Lime Pickle

This is a lovely spicy citrus pickle to serve as a side dish with an Indian meal, whether part of an extensive Indian menu when entertaining friends or a midweek family meal.  It is especially good with tandoori style cooked meat and kebabs. So many of the lime pickles in the shops are very oily but this version is much less so.  Although I have not done it, I would try this same recipe if I wanted to make aubergine (brinjal) pickle, another popular accompaniment to Indian food.

This recipe was taken from a manufacturer’s booklet lent by a pickle making friend: Crosse & Blackwell/Sarsons Vinegar Perfect Pickles by Suzanne Janusz.  The limes in the original recipe are halved and finely sliced but they could be left as quarters or thickly sliced if you prefer.  Make in several small jars, so it can be opened freshly as needed. The full quantity of chilli makes a hot pickle but by using less the heat can be adjusted to taste.  The seeds contain a lot of the heat, so removing these and just using the green part will make a difference.  Served with poppadums alongside a dish of sweet mango pickle this would make a very simple starter or similar.

Lime Pickle

45ml/3tbsp vegetable oil
15ml/1tbsp coriander seeds
15ml/1tbsp black mustard seeds
2.5ml/½tsp cumin seeds
2 fresh green chillis, finely sliced
1 large onion, finely sliced
30ml/2tbsp salt
225g/80zs sugar
60ml/4tbsp tomato puree
300ml/½pint distilled pickling malt vinegar
8 limes, halved & finely sliced

1.  Prepare all the ingredients before starting to make the pickle as they need to be added in quick succession.

2.  Heat the vegetable oil in a medium sized saucepan.  Put in the spices and fry them over a medium heat until they start to pop.  Do not overcook as they burn very quickly.

3.  Put in the chillis and onion, stir and cook for a minute.

4.  Add the remaining ingredients and gently simmer for about 30minutes, stirring occasionally until the lime pickle thickens.

5.  While the pickle is cooking wash and sterilise the jars.  I usually do this by filling them with boiling water and putting the lids in a separate small bowl of boiling water.  I pour away the water just before filling each jar and immediately take the lid from the bowl without touching the inside and screw it on as soon as the jar is full.

5.  Pot the chutney into the prepared jars sealing while still hot.  Cool and label.  Store for a few days before using to let the flavours develop.

Nottingham Apple Pudding

This combination of stuffed baked apples baked with crusty topped and soft centred batter pudding could be thought of as a type of clafoutis but from the English Midlands, the location of the city of Nottingham.  It’s a lovely dessert for midwinter.  Real comfort food: a quick to make dessert to follow the main course on a busy Sunday.  When I was young I remember my mother used to serve baked apples regularly at Sunday lunch, often stuffed with dried fruit.  I have also eaten apples stuffed with Mincemeat.  Both of these would make a tasty but simple alternative version of this recipe.

This recipe for Nottingham Bramley Pudding is adapted from one in The Complete Farmhouse Kitchen Cookbook, simply called Nottingham Pudding.  Ideally this should be made with Bramley cooking apples, which come from the Minster Town of Southwell in Nottinghamshire where, according to my book, the original tree still flourishes.  (A stained glass window was installed in Southwell Minister in March 2009 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Bramley apple.)  I have used my own tried and trusted basic recipe for Batter Pudding (as used for Yorkshire Pudding) in place of that in the original recipe, but I am sure that the finished pudding would be very similar.  I have also substituted Demerara sugar, but white sugar could be used as in the original recipe.   Our Nottingham Pudding was made in one dish, with one apple per person: there are three of us.  It could also be made in individual dishes or individual Yorkshire Pudding tins.  Make sure tins are oiled to ensure easy transfer of individual puddings from tin to dessert dishes when serving.  Lashings of yellow creamy custard make a perfect accompaniment, but pouring cream would be equally good.

