Red Pepper Marmalade

This marmalade is not 'spicy' as it is made from chargrilled red capsicum and not chilli peppers. We thought long and hard about the name but in the end decided that Red Pepper sounded a lot better than Red Capsicum. Plus being a Pom I am used to calling them peppers and not capsicums!

This marmalade is a real labour of love and thanks must go once again to Bill who works tirelessly, often through the night, to roast the peppers before peeling them. When we set out to make this marmalade we decided that it would be a whole lot nicer if there was no indigestible skin in the jar. I suspect that Bill has quietly regretted this decision on a number of occasions but I think you will agree that it is worth the extra effort when you taste the end result.

At home we eat this marmalade by the spoonful! But it is delicious with most things.
Try it -

• Served with a soft cheese and crusty fresh bread for an alfresco lunch
• Spooned on to fresh tuna steaks and served with a nicoise salad (new potatoes, green beans, hard-boiled eggs and black olives)
• To liven up a grilled chicken breast sandwich

Did you know?

• Red peppers are a great source of Vitamin C - they have at least 4 times the amount of Vitamin C by weight than citrus fruits
• Red peppers are a good source of beta carotene which is also known as provitamin A, because it is one of the most important precursors of vitamin A in the human diet. It has anti-oxidant properties and may help in preventing cancer and other diseases
• The variety of the pepper plant and the stage of the ripeness determine the flavour and colour of each pepper. A red pepper is simply a mature green pepper
• Red peppers contain a recessive gene that eliminates the capsaicin (heat) in the fruit
• Red peppers are known as mangoes in parts of the US around southern Ohio , Indiana and northern Kentucky