recipe autumn

Butternut, Sweet Potato, Coconut & Ginger Soup

A deliciously zingy and warming soup to brighten up your November days, it’s become a bit of a welcome regular at our winter Garden Volunteer Days. Equally as delicious with pumpkin, butternut squash or other autumn squash and sweet potatoes. Add a generous amount of chilli if you like a kick of heat. The recipe also features as the November recipe on our 2020 Growing Local Recipe Calendar, available for purchase for £5.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive or rapeseed oil

1 large onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 very large thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped

1 kg butternut squash and sweet potato, peeled, deseeded and cut into 2/3cm chunks

150g red lentils

black pepper

1.25 litres weak vegetable stock (we use Marigold Reduced Salt)

1 x 400g can coconut milk, less if you don’t want your soup too creamy

a little Harissa paste or chilli flakes, optional

Method:

1. Prepare all the veggies following the ingredients list.

2. Heat the oil in a very large saucepan and saute the onion for 5 minutes, stirring from time to time.

3. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for a further minute before stirring through the butternut, sweet potato, lentils, stock and a generous pinch of black pepper.

4. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes until the veggies and lentils are all fully tender.

5. Whiz the soup until smooth with a hand held stick blender directly in the saucepan or in a jug blender.

6. Stir through the coconut milk, using half to a full can depending on how creamy you like your soup.

Big Eat Morocco, 9th Nov 2019 , Links to Recipes

Wow , what a feast we enjoyed today! Here are the links to the recipes and a few notes as to the changes we made.

Moroccan Harira

A traditional Moroccan lentil soup flavoured with cumin, turmeric,cinnamon and a little chilli. This version is vegetarian. Delicious with a sprinkling of coriander leaves and a squeeze of lemon, and a little chilli if you like a little heat

Notes- instead of red chillies we used a little mild chilli powder

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/moroccan-haira

Spinach and Feta Briouats

Briouats are small Moroccan pastries which are stuffed with a variety of fillings, then fried or baked. Ours were oven baked and filled with spinach, feta cheese, pine nuts and mint. They are typically made with fine layers of fine filo pastry and formed into mini cigar shapes or triangles.

Spiced lamb Briouats

These were also oven baked and filled with lamb mince( from Heggies butchers) pistachios, onion, egg , paprika, cinnamon and cumin. They were rolled in filo pastry brushed with butter.

https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/moroccan-briouats/e4271fc6-6644-4c53-9a52-ef653496a3bb

Lamb, Pumpkin and Apricot Tagine

Tagines are North African spicy meat, veggie and fruit casseroles so named after the clay cooking pot they are traditionally baked in. For a vegetarian version omit the lamb and add more veggies. This does have a little heat to it; reduce the quantity of ras el hanout spice mix to lesson the heat. Ras el hanout is a Moroccan spice mix now widely available. Delicious served with couscous, bulgur wheat or quinoa.

Lamb, Pumpkin & Apricot Tagine

Spiced Vegetable Tagine

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/spiced_vegetable_tagine_32956

Couscous

Couscous is a staple food throughout the North African cuisines of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Israel. Couscous is made from a semolina flour derived from duram wheat and is technically a type of pasta, not a grain. It is traditionally served with vegetables and tagines which are a moroccan stew/ casserole.

Instant couscous is very easy to cook, simply steam it for a few minutes in boiling water!

Quinoa

Quinoa is an ancient grain crop originating from and and grown in South America ( Peru,Chile, and Bolivia), and nor North African at all!. For thousands of years, quinoa formed the staple diet of the Incas and their descendants.

It is pronounced KEEN-WAH

It is wheat free , gluten free and thus a great alternative to couscous, Bulgar wheat and pasta. for those following a gluten free diet. Packed full of protein it is a very healthy food to eat.

And the puddings.. so so delicious

Chocolate Olive oil Cake- gluten and dairy free

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/chocolate_olive_oil_cake_44817

Moroccan Orange and Cardamon Cake

This recipe uses xylitol, to make it a possible choice for diabetics.

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/moroccan-orange-cardamom-cake

Ottolenghi Honey and Yoghurt Set Cheesecake

https://food52.com/recipes/77880-ottolenghi-s-honey-yogurt-set-cheesecake

Gruffalo Crumble Muffins

23rd September 2019

I promise that no gruffalos are actually harmed in the making of these muffins, just apples or pears, or a delicious mix of both. They’re a particularly moreish munch with a yummy oaty crumble topping. A little healthier than your average muffin being half wholemeal, lower in sugar, using better for you fats (rapeseed oil and natural yogurt) and packed full of fruit. They’ve been my go-to recipe for several Growing Local children’s stalls and events in the last few years, and were first made for the grand opening of the Gruffalo Trail at nearby Queenswood.

The recipe also featured on the 2018 Growing Local Calendar as the September recipe, which is of course when apples and pears are harvested. Though handily both will keep for several months if stored satisfactorily and are usually good for seeing through the winter. Here’s the recipe page, along with gorgeous apple artwork produced by children at our Cook Art Workshops we hosted last Summer.

The Gruffalo rice paper toppers can be bought online, and do make a fun finishing touch if you can source them. This recipe makes 12 large muffins or 24 mini sized ones.

