Autumn Three Course Feast

Three tried and tested delicious home recipes for you to try, either as part of a three course feast or just on their own. All recipes will serve 4-6 people.

Spicy Pumpkin and Mozzarella Soup

Let us take advantage of the pumpkins while they are here, and scare people with how yummy they can be for a change.

Ingredients

• 1 pumpkin (if you can’t get pumpkin butternut squash is fine)
• 1 white onion
• 75g butter
• 2 dry chillies / 2-3tsp dry chilli flakes
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 1tsp nutmeg
• 150g Mozzarella
• 1tsp ground coriander
• 1-1½ litres chicken stock
• salt and pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/ gas mark 6.
2. Chop up your pumpkin, into even sized chunks, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and place in the oven for 40 minutes.
3. Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the chopped onion, cinnamon, nutmeg and chilli and season.  Fry for 8-10 mins until soft and caramelised.
4. Add the roasted Pumpkin, chop and add the mozzarella and stir for a couple of minutes
5. Add the stock; between 1 and 1½ litres depending on how thick you like your soup. Bring to the boil, then blend and serve immediately.

Leg of Lamb with Medley of Root Vegetables

You may not get the perfect size leg of lamb and 2kg is probably too much for four people, but as long as you don’t mind eating it the next day just get whatever size you can and the general rule of thumb for cooking is 20mins per 450g and then up to 20mins on top of this depending on how you like it cooked.

Ingredients

• 2kg leg of Lamb
• bunch of rosemary
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 2 red onions
• 3-4 carrots
• 2 turnips
• 2 parsnips
• 3 potatoes
• 1 sweet potato
• Get a good mint sauce or red currant jelly to accompany
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp mustard
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• Get a good mint sauce or red currant jelly to accompany

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/ gas mark 6.
2. Chop 3 of the garlic cloves and a couple sprigs of rosemary and mix in a bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper.
3. Rub the mixture all over the leg of lamb.
4. Chop all the vegetables, quarter the onions and try cutting the carrots, parsnips and turnips lengthways as they will roast crispier.
5. Put all the vegetables into a large roasting tray, cover with olive oil and the rest of the rosemary, crush and add the remaining garlic cloves.
6. Place the lamb in the centre of the large roasting tray with the vegetables around it and put in the centre of the oven. For a 2kg lamb it’s 1hr 15mins for pink up to 1hr 35 for more well done. Turn the vegetables every 20 minutes or so.
7. Take the leg out after the required cooking time, cover in tin foil and leave to rest for 20mins.
8. Drizzle the honey and mustard on the veg mix in and put back in the oven to crisp or until roasted to your satisfaction. When done carve the lamb and serve with the vegetables and a good quality mint sauce or red current jelly.

Blackberry and Apple Crumble – with an oaty twist

This oaty crumble is the perfect balance of sweet and tart, but the best thing about crumble is that you don’t have to be too exact with the measurements – it will usually always work – so you can add more or less fruit, crumble or sugar. The recipe here should provide a good balance of all but feel free to mix it up according to your taste. (This rule does not apply for the custard)

Filling

• 2 large Bramley cooking apples peeled and chopped; around 400g
• 150g Blackberries
• 60g Caster sugar
• (2tsp of water, squeeze of orange)

Topping

• 150g oats
• 150g flour
• 150g butter
• 40g sugar
• 1tsp cinnamon

Custard

• 6 egg yolks
• 500ml whole milk
• 80g sugar
• 1 vanilla pod / vanilla essence

Method

1. Turn on your over to 190°C/375°F/gas 5
2. Put the berries and chopped apples (peeled and cored) into a saucepan with the sugar, water and squeeze of orange and cook on a low heat for 3-4 minutes, just till they are a bit softer and the sugar has melted. Then set aside.
3. Combine the flour, oats sugar and cinnamon, using your hands until its crumbly looking.
4. Pour the fruit mixture into a small shallow over proof dish and cover evenly with the crumble.

Custard

1. In a heat proof bowl, beat together the egg yolks and the sugar thoroughly. Then set aside
2. In a saucepan put the milk and vanilla and gently bring to the boil. (Do not let it burn)
3. Pour the milk mixture into the egg and sugar mixture slowly, whisking all the time.
4. The put a pan of boiling water on the hob and place the bowl on top to make a bain-marie and heat and gently, stirring constantly until the custard thickens to your satisfaction (or till it coats the back of the spoon).
5. And voila! Delicious, yummy, scrumptious, gloriously, all the adjectives you can think of for mmmm, easy to make apple and blackberry crumble (and custard).