Meals for Under £10: Homemade breadsticks with hot jam

YOU will love these homemade breadsticks with Parma ham and hot jam. The boxes you buy in shops will never seem quite good enough again.

You’ll need:

Chilli Jam:

500g red bell peppers

100g hot chilli peppers

250g sugar

½ glass of wine vinegar

Hot Plum Jam:

150g sugar

100g wine vinegar

2 hot chillis

500g plums, quartered & stones removed

For the Breadsticks:

500g flour

18g brewer’s yeast

50g Parma ham, minced

80g semolina, to taste

Parma ham to serve

Method:

For the chilli jam, wash, dry and clean the bell peppers and remove the stalks and seeds. Cut the chilli peppers in half and then put in a pan with the bell peppers, sugar, vinegar and a good pinch of salt. Cook for 45 minutes on a low flame, stirring from time to time.

Take off the heat and blend. Then, place it back on the heat to bring to a boil and pour into 2-3 sterilised jars while still hot. Screw the lids on tightly and leave to cool upside down, covered with dish towels.

For the hot plum jam, heat a non-stick pan with the sugar, vinegar, chillis, water, salt and pepper. Simmer the syrup for 15 minutes and soak the pitted plums in it. Cook for 30 minutes without stirring. When the jam is ready, put it into bowls.

For the breadsticks, dissolve the yeast in 50g of water. Mix in all the ingredients adding about 250g of water in a bowl. Cover with a towel and leave to rest for 60 minutes.

When the dough has doubled its volume, cut out pieces without kneading it. With a rolling pin, roll out dough strips 1cm wide and cut them to the desired length.

Brush the breadsticks with oil, then roll them in the semolina. Arrange the breadsticks on a tin covered with baking paper and leave them for 15 minutes, then bake in the oven at 180°C for 15-18 minutes.

Serve the breadsticks with slices of Parma ham and the jams.