September

Saucy Spaghetti Squash

Halve a 1.5 kg (approx) Spaghetti Squash lengthways, place cut side down in a deep, covered dish and add about 1 inch of water. Cook either in a microwave (12-15 mins) or in a medium oven (30-40 mins) until just soft to the touch. Allow to cool slightly.

In a large bowl whisk together 4tbs of good Olive Oil, 70g shredded Basil Leaves 2 tsp chopped Oregano (or 1/2tsp Dried Oregano), and 4 tbs finely grated Parmesan. Stir in 500g thinly sliced Cherry Tomatoes and season well with Sea Salt and Black Pepper.

While the Squash is still warm, remove the seeds and tease out the spaghetti-like strands with a fork. Add a knob of Butter and serve the Squash topped with
the tomato mixture.

Sprinkle over some large flakes of Parmesan, a few toasted Pine Nuts and garnish with
freshly torn Basil.

 

Yeasted Russet Apple Tart

Set the oven to very low for proving (100 to 105°F). Dissolve 1tsp Yeast and a ½ tsp Sugar in 4tbs Water and put in the oven to foam. Combine 11oz Flour, a pinch of Salt, and 2 tsp Sugar, make a well and add I Egg, 3oz soft Butter, the zest of 1 Lemon and the Yeast mixture. Make a soft dough. Dust with Flour, cover and leave to prove until it has doubled in size. Flatten dough into a tart pan so that it's thinner in the middle than at the edges and let it rest in the fridge for 20 mins.

Cream 4 oz Butter with 3oz Sugar then mix in an Egg and 7tbs Ground Almonds and then 4 tsp Flour.

Peel, quarter, and core 3 Russet or other small Apples, placing the quarters in the juice of a Lemon. Slice the quarters crosswise and return the slices to the Lemon juice. Add 2 tbs Brown Sugar. Preheat oven to 350°F.
Spread the almond mixture on top of the pastry, leaving about half an inch of exposed dough at the edge. Lay the apple pieces on top of the almond cream, radiating out from the centre. To accommodate more apples, you can push the apples into the almond cream and add another layer on top. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Serve warm.

Saucy Borlottis

Mince 2 cloves Garlic. Wash 500g of Kale and shake it over the sink. It should remain a little wet. Remove and discard the stems from the Kale and tear it into bite-size pieces. Save the stems for another use, such as vegetable stock.
Heat 2 tsp Sesame Seed Oil in the skillet over medium-low heat. Add the minced Garlic to the hot Oil and sauté for about 20 seconds. Add the Kale and 2 tbs Water to the pan and cover the skillet. Stir after 1minute then re-cover. After 1-2 more minutes, when the Kale is wilted, stir in a dash of Soy Sauce and 2 heaped tsp of lightly toasted Sesame Seeds. Add ground Black Pepper taste and add a little Sea Salt if required.

Pan Fried Ratatouille

Fry some sliced Courgettes in a large heavy frying pan until tender and lightly browned. Do the same with some chunky cut Aubergine, which when finished, should be almost creamy in texture. Add some whole Cherry Tomatoes. Cook until they become wrinkled and sweet but still just about hold their shape. Dice and sweat a couple of Large Onions until soft, and lightly caramelised. Season the vegetables and toss them gently together in a large pan, heat through for a few minutes, then add a handful of torn Basil leaves. A ratatouille made this carefully deserves to be served as a course on its own. Bruschetta (a slab of grilled Bread rubbed with garlic and drizzled with Olive Oil) makes a good accompaniment or place into an individual earthenware dish with a raw Egg and bake.

Blue Crumble Tart

For the Pastry, rub 460g of Unsalted Butter into 800g of Plain Flour and stir in 200g of Light Brown Sugar. Mix in 4 Egg Yolks and just enough cold water to bring the mixture together into a dough. Wrap in cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes. Roll out the Pastry to about 5mm thick and use to line some 25cm tart tins. Bake blind with foil and beans for 12–15 minutes in an oven preheated to 200°C/Gas Mark 6, then remove the foil and beans and cook for another 2 minutes to dry out the base. Wash a kilo or so of Blueberries and toss with Sugar and Lemon juice.

For the Crumble topping, rub 200g of Unsalted Butter into 200g of Plain Flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Mix in 400g of Ground Almonds and 200g of Caster Sugar.

Spread the fruit evenly in the cooked pastry case and sprinkle the crumble on top in an even layer. Bake in an oven preheated to 190°C/Gas Mark 5 for about 30 minutes, until the crumble top is nicely browned. Serve the pie warm, with Vanilla cream, icecream, or if it’s a chilly day, homemade custard.

Spiced Plum Crumble

Halve and stone 1½ lbs Plums and pack in a shallow baking dish, filling any large gaps with chopped plums. Sprinkle ½ tsp Ground Ginger, ½ tsp Ground Cinnamon and 2-3 tbs Sugar over them. Mix 4oz Flour, 3 oz Brown Sugar and 4 oz Ground Almonds together in a large bowl. Rub in 6 oz of chilled, diced Butter spread the mixture over the fruit. Top with 2 oz Chopped Cob or Walnuts. Just before baking, drizzle 2 tbs cold water over the top of the crumble.

Bake for 30-40 minutes at 170C until the top is golden brown. Sprinkle with golden Castor Sugar and serve. Delicious served with real egg custard, cream or crème fraic

 

Oven Baked Spaghetti Squash with Basil and Wet Walnut Pesto

Bake a whole Spaghetti Squash in a moderate oven until tender. Remove the seeds and tease out the flesh with a fork whilst still warm. Toss together with a generous helping of
Wet Walnut Pesto.

For the Pesto: Crush 200g of freshly peeled, new season Wet Walnuts, and grate 100g of Parmesan Reggiano. Blend a bunch of fresh Basil and half a clove of Garlic (optional) with 200ml of good Olive Oil. Mix the oil with the dry ingredients.

Serve warm with Black Pepper and a few shavings of Parmesan as a first course, or as a main course, topped with grilled Scallops. Perfect with a well-chilled glass of white wine.

 

Purple Fig and Almond Tartin with Honey and Lemon Yoghurt

Wash and slice two Purple Figs, arrange them on a disc of pricked puff pastry that has been spread with a thin layer of Almond Frangipan (call Tony for a recipe).

Chill for twenty minutes, then heavily dust the Tartin with Icing Sugar and bake in a convection oven for ten to twelve minutes at 180C.

Serve whilst still hot from the oven, drizzled with runny Honey and finished with a generous spoonful of Greek Yoghurt mixed with fresh Lemon Zest, sprinkled with toasted slivered Almonds.

 

Fennel, Caper & Smoked Garlic Salsa.

Heat a little Olive Oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Finely dice a couple of Red Peppers, 2 bulbs of Fennel, a Banana Shallot, and add to the warm Oil. Squeeze in the juice of a Lemon and 2 good handfuls of roughly chopped, mixed soft Herbs such as Tarragon, Parsley and Basil. Heat through for 2-3 minutes, season to taste. Add a little crushed, Smoked Garlic and a spoonful of Capers. Heat for a further minute or so to infuse the smoky flavour of the Garlic. This is a great accompaniment to grilled fish, shellfish, or cold gammon.