Ovens Archives - Page 4 of 10

29th March 2023 by Dan

This quick (and utterly delicious!) chocolate pud, which I’ve been making for years to delight my family, occupies a space somewhere between a brownie, a soufflé and a cake. I think you’ll agree that’s not a bad place to be. It can be whipped up easily (and on demand!) from store-cupboard ingredients. Briefly baked until set on the outside but still gooey in the middle, it is excellent served with some fruit to cut the richness. It’s gluten-free too.

Serves 4

Ingredients

100g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
100g butter, cut into pieces, plus extra to grease the dish
3 medium eggs
50g soft light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
75g ground almonds
A pinch of salt

To serve

Raspberries or other berries, or plum compote
Yoghurt or cream (optional)

Method

Put the chocolate and butter into a saucepan and melt gently over a very low heat, watching all the time and stirring often so that the chocolate doesn’t get too hot. Set aside to cool a little. Preheat the oven to 190°C/ESSE Dial Guide HOT. (Aim for the dial reading to be at the low end of HOT). Butter a small oven dish.
In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the eggs, brown sugar and vanilla extract together until pale, thick and mousse-like. Using a stand mixer or hand-held electric whisk on full speed, this should only take a few minutes, but whisking by hand with a rotary or balloon whisk will take a lot longer! The mix should be significantly paler, thicker and increased in volume.
Turn the mixer down to a low speed and, with the motor running, slowly pour in the tepid melted chocolate and butter mixture (or whisk it gently by hand). Use a rubber spatula to scrape the last drops of chocolate into the mix, and then to fold the mixture fully together.
Combine the ground almonds and salt. Add to the chocolate mixture and fold in carefully, using the spatula.
Turn the mixture into the prepared oven dish and shake the dish a little to spread it out. Bake in the oven for 12–15 minutes until the pudding is set on top and firm at the edges, but still wobbly and gooey in the middle.
Serve straight away, with fresh raspberries or plum compote, and a spoonful of yoghurt or a trickle of cream if you like.

A best-loved favourite recipe made better by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall from the River Cottage good comfort cook book. Recipe prepared using his ESSE Range Cooker.

19th December 2022 by Dan

You will need a 22cm pie plate/tin.

This traditional minced beef and onion pie has the base of my staple selection of colourful vegetables to give it a real depth of flavour. The addition of dried porcini mushrooms (a wonderful winter store cupboard ingredient) gives it an extra savoury seasoning and means you don’t need to make any stock for this pie.

Ingredients

500g beef mince
1 large red onion, finely chopped
2 sticks of celery, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons of tomato puree
1 heaped tablespoon dried porcini mushrooms, optional or 200ml beef stock
Freshly ground black pepper or 2 teaspoons of savoury spice mix (see below)
Salt
2 tablespoon olive oil or rapeseed oil

For the pastry

350g spelt or plain flour
200g butter
2 eggs, beaten plus 1 egg yolk plus a teaspoon of water for the egg wash

For the savoury spice mix

This will make more than you need for this pie but store what you don’t use in a clean jam jar for another winter casserole or pie. It adds a delicious and interesting savoury note!

1 tablespoon juniper berries
1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds
1 tablespoon whole black pepper
Grind the spices together

Method

Set your electric ESSE on the economical setting, using the top right oven for the filling. If you are using the Ironheart heat the oven for the gauge to read moderate/hot.
If using the dried mushrooms soak them in 200ml boiling water.
To make the pastry, rub the butter into the flour until it resembles crumble.
Add the eggs and work the mixture to a firm dough with a little gentle kneading. Add a splash of water if too dry. (You can use a food processor to speed up the process)
Wrap and chill in the fridge while you make the filling for the pie.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan on a high heat, add the mince and brown or until it loses its raw look, breaking it up with a table fork. Season with a good sprinkle of salt. Then add the celery, carrots, onions, garlic and cook, stirring for few minutes. Drain the mushrooms, keeping the liquid. Chop them and add to the mince mixture. Then stir in the flour and cook for 2 -3 minutes more. Add the mushroom liquid/stock, tomato puree, savoury spice mix or a good sprinkle of ground black pepper. Bring to the boil and cook in the ESSE for about 30 minutes until thickened. Add a splash more stock/water if too dry. Leave to cool while you roll out the pastry.
Increase the oven temperature to 200C or hot/very hot on the Ironheart.
Roll out two thirds of the pastry on a lightly floured surface to form a circle, then use it to line the base and sides of the dish. Roll out the remaining pastry to form the lid. Spoon in the cooled filling. Brush round the edge of the pastry with a little egg wash then lay the pastry lid over the filling, pressing to seal. Trim off any excess pastry and you can cut out shapes to use for decoration if you wish. Brush the pie with egg wash and cook on the base of the ESSE and bake for about 35 – 40 minutes until the pastry is golden brown.

