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Richard - The Southern Kitchen

How many types of chilli?

Dear Tooting & Balham Foodies,


Gosh, it does feel a bit funny to be writing to you so soon after last week, having not done so previously for so long. The summer seems to be flying by, and its only two weeks until the tykes go back!


It was so good to cook the chicken burgers last week, after what felt like forever. I have forgotten how good they are, which led me to being extra naughty, having a breakfast burrito with a couple of pieces of the tenders, much to the dismay of Mrs TSK at my piggishness. This I must say though, was an excellent use of leftovers!

Southern fried chicken on a bed of salad and omelette
Buttermilk Chicken Tenders on a breakfast burrito.

I’ve also had a hankering for Mexican food recently, so have dived back through the archives and sort solace and inspiration for this week’s menu, with Chile Colorado. In the culinary journey that has being the last year, we’ve cooked a lot of fantabulous meals and discovered loads of new flavours, but this has to be in the top 5. Ok, ok, that might not make it sound that special, only top 5, but we’ve eaten A LOT of good food recently and it can be difficult to draw them apart. Out of all the food that we have cooked, this dish has opened my eyes the most in terms of being different and learning about a whole new flavour profile. It has made me want to scratch a lot deeper under the surface of Tex-mex & Mexican food. It speaks to me of different food cultures, or at the very least, beyond a tendency to have a tomato based sauce as the starting point. It also opened up the possibility of seeing chillies as something more. Whilst the UK supermarkets have come a long way in the last 20 years, having gone beyond simple red and green, the application of the chilli is still quite one dimensional, with the question of “how much heat do I want?” being at the forefront of peoples mind. Once you scratch the surface, you’ll find that there are many varieties out there, all with their own flavour profile and uses. Chillies have a unique flavour, and are not just something to blow your head off. We use five different chillies in our Colorado; Ancho, Guijillo, Passila, Chipolte & Jalapeno, making this rich, deep, redolent, earthy and sultry comfort food that is utterly delicious, with a unique flavour that will leave you wanting more! You can read more about Chilli Colorado in a previous blog post too.

The chillies that go in our Colorado
5 types of chilli - Pasilla, Guajillo, Ancho, Chipotle & Jalapeno

I am going to be talking about different chillies, and heat levels, in future blogs, especially as we have created our own range of delicious chilli & BBQ sauces

A redolent bowl of chile colorado

Now Mrs TSK is not a glutton, but soon as she sees a vat of this bubbling away she’s there bowl and spoon in hand, chomping at the bit, till she’s allowed to have some, which is not until it has made its way to its respective homes for the evening. She is like an incessant 5 year old on a car journey, “are we nearly there yet”. Once given the green light, she inhales the whole bowl, not bothering to pause for breath, her hands a blur as corn tortillas whir like a Mississippi paddle steamer, transporting hunks of slow cooked pork and scoops of luscious elixir-like Colorado sauce to tantalise her taste buds to her heart’s desire. Once done, every last drop of sauce is mopped up with a tortilla. This is lick the bowl good. And she does.




As always, please do try to pre-order to avoid food waste, and if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask!


Happy eating y’all!


Rich


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