinegar and lemon juice (or rice vinegar and lime juice), mix to combine, then return the mixture to the same jar. Pour enough olive oil on top to seal, and keep in the fridge.
Once made, shatta will keep in the fridge for up to six months. The oil will firm up and separate from the chillies once it’s in the fridge. Give it a good stir, for everything to combine, before using.
Step by step photos
My Big Tip: use a wide-rimmed funnel so the chillies don’t fall about as you try to put it into the bottle