Nottingham Apple Pudding
(Serves 4)

Batter Pudding Mixture (using 2 eggs)
4 evenly sized Bramley Cooking apples
50g/2ozs butter
50g/20zs demerara sugar
Nutmeg
Cinnamon

1.  Pre-heat the oven to 200^oC/400^oF/Gas 6

2.  Make up the batter pudding mixture, beat well and leave to rest in the fridge.

3.  Butter a shallow oven proof dish about 2inches (5cm) deep and big enough to hold the apples and batter mixture.

4.  Cream the butter and sugar together, adding a pinch each of Nutmeg and Cinnamon to taste.

5.  Peel and core the apples. 

6.  Fill the centres of the apples equally with the butter and sugar mixture.

7.  Remove the batter mixture from the fridge and beat very well once more. 

8.  Place the apples in the dish, well spaced out and pour the batter mixture over them, allowing it to run into the bottom of the dish.

9.  Immediately place in the preheated oven and bake for 45-50 minutes.

10.  Serve with custard or cream.

Mulled Stewed Fruit: Plums – Pears with Orange & Ginger

A chance conversation with my mother about stewed plums reminded me how long it was since I had cooked some, so led me to buy some at our local market early in the New Year.  We love fresh plums but the winter varieties are usually hard and tasteless.  I never buy them so had not thought about cooking them either.  

Around the same time I was watching a back episode from the TV series Nigel Slater’s Simple Suppers recorded in Autumn 2009 with recipes contrasting warm and cold together.  One of the recipes was Hot Spiced Fruit with Ice Cream and so, as I have said before, off I went to buy some plums!  In my version below, Mulled Stewed Plums, I added lemon zest and a squeeze of lemon juice, which are always a lovely contrast to the sweetness of plums and some slices of fresh root ginger.  Nigel Slater recommended this recipe for using with redcurrants, blackcurrants or raspberries in summer and later in the year autumnal fruit such as plums and damsons.  He also added a bay leaf, as shown by his mother, who added it to her rice puddings (he said).  I have retained this.  I am sure the ice cream accompaniment is lovely, but I served my Mulled Plums with yoghurt and a drizzle of honey.  It would be equally good with custard, cream, soured cream or crème fraîche.

One alternative is Mulled Stewed Pears with Orange & Ginger: information can be found below.  Both recipes are ideal for warming winter desserts and are quick and easy, so perfect for midweek.  They would also be good with a Crumble topping or under a Pastry crust.

Mulled Stewed Plums
(Serves 4)

20-24 plums, allow 5 or 6 per person depending on size (remove stalks)
2-3 cloves
1 piece cinnamon stick broken into pieces
1 bay leaf
1oz granulated sugar
1oz dark or light muscovado sugar
grated zest and juice of half lemon
half inch piece of ginger, cut into slices

1.   Put a small cross on each end of the plums if they are hard to allow the flavours to permeate and soften the fruit.  This is less important if the fruit is soft as it could disintegrate.  Place the plums in a pan with the other ingredients and cover with about ½pint water.

2.  Cook gently for 15-20minutes, or until the plums are soft but not disintegrating.  (The time will depend on the type and ripeness of the plums you are using.)  If more liquid is needed add a little more boiling water, but not too much as it helps if the juices are reduced so that the plums are served with a spoonful or two of sweet spicy juice.

3.  Serve with yoghurt, soured cream or crème fraîche and a drizzle of honey, or alternatively with custard.

Mulled Stewed Pears with Orange & Ginger
(Serves 4)

4 large pears, conference are good if available
1 piece cinnamon stick broken into pieces
1 bay leaf
1oz soft light brown or demerara sugar
grated zest and juice of an orange
half inch piece of ginger, cut into slices

1.  Preheat oven to 160^oC/325^oF/Gas 3 for 30-40minutes. (Can also be cooked gently on the hob.)

2.  Peel and core pears, immersing the pieces of pear in water with a pinch of salt to prevent them from browning until they are ready for use. 