Recipe baked in the ESSE Electric Range Cooker by Philippa Vine of Bluebell Farmhouse Kitchen, Arlington.

Philippa is a professional cook and cookery writer and delights visitors with her creative and wholesome food. She shares her passion for locally grown and sourced quality ingredients. Philippa runs several themed ESSE cookery courses and demonstrations every year in her delightful country kitchen.

1st December 2022 by Dan

I learned to make (and to love) a French onion tart from the recipe in Elizabeth David’s classic French Provincial Cooking. This tart remains faithful to the spirit of that recipe, based as it is on lots of sweet, soft onion, but I’ve added greens, used my half-wholemeal shortcrust pastry and gone for a lighter custard based on half milk, half cream (and whole eggs, so there are no spare whites leftover for you to deal with). It’s still gorgeous. And this is an endlessly adaptable tart template.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

1 quantity half-wholemeal shortcrust pastry, chilled
Flour, to dust

Filling

1 tbsp olive or vegetable oil
A large knob of butter
About 600g onions (red, brown or a combination), finely sliced
Nutmeg, for grating
200–250g cavolo nero, tough stalks removed, or about 300g spinach, very well rinsed
150ml double cream
150ml whole milk
3 medium eggs
50g mature Cheddar or Parmesan, grated
Sea salt and black pepper

Method

Use the chilled shortcrust pastry to line a 24cm tart tin and bake blind as per the instructions on page 143. Trim the edges. Preheat the oven to 180°C/ESSE Dial Guide MODERATE (Aim for the dial reading to be at the top end of MODERATE or very low end of HOT).
To make the filling, heat the oil and butter together in a large frying pan over a medium-low heat. Add the sliced onions with some salt and pepper. Cook gently, stirring regularly, for about 30 minutes until soft, golden and tender. Grate over some fresh nutmeg, stir in and leave to cool a little.
While the onions are cooking, blanch the greens: bring a pan of water to the boil and add the cavolo nero or spinach. Return to a simmer then immediately tip the greens into a colander to drain and run under the cold tap to cool them quickly.
Now squeeze out as much moisture from the greens as you can, then chop coarsely and combine with the cooked onion. Beat the cream, milk and eggs together in a bowl and season well with salt and pepper.
Arrange the onion and greens mix in the prepared tart case and carefully pour the beaten egg mixture over them. Scatter the grated cheese over the surface.
Bake in the oven for about 30–35 minutes until the filling is just set and golden. Leave the tart to cool, at least a little, before serving warm or at room temperature.

A best-loved favourite recipe made better by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall from the River Cottage good comfort cook book. Recipes prepared using his ESSE Range Cooker

19th December 2022 by Dan

Prep Time: 10 minutes plus resting time

Cook Time: 16 minutes

Yield: Approx 10 – 15

Ingredients:

198g Icing Sugar
113g Ground Almonds
113g Manx egg whites
A pinch of Cream of Tartar
100g Caster Sugar

For the filling:

75g IOM Creamery butter, softened
150g icing sugar
Flavouring (mango, raspberry, cocoa powder)

Method:

This is the basic recipe for macarons. You can make coloured macarons by (sparingly) using a food colouring paste/gel/powder rather than liquid food colouring. The colour should be added to the egg whites just before whisking with the sugar.

Macarons need a steady, low-ish temperature to cook properly, too high and they easily burn, too low and they don’t cook through. These temperatures are a guideline, adjust to suit your oven.

Preheat the oven to 160°C / ESSE dial guide MODERATE (aim for the dial reading to be at the low to middle end of MODERATE).

Sieve the icing sugar, followed by the ground almonds, into a large mixing bowl and carefully mix together.
In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar until they form soft peaks. Add the colour (gel or powder) followed by the caster sugar, a little at a time and continue to whisk until the whites are very thick and glossy (ideally, you should be able to hold the bowl upside down without the whites falling out. Gently stir in the icing sugar and almond mix. Around the bowl and down the middle of the mixture. This is called macaronage (great word for scrabble). The mixture will lose some air and become quite loose, don’t worry, this is the way it should be.
Using a piping bag with a 1cm / 1/3″ nozzle, fill with the macaron mixture. Place the silicon mat or baking parchment onto a baking sheet. Pipe small blobs onto the sheet remembering that less is more at this stage because the mixture will settle and form into the allotted spaces.
Gently tap the baking sheet a few times on the work surface to help the macaron mixture to settle and to break any air bubbles, then leave to dry for at least 20 minutes – the surface of the macaron will go from shiny to matt.
Bake the macarons in the preheated oven for 7 – 8 minutes, open the door to release any steam, close the oven door and cook for a further 7 – 8 minutes. The macarons are cooked when they feel firm and are slightly risen.
Slide the mat or greaseproof paper onto a wire cooling rack and leave to cool completely. Do not be tempted to remove the macarons from the mat until they are cold or you will break them.
Fill with your favourite flavour 😊

Top Tip:

Close all windows and don’t boil a kettle. Macarons do not like any moisture in the air!

