Remember when people went wild for chilli jam? Well, I’m bringing it back, this time in partnership with everyone’s favourite seasonal truncheon, the courgette. A whole 1kg of them! Mention courgettes at this time of year and people roll their eyes and say words like ‘glut’ and ‘marrow,’ but I love them. The plants are spectacular, for a start, with their floppy, downy flowers like torn yellow bonnets; their sprawling, jungly leaves and grabby tendrils. I don’t have a garden here in London (I have what could be described as a heavily shaded yard, dominated by barbecues). I long for a day when I can take my green thumbs outside and rustle them through vegetables and flowers. I want to support the bees! I want a little pond with newts in it! And I want grass I can wiggle my toes in. So please, don’t complain about the relentless growth of your courgettes. I have selflessly developed this recipe for you to use them up, despite having to go to the Turkish food centre for mine, freshly plucked from their box alongside the skinny, zigzag peppers and mini cucumbers. There are a couple of ways you can go with this jam. The first is to keep it primarily a courgette jam with a bare tingle of chilli that will not intimidate the majority of people. For that, I’d recommend adding around ten chillies. I’ve made this a few times now, and I’m adding around 30 chillies, which makes something more akin to a regular chilli jam. It’s spicy. I eat chilli regularly and love it, so if that’s you, I’d recommend starting with 25-30. Of course, chillies do vary in heat level, and it’s worth bearing in mind that the heat fades as the jam cools and sets. I’ve been joyfully heaping this on the golden, rugged courgette and halloumi scones you see in these pics (that recipe is for paid subs this week), and eating spoonfuls of it on sliced cheese. I’d smear it in a bacon sandwich and use it as a glaze for sausages or pork chops. It would be brilliant swirled through a creamy base to make a dip, or dolloped on pizza, or lolloped into a burger… You get the idea. Sweetness and heat are what you have here. Plus a 1kg dent in your courgette collection.
Courgette and Chilli Jam 1kg courgettes, trimmed and grated Sterilise your jars and set aside to cool. I do this by pouring boiling water into them and letting them steam dry. Place your grated courgettes into a clean tea towel. Pull up the corners into a bundle and squeeze to get as much water out as possible. Put all the ingredients, including the courgettes, in a large pan and bring to a boil. Let the mixture boil for 15 minutes. The aim here is to cook the mixture down and evaporate moisture, but also to reach a setting temperature - you’re looking for 105°C. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can spoon a little jam onto a plate and place it in the fridge for a few minutes. Remove it and scrape your finger through it - if it keeps its shape, it’s ready. If not, keep cooking for a few minutes more. Set the jam aside to cool for 45 minutes before ladling it into your sterilised jars and leaving to cool completely before refrigerating.
SUPERSIZE ME! This week, a recipe for perfectly imperfect courgette and halloumi scones! Crumbly, light and seasoned throughout by the halloumi, these are 10/10. Until next time, Flavour Fans x
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Tuesday, July 29, 2025
Flavour nugget #39: courgette and jalapeño jam
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