3.  Place the prepared pears in an ovenproof dish with the orange zest and juice, cinnamon stick and slices of ginger.  (For hob place all the ingredients in a medium sized saucepan.)  Sprinkle over the sugar.

4.  Bake until the pear is soft but still retains its shape, about 20 minutes. (If cooking on the hob cook on a very gentle heat.)

5. Serve with yoghurt, soured cream or crème fraîche.

Candlemas Crumble

In the same way that I like to have used up the last of the Christmas turkey from the freezer by the end of January, I also like to have used up all the Mincemeat.  Named to mark the feast of Candlemas on 2 February, this crumble is a special fruity treat with a flavour bringing back memories of Christmas. I made Candlemas Crumble a week or so early this year as friends came to Sunday lunch: it was a delicious dessert which was easy to fit into a busy schedule. (The feast of Candlemas remembers the presentation of the infant Jesus at the Temple and also the purification of the Virgin Mary. Candlemas marks the end of Epiphany, which marks the visit of the Wise Men to the infant Jesus beginning on 6 January at the end of the short season of Christmas.) 

This recipe is my variation on an original idea from a Tesco instore free magazine, I think in 2006.  I have altered some of the ingredients and use my own favourite crumble topping rather than the one in the original recipe.  I have recently acquired Ainsley Harriot’s Meals in Minutes, a cookbook by the well known TV chef, which has a similar crumble containing mincemeat and also banana. 

Candlemas Crumble
(Serves 6-8)

14oz/410g can of peach slices, well drained with juice reserved
4-5 large pears, peeled and sliced (replace some pear with apple if you wish)
1 very large or 2 small oranges, zest and chopped flesh (no pith)
4-6 tbsp Mincemeat – about half a jar
(if using ordinary mincemeat augment with a little brandy for flavour)
2ozs glace cherries quartered, unless the mincemeat contains these
Crumble mixture
1 tsp ground cinnamon

1.  Lay the drained peaches, the pear slices and  the chopped orange flesh in the base of a large shallow dish. 

2.  Sprinkle over the orange zest.  Mix a little of the peach juice with the mincemeat, along with the cherries and brandy (if you are adding this).  Spoon evenly over the fruit.  Use some more peach juice to rinse out the jar and pour over the fruit mixture.

3.  Cover with crumble mixture: I usually use Oatmeal crumble. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

4.  Bake 180^oC/350^oF/Gas 5 for 30-40minutes or until brown.

5.  Serve with custard, cream, yoghurt, soured cream or crème fraîche.

Basic Recipe: Sweet Crumble Mixtures

Crumble mixture is a wonderful standby to have ready in the fridge, where it keeps for up to a month (be aware of the date on the butter you have used) or even, as I do, stored in boxes in the freezer in amounts large enough to top a dish for the family meal.  Just use the mixture to top fresh or canned fruit (or a mixture) and bake while you are eating your main course.

The basic crumble is a simple mixture of flour, butter and sugar, listed first below, to which I always add porridge oats.  There are other variations available, for example, the addition of nuts.  As I come across new ideas I plan to post them here.  If you have a favourite topping not included please let me know. My aim is to give it a try and then add it to the list.  Ideas for fruit fillings are suggested further down.  Special crumble recipes may also appear elsewhere on this site, in which case I will try to remember to add a link.

Types of crumble in order of listing below:
1.   Basic Crumble (Delia Smith’s Complete Cookery Course)
2.  Oatmeal Crumble (alternative: Delia Smith’s Complete Cookery Course)
3.  Honey topped Oat Crumble mixture
4.  Coconut Oat Crumble mixture
5.  Nut Crumble Mixture (alternative: Delia Smith’s Complete Cookery Course)
6. Stem Ginger Topping (Baking Mad website)
7.  Chocolate Macadamia Nut Topping (Baking Mad website) - other nuts can be substituted
(NB not all alternatives have been tried)

(Pear, Apricot & Ginger Crumble)

1.  Basic Crumble Mixture
(Serves 6-8)

8ozs/225g plain flour
5ozs/150g soft brown sugar
3ozs/75g butter (softened, not straight from fridge)
1 level tsp baking powder

1.  Mix the flour and baking powder together.
2.  Cut the butter into little pieces and mix in well.
3.  Use the mixture to top fruit.
4.  Bake at 180^oC/350^oF/Gas 5 

… for variations use the same method to top fruit of your choice

2.  Oat Crumble Mixture
Basic Crumble Mixture but with half flour and half jumbo or porridge oats.   This is the recipe I use most of the time.