Georgie Revill creates recipes using her ESSE Electric Range Cooker. Georgie is the proprietor of The Cook Shack in beautiful Bride on the north coast of the Isle of Man.

The Cook Shack is a cookery school/experience where everyone is welcome with open arms. The emphasis is on having a really good time together whilst cooking delicious dishes and consuming the delights.

The Cook Shack achieved Special Recognition at the Isle of Man Food, Farming & Fishing Awards for the promotion of all things local.

12th December 2022 by Dan

This recipe of mine doesn’t need maturing, its a simple mixture with the addition of some grated carrot. I boil mine slowly for 3 hours and then another 3 hours before serving. To flame your pudding for serving, heat about 3 tablespoons of whisky in a small saucepan on your ESSE, take your pudding to the table, carefully set light to it, away from the table and pour slowly over the pudding.

Ingredients for an 18cm pudding basin:

100g wholemeal flour or gluten free flour
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
100g fresh breadcrumbs or gluten free bread crumbs
50g dark muscovado sugar
100g butter, melted
400g mixed dried fruit
2 carrots, grated
2 large eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons brandy, rum or whisky
Butter for the basin

Method

Butter a pudding basin and place a disc of non-stick baking paper in the base.
Simply mix all the ingredients together and stir evenly together.
Pack the mixture into the basin. Cover with a sheet of baking paper and cover with a sheet of foil. Tie securely around and over the top of the basin to form a handle. Sit this in a large pan on an upturned old saucer, or in a steamer, pour water halfway up the sides. Bring to the boil on top of the ESSE, place a lid and simmer for 3 hours in the oven, moderately hot, aim for the dial reading to be at the low end of moderate (150C). When the pudding is cooked, lift out and remove the foil and paper and replace them with fresh ones. Wrap in foil and store in a cool place.
Simmer in the same way for another 3 hours before serving.

Recipe baked in the Ironheart wood-burning cook stove by Philippa Vine of Bluebell Farmhouse Kitchen, Arlington.

30th November 2022 by Dan

I love baking this bread at this time of year as it’s lovely & nutty, wholesome & there is always a drop of wine knocking about the kitchen to use up! It gives the bread an extra special taste, almost like sourdough, with the acidity of adding some wine & gives a moist texture & colour. The ESSE gives it a crusty crust & cooks it’s to perfection!

For the Ironheart you will need to get it in the ‘very hot’ thermodial setting (250-280°C). It would take approximately 1 & 1/2 hours for the Ironheart to reach ‘very hot’ temperature from cold but while you wait for it to go hot then that is the time to prove the bread so you are not hanging around, you are making the bread. It would take at least 3 refuelling, depends on the wood of course.

You can use all wholemeal or white bread flour but just make sure it measures 250g in total.

Ingredients

150g strong wholemeal flour
100g very strong white bread flour
15g fresh yeast or 1 teaspoon fast-action dried yeast
1 teaspoon runny honey
75ml red wine, warmed
75ml water, warmed
1 tablespoon walnut oil
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
100g roasted finely chopped walnuts

Method

Dissolve the yeast and honey in the warm water and red wine. Add the oil and mix well.
Stir in the liquid into the flour and mix with a table knife until it forms a supple dough. You may need to add a little extra splash of red wine or water, as different flours absorb different amounts of water.
Knead a little until smooth and elastic. Put the dough back into the bowl.
Cover with a clean tea towel and put next to the Ironheart until roughly doubled in size.
Lightly oil a baking sheet. Knead briefly and then shape into a large sausage shape and place on the tin.
Prove until doubled in bulk, lightly dust flour over the dough and make rapid criss-cross cuts with a very sharp knife. Bake on the base of the hot oven for about 35 – 40 minutes. Then leave to cool on a rack, if you can wait until then!

Recipe designed by Philippa Vine of Bluebell Farmhouse Kitchen, Arlington.

29th November 2022 by Dan

For the turkey

Place the turkey in the large roasting tin.
Stuff the neck cavity only – I tend to cook any stuffing separately, we have more than once forgotten that the stuffing was in the bird until too late! If not putting stuffing into the bird, peel and cut up an onion and push that into the cavities, with a little butter. Weigh the turkey after it has been stuffed to calculate the cooking time.
Smear the bird with some butter, then cover it tightly with foil.

Slow roasting the turkey:

If your turkey weighs more than 16 lb (7 kg), put it into a hot oven for an hour, then transfer to a simmering temperature oven overnight.
For turkeys under 16 lb (7 kg), just put into the ESSE’s main oven at 120 (thermo dial at about 20 to the hour) and let the cooker do the rest!

