Some of the bumper crop of Hungarian Hot Wax have already been converted into pickled chillies. Yellow, red, green and orange chillies sliced longways, de-seeded and washed in brine then, along with a large clove of garlic and a shoot of fresh fennel, they are popped into an airtight jar and covered in boiled but cooled white wine vinegar and water.
The chillies surplus will be added to the ever popular sweet chilli sauce that the family all remove from our shelves as fast as we make it.
This is the point at which the chillies are placed in a dark and cool cupboard for a couple of months for the magic to take place before the grand opening and testing. Hungarian Hot Wax aren't fiercely hot chillies but they do have a really pleasant burn, some can be quite hot but in the main they are just lovely tasting chillies that anybody can cope with, well they can if they are prepared to try them.
My favourite use is with a beef burger or venison burger from our favourite and very good butcher, his simple maxim is that he won't sell anything that he doesn't eat himself and a couple of these chillies added to the usual burger trimmings turns turns the meal into a gourmet feast.
The boss and I are looking forward to the first tasting maybe using a sourdough bun.