3.  Honey topped Oat Crumble mixture
Recipe from an unknown magazine, 1990s.  From memory, an oat based crumble with cinnamon added and drizzled with honey before baking.  Particularly good with apple or apple and sultana.

4.  Coconut & Oat Crumble Mixture
Replace 1oz oats with dessicated coconut.  (4ozs flour: 3ozs oats; 1oz coconut)

5.  Nut Crumble Mixture (untried)
6ozs/175g plain flour
3ozs/75g chopped nuts: walnuts/almonds/brazil nuts or a mixture
3ozs/75g soft brown sugar
3ozs/75g butter (softened, not straight from fridge)
1 level tsp baking powder

6.  Stem Ginger Topping
100g Plain Flour
100g Unsalted Butter
50g Granulated Sugar
50g Stem Ginger In Syrup, finely chopped

7.  Chocolate Macadamia Nut Topping (other nuts can be substituted)
100g Plain Flour
75g Unsalted Butter Diced
50g Billington’s Granulated Sugar
100g Macadamia Nuts Chopped
50g Dark Chocolate Chopped

—–

Use the crumble toppings on top of a fruit mixture such as one of these …
Apple or Pear are lovely alone or in combination with other fruit, for example raisins/sultanas, dried apricots, dates, blackberries or blackcurrants, plums/damsons, tinned or fresh peaches, fresh or drained bottled cherries.  Christmas Crumble with apple and pear with mincemeat is very good.

If fruit is fresh larger pieces of fruit may need a pre-cooking for a short time, in a small amount of water.  Add sugar to taste, extra tart fruit such as damsons will need extra sugar.  Spices such as cinnamon, clove, nutmeg or ginger can be added, particularly in the colder weather.  Pieces of crystallised ginger can be added in place of, or as well as powdered ginger.   Adding the zest and juice of lemon, orange or lime adds a citrus zing to a fruit mixture and I always add lemon, for example, if I am using pears on their own.

Of course, these mixtures can be served on their own, as simple stewed fruit, without the crumble topping. 

Serve with custard, cream, yoghurt, soured cream or crème fraîche.

Other Crumble recipes on this site:
Candlemas Crumble (uses pear, peach, orange and mincemeat)

Meanderings ‘à la carte’ – January 2010

January ’Meanderings’ …

Pictured (top to bottom)
Thatched Cauliflower Cheese Soup
Erwtensoep – Dutch Pea Soup
Spiced Chick Pea & Tomato Soup
Sausage & Apple Cassoulet
Special Chilli con Carne 

‘Oh the weather outside is (well, has been) frightful … let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!’  However, it has been a ’souper’ January in my kitchen and we have also been full of beans (and other pulses).  However, before the soups and pulses there is a special New Year dessert, Sherry Jelly Berry Trifle.  There have been so many good recipes to add recently I have been posting three times a week, something which may well not continue for long as though enjoyable it is rather time consuming. 

I make no apology that many of the soups this month are rather spicy, however not all are.  Thatched Cauliflower Cheese Soup was posted after a lunchtime meal in a local pub led me to seek out a recipe and Erwtensoep – Dutch Pea Soup was inspired by our trip to Amsterdam at the end of October.  I find that good recipes can come from a variety of sources.  Following a forum request on the Nigella Lawson website I posted a recipe for Spiced Chick Pea & Tomato Soup.  (The original version was found on my shelf in a book written by vegetarian food writer Sarah Brown.)  There is also a simple Cream of Tomato Soup, which can be made with or without basil (so much better than packet or tinned), plus two spicy ones: thick, warming Gingered Very Veggie Soup and bringing the flavours of the Far East Thai Style Pumpkin Soup.  I have more great soup recipes but I will have to save these for a future date.   

