Casa Mango Mango

Following our Guide books we booked a room at Casa Mango Mango for the first leg of our trip (Rio) A large colonial house in the stunning neighbourhood of Santa Teresa. We arrived in the late of night and our cab driver (more of him later) drove up the winding cobbled streets lit by the odd streetlight that lit just enough of the street and houses for us to realise this area was pretty special.

The street below from our bedroom window

We walked through the gate at street level up a steep set of stairs under two huge Mango trees to the house which was impressive even in the dark of night. We checked in and were taken up yet more stairs to our Room 1 at the very top of the house- large and sparingly decorated with shiny polished wooden floors and wooden shutters opened to show us the view of Rio we would be enjoying during our stay, and what a view!
Wearily we got into bed and woke up excited, flung the blinds open to this....

View from the front window

View from the back window

Rio De Janeiro

I have been longing to go to South America for ages now and on the spur of the moment, I bought some tickets for Brads (Hubby) birthday. The journey will take us to Rio in Brazil, then Buenos Aires in Argentina and back to Brazil for a short (and at the time undecided) trip - possibly the Iguazu Falls. We have since decided on a few days of sun bathing and snorkelling in Buzios instead, a few days of rest and quiet before heading back to our lives in Norfolk.

And what a choice it has been! Rio is amazing, colourful, lush and wild. The residents love colour and it shows - everywhere. The life is relaxed and the Brazilians know how to have a good time. The city sprawls out among a series of hills and mountains and the best views are taken by the 'Favelas' or slums that have shot up on every available hillside.

Finally.....Chilli's!

Red Savina

Orange Habanero

After what feels like years all my little chilli plants have started fruiting, I sowed a heap of seeds and gave a load of the little seedlings away and they seem to have been quite unsuccessful elsewhere, but here at home - touch wood - I haven't lost a single plant, they have all shot up and started producing perfect little chilli's- hot, fiery little chilli's. These will all be dried and hung in the kitchen for use during the cold winter months. That should keep us warm for sure!

Green Tomato Chutney

Over the weekend I raided the tomato vines of all the green tomatoes, every last one. All the stubborn fruits that haven't ripened can still be put to good use in chutney. The growing season is slowing down and I'm getting the plants ready to turn into compost, all the extra ripened tomatoes will be slow dried in the oven and bottled in Olive Oil to store ready for the winter and the grow bags contents emptied onto the allotment. 

I'm going to follow the lovely Delia Smith's recipe (see below)

Green Tomato Chutney

2 1/2 lb green tomatoes

2 lb onions

2 1/2 lb cooking apples

1 lb raisins

6 large crushed cloves of garlic

1/2 tbsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tbsp salt

2 leve desertspoons of ground ginger

1lb 6oz soft brown sugar

1 oz pickling spice

3 pints genuine malt vinegar.

A small preserving pan, eight 1lb preserving jars, a mincer, string and some gauze.

Wash the tomatpoes and cut them into quarters, peel theonions and quarter them, quarter and core the apples, lewaving the peels on and keeping them in water to prevent browning.

Using the medium blade of a mincer, mince the tomatoes and place them in the pan, next mince the onions, then the raisins followed by the apples (don't wory if they have now turned brown), addinf them all to the pan. Now add the garlic, cayenne, salt ginger and sugar, blend everything thoroughly. Next tie the pickling spice in a small piece of double thickness gauze and attach it to the handle so that it hangs down into the other ingredients.

Now pour in the vinegar, bring to simmering point, remove any scum from the surface, then let it simmer very gently for approx. 3 1/2 hours with out covering. Sit occassionally esp. towards the end to prevent sticking. It's ready whe the vinegar has almost been absorbed, the chutney has thickened to a nice soft consistency and the spoon leaves a trail. Do be careful not to overcook. The recipe says that a food processor can be used instead of a mincer.