FINO CHILLI OIL BACK ON TAP - OCTOBER 2014

Firstly a huge thank you to so many of you who sent me such kind and supportive messages after my last email – I am delighted to be writing with better news this time.

Those of you know us as a family will know what a big part chillies play in all food in the Taylor household – Rupert is mad about chillies – he grows them as well as eating them with everything (these are some of his homegrown chillies in the picture above) - in a slightly mad moment this summer he even entered a chilli eating competition in which he came third!  The man who won can only be described as not normal, and in second place was a fantastically gutsy girl who secretly I wish had won – she was a great laugh even when she was sweating and crying!   You can imagine therefore that it is with a great sense of relief that I am writing to let you know that Fino chilli oil is back on tap.  As the infusing of the oil is done with dried chillies it is 100% fine so please feel free to replenish your stocks as and when you are ready.

For now here is an autumnal recipe for Pumpkin and Coconut Soup – it suddenly feels like this is the sort of thing we should be having to keep us warm.

Pumpkin and Coconut Soup topped with Chilli Pumpkin Seeds

4 tbsp olive oil, 2 onions finely chopped, 1kg pumpkin chopped into chunks, 700ml vegetable or chicken stock, tin of coconut milk, pumpkin seeds, Fino chilli oil, salt and pepper

Sweat the chopped onion in olive oil over a gentle heat - add the chopped pumpkin and the stock and season with salt and pepper.  Simmer for 15 mins until the pumpkin is cooked then drain and whizz in the whizzer.  Return to the pan and stir in the coconut milk, and if you want some extra spice add some chopped chillies. Meanwhile extract the pumpkin seeds from teh fibrous part in the centre of the pumpkin.  Spread them out in a baking tray and drizzle with Fino chilli oil and rock salt.  Bake in a hot oven (200ish) for about 10 mins.  You can always put them under the grill to brown them slightly.  They are delicious just like this as a nibble.  Serve teh hot soup with a spoon of sour cream and sprinkled with pumpkin seeds and a drizzle of Fino chilli oil.