October

Cranberry Chutney

Put 500g chopped Coxes Apples, 500g Cranberries, 200g chopped Red Onions, 650g Sugar, 150g Sultanas,  1 chopped Red Pepper, 1 chopped Red Chilli, 200g White Wine Vinegar, 1tbs chopped Ginger, 4 chopped cloves of  Garlic, 2 Cloves and ½ tsp Cinnamon in a stainless steel pan.  Bring to the boil, stirring continuously and simmer until all the ingredients are tender. This should take around 30 minutes. Stir often to prevent sticking and burning. Pour into hot jars and seal. Great with chicken, turkey, pork and duck. Also excellent served with cheese or even as a relish to go with cold meats, or homemade burgers.  

 

Spicy Romanesco with Spring Onions

Separate the florets of a head of Romanesco into small florets then wash and drain them. Trim, wash and chop 2 bunches of Spring Onions into 1cm lengths. Heat 3 tbs Sunflower Oil in a heavy pan and add ½ tsp Mustard Seeds. Stir constantly for about a minute and add a sliced Red Chilli a good pinch of salt and the chopped Spring Onions. Cook for a minute

 

Marscapone Gnocchi with Tomato Confit

Okay, so we've restocked on Tomato Confits, having been caught out by the way they flew out of the door when we introduced them. This lot are new, improved and have a longer shelf life. To tempt you to buy again, we stole this recipe from New Zealand chef Michael Goodrich.
You need: for Gnocchi:
500g marscapone; 350g plain flour
2 whole eggs; 1 dsp fresh grated parmesan; a pinch of nutmeg;
salt and pepper to taste.

Plus, 4DegreesC Tomato Confit:

Method: For Gnocchi:
Mix all together (do not overwork)

To finish: Blanch gnocchi as any pasta and then finish in a pan with sauteing 100g of fresh spinach and some roughly chopped tomato confit the pear and cut into small dice. Pass the potatoes and sweet potatoes through a food mill. Strain out herbs and add enough of the flavoured milk to the puree to achieve the consistency you want. Gently fold in the diced pear. Season to taste. And serve!

 

Pear-spiked Potato Mash
Is combining two colours of Potatoes with hard chunks of Pear one of the strangest recipe ideas? Not -- we think you'll agree -- when you try it. It's really a smooth potato puree that comes through with a great taste kick on the fork.

What you'll need:
5 medium Sweet Potatoes
1 large White Potato
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 to 1 1/2 cups milk or half milk and half cream
1 sprig thyme and a bay leaf
1 firm, ripe Comice pear
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Peel, dice sweet potatoes and boil in salted water until tender. Peel and dice the potato and cook separately in boiling salted water. Both must be fully cooked, or the puree will not be smooth. Meantime, melt the butter in the milk (or milk and cream), add thyme and bay leaf and steep for about 15 minutes so the milk is flavoured by the herbs. Peel and core the pear and cut into small dice. Pass the potatoes and sweet potatoes through a food mill. Strain out the herbs and add enough of the flavoured milk to the puree to achieve the consistency you want. Gently fold in the diced pear. Season to taste.

 

Snake Bean and Aubergine Thai Green Curry

Finely chop a couple of large Onions, crush a clove of Garlic and dice a few Green Peppers. Gently sweat with a little oil in a wok or heavy-bottomed pan.
Stir in a generous Kitchen spoonful of Green Curry paste (you can make your own by blending together Lemongrass, Green Chillies, Lime leaves, Basil and Coriander).
Add a tin of coconut milk (do not over moisten) add a little Lemongrass and Galangal.
Finally stir in some cut Snake Beans, Bean sprouts, and some quartered Green Thai Aubergines. Simmer until the Beans are cooked but still have a crunch. Finish with fresh Mint and Coriander then serve with either Jasmine Rice or Thai Sticky Rice.

 

Potato and Jerusalem Artichoke Dauphinoise

There are Lots of Creamy Jerusalem Artichokes in the market this week so I thought you might like to try an old classic with a twist. Firstly peel and slice a kilo of Jerusalem Artichokes, toss in Butter with Garlic and Thyme until soft. Peel and Thinly slice 3 kg of Large Potatoes, layer up alternately with the Artichokes into a heavy ovenproof dish. Boil a Litre of Whipping Cream infused with Garlic, season this well with Sea Salt and pour over the sliced Potatoes and Artichokes. Cover with buttered foil and cook in moderately hot oven. When cooked, press until cool then either cut to shape or serve in the cooking dish for a wonderfully
nutty Potato dish.

Egremont Russet Fritters with Butterscotch Sauce.

Peel and slice the Apples into 1cm thick discs. Make a batter by whisking 6 Egg Whites to a soft peak then fold in 250ml of Water and 300g of Flour.

Heat some sunflower oil to 190C/375F. Dip the Apple slices into the Batter and carefully fry them for 3 to 4 minutes until golden-brown.

Using a blend of Cinnamon and Caster Sugar, dust the fritters and serve immediately.

A freshly made Vanilla Ice Cream would compliment this beautifully or Butterscotch Sauce (made by adding a little Double Cream and Butter to a fresh Caramel) and a dollop of Greek Yoghurt. A few toasted Wet Walnuts scattered on top adds extra crunch.

Parsnip Fritters with Creamed Mushrooms and Wilted Rocket

Boil a kilo of peeled and quartered Parsnips in Salted and slightly Sugared Water until soft. Mash and Season. Sieve in 300g of Flour and 3 well beaten Eggs, add a roughly chopped mixture of soft herbs such as Chives, Tarragon, and Flat Parsley and form into small cakes.

Shallow fry until golden-brown on both sides. Serve hot, on a bed of Creamed Mushrooms finished with a little Dijon Mustard and
wilted Wild Rocket.

Roasted Red Peppers stuffed with Pumpkin and Saffron Risotto

Half and de-seed 8 Red Peppers, sprinkle with Olive Oil and roast in a moderate oven until tender and lightly coloured. Meanwhile, gently fry 400g diced Pumpkin, 200g Arborio Rice and 100g diced Banana Shallots in a heavy pan with a little Garlic, a pinch of Saffron and Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Stir in simmering Vegetable Stock (made from the Pumpkin trimmings, half a Leek and a little Fennel) a little at a time until the Rice is just cooked. Spread the hot Risotto on a tray to allow rapid cooling and avoid over cooking.

To serve, simmer a little stock, add to the Risotto, and finish with Basil. Stuff the Peppers. Serve warm from the oven with a Roquette
and Parmesan Salad.

 

Som Tum Salad

Thickly grate one medium green Vegetable Papaya and two medium Carrots. Add one freshly chopped Birds Eye Chilli, a little Brown Sugar and a crushed clove of Garlic. Mix with two quartered, de-seeded Vine Tomatoes, ½ a Lime (grated Zest and Juice) and a little Thai Fish Sauce. Refrigerate overnight. To serve: lightly roast 200g Peanuts and add to the mixture. Toss with Cos Lettuce hearts and serve.

Stuffed Cox's with Vanilla Bean Custard.

Remove the cores from 4 large Cox's Apples. Stuff with a mixture of chopped Dried Apricots, Prunes and Figs, combined with a little Marzipan. Place in an ovenproof dish and sprinkle with Apple Juice to moisten (and prevent the apples from sticking). Bake briefly in a moderate oven, checking regularly to avoid overcooking.

For the Custard: Mix 4 Egg Yolks, 50g Sugar and 50g Honey together. Split the Vanilla Pod, place in a pan with 568 ml (1 pint) of Milk and bring to the boil. Pour this over the egg mix and gently cook custard until it coats a wooden spoon then strain.