Pulses, beans, peas and lentils, have featured during January in soups and in winter stews.  With the exception of Chicken & Rice Casserole all the stew dishes contain a pulse of some kind.  Having got my slow cooker out to cook a ham (which I find gives me a wonderfully moist and tender piece of meat with minimal effort) I used it again the next day for a Beef & Bean Casserole. I simply added some quick suet dumplings towards the end of the cooking time.  I looked back towards Christmas using the last of the turkey with Midwinter Turkey Chilli Beanpot  and we had a foretaste of planned summer holidays with a nod towards the famous dish from the south of France in my own anglicised Cassoulet ‘Franglais’ and Sausage & Apple Cassoulet, two very different Cassoulet type dishes.  Finally, there is a family favourite, my Special Chilli con Carne. 

It was good to entertain friends to dinner again at the end of January after a break for the busy Christmas season: I did plenty of cooking but no dinner parties.  I decided on a fairly simple Sunday roast pork joint with all the trimmings, but followed it with Candlemas Crumble, a final look back towards Christmas using the last of the Mincemeat. 

I wonder how many people have been watching the new series on BBC following the long television career of Delia Smith?  I have realised just how many of her books I own: not just the well known ones, but a couple of her early Look East TV pamphlets, the Food Aid book and the early paperbacks of How to Cheat at Cooking and the Book of Cakes, recently superceded and updated.  I also have a book called Frugal Food, which is excellent but did not get a mention.  I also managed to watch the remaining episodes of Nigel Slater’s Autumn TV Series, Simply Suppers.  I intend to make several of his quick and easy recipes and have already made my own version of one from the series: Mulled Stewed Plums.   

I was pleased to receive several cookbooks as Christmas presents, enabling me to return some that had been on (long) loan from the library: Feast by Nigella Lawson, The French Kitchen by Joanne Harris & Fran Warde and Women’s Institute Soups for all Seasons by Liz Herbert.  I have already made several recipes from these: some posted and others to appear in due course.  I have a February birthday and have already chosen my present: an attractive striped Tagine (from Lakeland) with a book of Moroccan recipes to go with it.  I will be posting recipies eventually, I hope, but as officially I cannot open my gift until next week, it will be a while before it is fully in use. 

For a full list of postings since my December Meanderings see below. (Recipes already posted have been highlighted and the others will appear in coming weeks.)      

January Recipes …

Sherry Jelly Berry Trifle        

Cream of Tomato Soup with Basil
Erwtensoep – Dutch Pea Soup
Gingered Very Veggie Soup
Spiced Chick Pea & Tomato Soup
Thai Style Pumpkin Soup
Thatched Cauliflower Cheese Soup      

Beef & Bean Casserole
Cassoulet ‘Franglais’
Chicken & Rice Casserole
Midwinter Turkey Chilli Beanpot
Sausage & Apple Cassoulet
Special Chilli con Carne    Back to basics:
Suet Dumplings      

Read Meanderings ‘a la carte’ from previous months 

‘For what we are about to receive…’ February 2010 and beyond

Food Focus – Warming Desserts for Winter
Ingredient Focus – Citrus Fruits & Marmalade
Country Focus – Indian Style dishes & accompaniments
Recipe Book from my shelf – Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian Cookery (see Posts/Recipes)
Book from the Library – Curry: Easy Recipes for all your favourites by Sunil Vijayakar
 

