The Secret Ingredient

To be honest... I just chuck in a chunck... about 2 cm square for a big pot...

I taste... 

To be honest... I just chuck in a chunk... about 2 cm square for a big pot...

Ok, that's what I was thinking would be more like it.  He put in a whole lot whenever he made that stuff -- it was ok/edible, but too rich with chocolate for something savory.

The most different for some... dark chocolate in both chili and spag bol...esp when using tinned tomato products...  just kicks down the acidity.

Since I have moved here though I use Chili Chocolate from http://www.southdevonchillifarm.co.uk/chocshop.html

Lovely stuff!

Oooh I'm going to try that!!

Cinnamon in chili. Thought it was weird when I first saw it in a recipe, but seems it's pretty common.

Mmmmm. Pam, thanks for that link - I have to get some of that for molé!!!

Nutmeg. I put it in nearly everything. It's one of my fave flavours.

Nutmeg. I put it in nearly everything. It's one of my fave flavours.

Good one! I agree! It's the essential ingredient in my bechemel sauce!

Liquid Smoke.
I use it in a lot of my Mexican dishes and everyone agrees there's 'something' different... some sort of extra flavour, but cant quite put their finger on what it is!

Liquid Smoke. 

Can you actually buy that in a regular grocery store here?  Or is that something from Lupe Pintos?  I always liked Liquid Smoke.

Lupe Pintos!
I've never seen it in a normal supermarket.

I use Marigold low salt vegetable bouillon, a little marmite, simmer in a pan for minimum 10 minutes with a couple of bayleaves (if you have time to simmer longer you get more flavour from the bay leaves) add a splash of dark soy sauce, then thicken with cornflour.

I'm going to have to try that. Jon always makes his gravy from gravy granuals and I think they're gross.

Jamie does most of the bread making and sticks to the recipes. The bread always turns out oh so tasty. We've been making cinnamon rolls, they've been a hit with everyone we've given them to. Here's the recipe.

For the rolls themselves:
1 cup of warm milk (make sure it's warm)
1 egg
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp yeast
Mix ingredients on dough setting in breadmaker

For the caramel sauce:
1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp milk
Boil together to make a caramel sauce to coat the bottom of a casserole dish (or whatever you bake with).

Roll dough to a 10x15" oblong shape, glaze with butter and dust with cinnamon and sugar. Roll to make a log shape. Cut using dental floss to prevent squishing (works very well). Each roll should be about 1 and a half inches deep. Place each roll in a dish that has the caramel sauce coated in the bottom. Leave the dish somewhere warm for about an hour so they can rise, and rise they will. We leave ours in the airing cupbord on top of the boiler. Bake at 175 degrees celcius for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

These are really good!

For the rolls themselves:

Do you use any flour?

For gravy and some meat dishes like mince and tatties, I always use a bit of Maggi.

I use cinnamon in most dishes

I keep a separate jar of sugar with vanilla pods for baking 

What southerner home would be complete without a jar of Chef Paul Prudhomme's Blackened Steak Magic or Blackened Redfish Magic? 

Maw, fire up that Bar-B-Q, I'sa goin' fish'

Do you use any flour?

oops! Completely skipped that one!

3 1/2 bread flour