INGREDIENTS:

For the Crumble Topping:
60g plain or wholemeal flour
60g butter
50g demerara sugar
40g oats

Ingredients for the Muffins:
125g plain self-raising flour
125g wholemeal self-raising flour
150g dark soft brown sugar
1 heaped tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 heaped tsp ground cinnamon
2 large free range eggs
125g natural yogurt
60g rapeseed oil
500g apples or pears or a mix of them both (peeled and cored weight)
100g sultanas

METHOD:

1. Heat your oven to 200c/180c fan. Line a 12 hole muffin tin with muffin cases or 2 x 12 hole fairy cake tins with cake cases.
2. Start with making the crumble topping. Weigh and place all the crumble ingredients together in a mixing bowl and with your fingertips rub the butter through the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles large breadcrumbs. Set aside.
3. Weigh and sift the muffin dry ingredients together into a mixing bowl: the flours, sugar, bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon.
4. In another bowl lightly whisk the eggs then whisk in the measured yogurt and oil. Set aside.
5. Peel and core the apples and pears. Dice into small 1 cm chunks.
6. Pour the egg/yogurt/oil mixture into the flours and combine with a wooden spoon. Stir through the apples, pears and sultanas until everything is mixed well.
7. Spoon the muffin mix into the muffin cases. Then scatter the crumble mix on to the tops.
8. Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes until well risen, golden and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
Delicious eaten a little warm from the oven.

Meatballs with Hidden Veggies Tomato Sauce

Meatballs are a great fun make for children (and adults!) of all ages. This recipe makes fairly traditional pork and beef meatballs buts cooks them in a veggie-packed tomato sauce for an added nutrient boost that’s also big on flavour. Serves four.

INGREDIENTS:

For the Meatballs:

200g lean pork mince

200g lean beef mince

2 tablespoons dried breadcrumbs

30g Parmesan or Cheddar cheese, finely grated

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 clove garlic, finely chopped or crushed

1 heaped teaspoon dried oregano

1 large pinch each of salt & pepper

To Serve:

wholewheat pasta

grated Parmesan or Cheddar cheese

For the Sauce:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, finely diced

1 clove garlic, finely chopped or crushed

1 carrot, scrubbed & grated

1/4 butternut squash (peeled, deseeded) OR 1 small courgette, grated

1 red pepper, deseeded & grated

1 x 680g jar tomato passata

1 heaped tablespoon tomato puree

1 heaped teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon Worcester sauce

1 large pinch each of salt, pepper & sugar

1 small pinch dried chilli flakes, optional

METHOD:

1. Start with making the meatballs. Weigh and assemble all the ingredients and place in a large bowl. Squish together with your (well washed) hands until very well combined.

2. Using your hands shape the mixture into 12 equal sized balls (about the size of a walnut), set aside on a plate until you are ready to cook. Now wash your hands very well.

3. Prepare all the vegetables for the sauce, finely chop the onion and garlic and grate the carrot, squash/courgette and pepper.

4. Heat the oil for the sauce in a large saucepan or casserole dish. Fry the onion for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and all the grated vegetables and cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.

5. Stir in the tomato passata, then fill the jar 1/3 full with water. With the top on shake the jar and pour the water into the pan. Stir in the tomato puree, oregano, Worcester sauce, salt, pepper, sugar and chilli flakes if using. Bring to a simmer and cook the sauce for 15 minutes, stirring from time to time.

6. For very little children or the veggie-phobic blitz the sauce with a hand-held stick blender or in a food processor until smooth. Bring back to a simmer.

7. Carefully drop or spoon the meatballs into the sauce. Cover the pan with a lid and leave to cook for 20 minutes. DO NOT STIR the balls for at least 15 minutes as they need to firm up and cook.

8. Serve on a bed of (wholewheat) tagliatelle or spaghetti, with grated Parmesan or Cheddar cheese. Delizioso!

Oaty-licious Apple & Pear Crumble

This is our recipe that we make with school groups or families, slightly lower in added sugar than most recipes and with an added tasty oaty crunch.

Crumble of course can be made with many different fruits, try mixing and matching the fruit with fresh or frozen blackberries, plums, damsons, apples, pears or peaches. Or even leftover bananas. Chopped dried apricots are delicious in place of the sultanas too.

INGREDIENTS:

1 large cooking apple

2 pears

1 handful sultanas

1 dessertspoon soft brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

75g butter, chopped into small pieces, plus a little extra for greasing

75g plain flour

75g oats

50g demerara sugar

METHOD:

1. Preheat your oven to 180º C/ 375 º F/ Gas 5.

2. Grease a small ovenproof dish (about 23 x 18cm) with a little butter (use the packet).

3. Prepare the fruit by peeling if you wish, I tend to leave the skin on for extra fibre (and for speed!). Cut into quarters and cut out the core of the apple and pear, then chop into bite size chunks.

4. Place the apple and pear in the dish along with the sultanas, dessertspoon of soft brown sugar and cinnamon. Using your hands or a spoon mix everything together and then set aside.

5. Now for the crumble topping, weigh the butter and flour and place in a mixing bowl. Using your hands rub the butter into the flour until it’s fairly well mixed and the mixture looks a little like large breadcrumbs.

6. Weigh out the oats and demerara sugar and add to the crumble mix. Mix in with your hands until combined.

7. Sprinkle the crumble mix over the fruit.

8. Place the dish in the oven, bake until golden brown on top and you can just see the fruit bubbling through the crumble. This should take 30 to 40 minutes.

Serve with custard, cream or ice cream.