London - Food writer Kay Plunkett-Hogge pays homage to the chilli in her new book Heat, as she follows the fiery little fruit from the Americas to Europe, and along spice routes to the Middle East, India, China and beyond.
The recipes, which have been amassed by the author over 30 years, showcase the chilli’s rich, nomadic history, and its extraordinary versatility – from Thai classics and Italian pastas to desserts with a kick.
“There are dishes I’ve had cooked for me by friends from all over the world, dishes I’ve discovered on my travels, and dishes I’ve dreamt up in my chilli-fevered brain,” says Plunkett-Hogge.
“As with so many meals and recipes, most come with specific stories and memories that make them special to me.”
Here, she shares a recipes that will bring some warmth to your kitchen.
Caponata Siracusa
Serves 6-8
6-8 tbsp olive oil
2 firm, medium aubergines, cut into 2.5cm dice
1 red onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2 red or orange Romano peppers, seeded and chopped
1-2 Italian hot red chillies, seeded and chopped
4 celery sticks, chopped
160g cherry tomatoes (about 18), halved, plus 4 more, halved, to garnish
2 tbsp capers, drained
4 tbsp raisins or sultanas, or both
1 tbsp sugar
6-8 tbsp red wine vinegar
Handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
15 pitted black olives, halved
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
Toast or crusty bread
This colourful agrodolce vegetable medley was always one of the first things I ordered when my family used to sail to Sicily when I was a girl. It’s great as a snack on bread or toast, as part of an antipasti platter, or as a side for meat or fish.
And it stars the Romano pepper, which is closely related to the bell or sweet pepper. This recipe makes a fairly large amount, but it keeps well and it will disappear in no time.
Heat two tablespoons of the olive oil in a heavy-based, lidded pan over a medium hob. You won’t need all the oil up front, just add it as you need it.
Add the aubergines – you may have to do this in batches, as you don’t want to crowd the pan and cause the aubergines to sweat. You want them a nice goldeny brown on the cut sides. This should take 5-6 minutes. Remove and set aside on kitchen paper.
Heat the final tablespoon of oil in the empty pan and add the onion. Allow it to colour a little. Add the peppers, chilli and celery, and stir well, coating all the vegetables in olive oil.
Add the tomatoes and cooked aubergine and stir through, then add the capers and raisins or sultanas.
Mix the sugar and vinegar together in a small bowl and add that to the pan too. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer gently for 5-10 minutes, then cook for another 5 minutes uncovered. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Take off the heat and set aside to cool to room temperature. When it’s cooled, add the parsley, olives and extra cherry tomato halves and stir through gently. Serve on small plates, drizzle over the extra-virgin olive oil, scatter with the toasted pine nuts and enjoy with toast or crusty bread.
The Independent