Non Fiction Food book - Climbing the Mango Trees by Madhur Jaffrey

Last month, apart from the very first post, everything was savoury and so in February I want to counter that a little by posting a selection of comforting, mostly warm, desserts for the winter months.  I have also just bought some Seville oranges to make marmalade, just a basic type but we do like our peel to be chunky.  There is a lovely recipe in my book for Old English Marmalade, which includes treacle to make it dark, so if I have time (and can get some more Sevilles) I would like to have a go at that as well.  Alongside the pudding recipes I will be adding a selection of Indian style dishes and accompaniments: we do love these spicy and flavoursome dishes. I used to make Indian dishes regularly, including for entertaining and I am hoping to get back into the habit.  My original copy of Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian Cookery is well used and I shall be dipping into it again to find some of our favourites along with my other Indian cookery books.  Although our supermarkets are getting much better at stocking unusual ingredients I feel I am so fortunate to live in multi-ethnic East London, where we have shops from many different cultures which stock an amazing range of foods and spices.  I keep finding new and interesting things and then, of course, have to find out how they are used.  Nowadays one can say that cooking is boring and there is no excuse for it to be so!

…Happy Eating!

Midwinter Turkey Chilli Beanpot

I like to try to clear up the last of the frozen turkey remaining from Christmas by the end of January and this lovely warming dish is a perfect way to use up these leftovers, especially the darker meat.  The original recipe I have based this on was called Midsummer Night Turkey Beanpot, but I feel it is perfect for Midwinter, though I am sure it would serve well at any time of year.  I have augmented the original ingredients with a little bacon, some mushroom and a small chopped green pepper, for added colour (peas would be a good alternative), plus suggest it is served with a spoonful of soured cream.

The original recipe came from a British Turkey Federation, now known as the British Turkey Information Service in an advert found in a Woman’s magazine, I believe in the 1980’s. 
 

Midwinter Turkey Chilli Beanpot
(Serves 4)

½oz/15g butter
1tbsp olive oil
2 medium sized onions, peeled and sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 rashers streaky bacon
4ozs/125g button mushrooms, sliced
2 carrots, peeled and cut into rings
½-1tsp chilli powder, depending on taste
1 level tbsp tomato puree
400ml/14oz can of plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
400ml/14oz can of red kidney beans, drained & rinsed
½pint chicken stock or water with ½chicken stock cube
8-12ozs/250-375g cooked turkey meat
1 green pepper, diced (or 2ozs/70g frozen peas)
Salt & black pepper, to taste
To serve:
Soured cream
Chopped chives or spring onion tops or parsley

1.  Put the butter and oil in a pan and gently fry the onion and garlic until soft but not brown. 

2.  Stir in the bacon, mushroom and carrot and continue to cook for a further 5minutes.

3.  Add the chilli powder and tomato puree, stirring well and then add the tinned tomatoes along with the stock.

4.  Bring to the boil and cook over a gentle heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5.  Meanwhile drain and rinse the red beans, chop the turkey into bite sized pieces and dice the green pepper (peas may be used for colour as an alternative).  Add these to the pan and stir well.  Cook for a further 10minutes until the sauce is reduced and the turkey cooked thoroughly.

6.  Check seasoning and serve either with a jacket potato or on a bed of rice, with a spoonful of soured cream and a sprinkling of snipped chives or spring onion tops or chopped parsley plus a sprinkling of chilli powder.

Spiced Chick Pea & Tomato Soup

The spices used in this dish can be found across North Africa, well into Asia and beyond, so this is a dish which crosses cultures.   Add a little less liquid and some chicken or lamb plus pickled lemons and/or olives and/or dried fruit and the flavours easily make it North African or Middle Eastern style food.  If the liquid, apart from the tomato juice, was not added at all it would equally well be at home as a side dish at an Indian style meal. I expect, with further tweaking, it would also fit into other cultures.  Here, however, it is simply served as a warming and filling soup and is a meal in itself. 

