Cooking up a kitchen treat with seasonal inspired recipes
Autumn is that time of year when we bid farewell to the summer and instead embrace everything the colder seasons bring our way. Top of our list of the best things about Autumn is comfort food – so if you’re looking to experiment in the kitchen in your lovely new home, here are just a couple of our favourite seasonal recipes* that offer up hearty food using Autumn's freshest ingredients. What’s more they're easy to prepare and quick to make.
Warming Pumpkin, Mushroom & Chilli Soup
This vegetarian pumpkin soup recipe is one big embrace in a bowl. You will need:
800g pumpkin, peeled and diced into rough 2.5cm chunks
1½ leeks, sliced and washed well
4 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp dried chilli flakes
3 cloves of garlic, sliced
A small handful of dried porcini (about 10g)
1 tsp chopped marjoram
1 tsp thinly-sliced red chilli
A big nugget of Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt and pepper
METHOD
1.Over a very low heat, in a wide saucepan with the lid on, cook the pumpkin and the leeks in the olive oil for 45 minutes, until they have a pleasing braised appearance.
2.Meanwhile, cover the dried mushrooms with 800ml boiling water. After a few minutes, drain them, keeping the soaking water – the porcini will be soft enough to chop up small.
3.Stir the chilli flakes and garlic into the pumpkin and continue to cook for a further 10 minutes.
4.Strain the soaking water through a fine sieve on to the pumpkin and add the chopped mushrooms. Bring to a simmer and cook until the pumpkin is good and soft (about 20–30 minutes).
5.Stir in the marjoram and chilli; check the seasoning, then run a masher haphazardly through the soup a few times, to help the consistency, but don’t overdo it.
6.Finish with a flurry of grated Parmesan and a splosh of good extra virgin oil.
Apple & Bramble Crumble Muffins
Autumnal apples and handpicked brambles go into this muffin recipe. Add a crumble topping and you’ve got the best of both dessert worlds. You will need:
300g plain flour, plus a little extra for dusting
1 tbsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
190g caster sugar
210ml milk
1 large free-range egg, beaten
100g butter, melted
Finely grated zest of 1 large lemon
250g (1 large) Bramley apple
150g blackberries
For the crumble topping
15g butter, at room temperature
25g plain flour
15g demerara sugar
METHOD
1.Preheat the oven to 200ºC/fan180ºC/gas 6 and line a 12-hole muffin tray with paper muffin cases.102.First, make the crumble topping. Rub the butter into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar and work the mixture with your fingers until it forms nuggets.
2.For the muffins, sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl and stir in the sugar. In another smaller bowl, beat the milk with the egg, melted butter and lemon zest.
3.Peel, quarter and core the apple, and cut into blackberry-size pieces.
4.Stir the wet mixture into the flour and sugar mixture until combined. (It’s fine if it’s still a bit lumpy.) Stir in the apple and blackberries.
5.Spoon the mixture evenly into the paper cases and sprinkle over the crumble topping. Bake for 20-25 minutes until risen and golden. Cool for 5 minutes, then serve warm.
Now all that’s left to do is close the curtains, snuggle up and sit back and enjoy.
* Recipes courtesy of Delicious Magazine
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