I am not sure why I had not seen this recipe before but it was brought to my attention by a post from LoubyLou, on the ‘Nigella’ forum, hunting for a long lost favourite Sarah Brown recipe.  I own four Sarah Brown books and I found what I think is the same recipe in the book Sainsbury’s Healthy Eating Cookbooks: Beans, Nuts & Lentils.  I just had to try it out and sure enough it was lovely.  We really liked the pronounced ginger flavour (I may have overdone it a bit) but it was a bit spicy for my daughter who added a little yoghurt and then loved it too.  The method below is almost as in the book, but halving the ginger which is actually, rather than the chilli powder, the main source of heat.  Double the amount below for a spicier soup.  It is always good to add fresh coriander if available, reserving a leaf or two to garnish.  I did feel the quantity was rather scant to serve 4 unless you only plan to serve a small bowlful: as a lunch dish it needs extending, possibly by doubling.  This is a chunky rather than smooth soup, with the chick peas as the largest pieces, so chop the onion finely.  The original recipe suggests using dried chick peas as an alternative: 3ozs (75g) dried peas yield around 6ozs (150g) cooked peas. I find it easier to open a tin, especially as they have become so inexpensive to buy, but for those on a budget I am sure that dried peas would still be cheaper.

Spiced Chick Pea & Tomato Soup
(Serves 3/4)

2tsp/10ml olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1tbsp/15ml ground almonds
2tsp/10ml garam masala
½tsp chilli powder
1tsp/5ml ground coriander
1tsp/5ml turmeric
½tsp/2.5ml grated fresh root ginger
14oz/4oog tin of plum tomatoes, pureed
14oz/400g tin chick peas (see above for using dried peas)
½pint of vegetable stock, possibly a little more
Salt & pepper
A handful of chopped fresh coriander, if available, reserving a few leaves to garnish.
A spoonful of yoghurt (optional)

1.  Heat the oil in a saucepan and gently fry the onion until soft, but do not let it brown.  Add the garlic and ginger and cook gently for a further 2 or 3 minutes.

2.  Mix the ground almonds and the spice powders with a little water to make a paste.  Add the paste to the onion/garlic/ginger mixture and cook for 2 or 3 minutes.

3.  Stir in the finely chopped tomatoes, chick peas and stock.  If the chick peas are tinned in water then this can be added as part of the stock, even if it is slightly salted.  (The seasonings can be adjusted later.)  If using home cooked peas then the unsalted cooking liquid can be used as part of the stock.

4.  Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes to enable the flavours to develop.  Top up with a little more water as necessary.  Check seasoning and stir through all but the reserved fresh coriander just before serving.

5.  Garnish with a sprig of fresh coriander and serve with crusty bread or alternatively with soft or toasted pitta or a similar flat bread.

Sausage & Apple Cassoulet

This delicious recipe looks back to summer, with the taste of cider bringing memories of warm evenings, but also looks forward to winter as, especially with the addition of butter beans, it is a warming and satisfying stew.  Pork and apples are, of course, a well known and delicious combination.  This is especially good when apples are plenteous: I first made it in October, but it can be eaten at any time of year.  I put in a small (250ml size) bottle of cider brought home from our holiday in Brittany, but any type can be used.  The original recipe called for 400ml cider, but I found the smaller amount to be adequate.  Increase it if you wish.  I love butter beans, but any similar bean could be added, although perhaps not a tin of baked beans.  

The original version of this recipe was found in the Morrisons supermarket website food pages and was called Sausage & Apple Cassoulet, but I have put in several additional ingredients and have simplified the method.  I have put in two ingredients for added flavour: Herbes de Provence and dried orange peel.  This last ingredient is something I have been using quite a lot in recent months and it gives a lovely warming orange-y flavour to food, supposedly reminiscent of the Mediterranean.  The tomato and courgette are additions as well, making this a simple one pot meal, ideal for a busy week day supper. 

Sausage & Apple Cassoulet
(Serves 4)

454g/1lb pack Best Quality Pork Sausages, with Leek or Herbs if available
1tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and sliced
1tsp Herbes de Provence
1tsp dried orange peel (see note)
4 tomatoes, quartered
1 courgette, cut lengthwise into 4 and then chunks
2 Cox’s Orange Pippin or similar eating apples
5g/½oz butter
2tbsp tomato purée
250ml/9fl ozs/½pint (just under) medium sweet cider
420g/14oz tin Butter Beans, drained
salt & black pepper

1.  Grill the sausages gently until cooked through and golden brown.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan and gently cook the onion for 5 minutes.  Add the herbs and continue to cook until soft.  Remove the onion from the pan and set to one side leaving any juices in the pan.

3.  Quarter the apples, remove cores and cut into thin slices. Melt the butter in the pan used to cook the onion.  Add the apple slices and dried orange peel.  Cook gently until the apples begin to colour.

4.  Add the tomato and courgette pieces, the tomato purée and cider.  Stir well and bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and cook for 5-10 minutes. 

5.  Combine the cooked onions, sausages and butter beans with the apple mixture.  Season to taste and cook gently for a further 5 minutes.  Do not cover the pan to allow the liquid to reduce but if the mixture starts to dry out then add a little boiling water.

6.  Serve with a sprinkle of chopped parsley and black pepper.

7.  Serve with a jacket potato or with crusty bread.  A small side salad could be served if you wish, especially if cooking without the tomato and courgette I have added.

Thai Style Pumpkin Soup

The most complicated and time consuming part of this recipe was preparing the pumpkin.  I am sure there must be an easier method but I have to say I found it hard work.  I got stuck in with a very sharp knife and my potato peeler and finally managed to remove all the tough outer skin.  So be warned: sharp implements are essential and leave yourself enough time! … but I would definitely do it again.  I love pumpkin seeds and was pleased to hear that I could roast the pumpkin seeds in a little oil and salt for a tasty treat.  However, I was less than pleased with the result which was very rough and not particularly pleasant.  Not sure what I did wrong but unless I get different instructions I won’t be trying it again.

This recipe came from the Channel 4 series 4 Ingredients, with Kim McCosker and Rachael Bermingham and published on food page of the magazine which comes with the Daily Mirror each weekend.  I have adapted it very slightly, with an onion for added flavour (suppose that makes it 5 Ingredients: never mind!)  The original recipe is available on the UKTV Food site, called Thai Pumpkin Soup.  My pumpkin was 3lb, so larger than the 2lb recommended, but I used the same amount of red thai paste. I was glad I did not increase the amount pro rata as it was plenty hot enough. I also used part of a creamed coconut block dissolved in water, probably less than the original making it less rich.  (I assume the original used a can of creamed coconut.)  I have halved the original amount of paste in the method below, but if you like it hotter then add more.  I also added chopped coriander to the soup as well as using to garnish.  This can, of course, be made in advance, but add the coriander just before you serve. 

Thai Style Pumpkin Soup
(Serves 4)

1 medium sized onion
1kg/2lb Pumpkin or Butternut Squash
1 tbsp Thai Red Curry Paste
50g creamed coconut (sold in 200g blocks)
Fresh coriander
Salt & pepper

1.  Peel and chop the onion.  Using a very sharp knife and potato peeler if necessary, completely remove all the peel from the pumpkin or squash.  Quarter, scoop out the seeds and cut into chunks. 

2.  Gently cook the onion and pumpkin with the red curry paste until it starts to brown and stick to the saucepan.

3.  Grate the creamed coconut, dissolve it in a little boiling water (it may not dissolve completely but that does not matter) and immediately add it to the pan.  Stir well removing all the browned mixture from the bottom of the pan.  Add more water until the mixture is completely covered and bring to boil.

4.  Turn down the heat and simmer until the pumpkin is soft.

4. Transfer the mixture to a liquidiser and puree until smooth and return to the saucepan.  Reheat and check seasoning.  Reserving a little to garnish, stir in the chopped coriander just prior to serving.

6.   Add a little more fresh coriander to garnish. Serve with crisp toast or crusty bread.