As a rough guide:

8 – 10 lb (3 – 4½ kg) Turkeys will take about 8 – 10 hours
10 – 16 lb (4½ – 7 kg) Turkeys will take about 9 – 12 hours
16 – 22 lb (7 – 10 kg) Turkeys will take about 10 – 14 hours

Next day, check the turkey mid-morning, it should be almost cooked. Pierce the thigh with a skewer and if the juices run clear from the hole, it is cooked.

If it is completely cooked at 11am and you plan to eat at 3pm, DON’T PANIC! Re-cover with the foil then lay a large bath towel, folded into quarters, or a cot duvet or your fleece jacket, or all three, over it and place it beside the ESSE and just leave it. It has taken about 12 hours to get really hot and cooked through; it won’t cool down in any sort of hurry!

If it is not cooked through, re-cover and return it to the simmering oven. Check it again in an hour.

Fast roasting the turkey:

Put the foil-covered turkey into the ESSE at 210 (thermo dial at about 25 past the hour) and cook it.

Timing:

8 – 10 lb (3 – 4½kg) Turkeys will take about 2 hours
10 – 16 lb (4½ – 7kg) Turkeys will take about 2 ½ to 3 hours
16 – 22 lb (7 – 10kg) Turkeys will take about 3 to 3 ½ hours

Finishing the turkey, both methods:

When you and the turkey are ready, pour off the juices – this is easiest if you have a second, clean roasting tin and just transfer the bird from one tin to the other, leaving the juices in the first. Put the turkey into the ESSE main oven at 210 (thermo dial at about 25 past the hour), uncovered, for half an hour to brown the breast, while you make the gravy. Once the breast is browned, transfer to a serving plate and allow to rest for 15 minutes before carving.

For the gravy

Serves 6 – 8

1 pint (550ml) Turkey stock or giblet stock or stock mixed with wine or water and a stock cube
2 tbsp Plain flour
1 tbsp Turkey fat or the juices from the roasted bird
Salt and pepper

Oven: ESSE 210 (thermo dial at about 25 past the hour)
Prepare ahead: Yes
Freeze: Yes

When the turkey has cooked, pour off the juices from the roasting tin. This is easiest if you have a second, clean roasting tin and just transfer the bird from one tin to the other, leaving the juices in the first. Cover the bird with foil and allow it to rest while you make the gravy and dish up all the vegetables.
Pour the juices into a jug, leaving a tablespoonful or two in the bottom of the pan. Stir in the flour, then gradually blend in the stock and seasoning.
Put the tin onto the floor of the roasting oven to boil. Stir after about 5 minutes, then return to the oven for a further 5 minutes until boiling and thickened. Strain and serve.

16th June 2017 by Dan

Enjoy the best of British food with ESSE range recipes with the help of River Cottage head chef, Gill Meller.

Here, Gill Meller takes us through a step-by-step demonstration recipe, cooking slow roasted shoulder of lamb, cooked on an ESSE Range cooker.

5th October 2022 by Dan

Wraps, filled with sticky sausages and onions, make great party fare. Children will love these as they are sweet and easy to eat. For a more adult party try other speciality and spicy sausages and perhaps add some tongue[1]tingling mustard or chilli relish to the wraps.

Makes: 6

Ingredients

12 pork chipolata sausages
2 red onions, cut into wedges
1 tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tbsp clear honey
1 tbsp dark brown muscovado sugar
1 tbsp ordinary dark or Indonesian sweet soy sauce
6 plain or seeded tortilla wraps

Method

Preheat the oven if necessary to 220°C/ ESSE Dial Guide HOT. (Aim for the dial reading to be at the top end of HOT).
Line a roasting tin or baking tray with baking parchment or easy glide. Place the sausages and onion wedges on top.
In a small bowl, mix the oil with the tomato ketchup, honey, sugar and soy sauce. Drizzle over the sausages and onion wedges and toss to coat well. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the sausages are thoroughly cooked and have browned without burning, and the onion wedges are starting to crisp.
To serve, place 2 of the sausages and some onion wedges on each wrap and fold up to enclose. Allow to cool a little then serve with napkins.

Tip

Vegetarians can still be catered for with this recipe, simply replace the traditional meat sausages with Quorn sausages or Quorn fajita style strips (cooked according to the pack instructions).

5th October 2022 by Dan

This wonderfully warming soup is made with English vine-ripened tomatoes that are oven-roasted to bring out their natural sweetness. It’s perfect to serve on Bonfire Night with crusty bread. For outdoor eating serve in warmed mugs.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

950g English vine-ripened tomatoes, quartered
2 red onions, finely sliced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 rashers dry cure smoked streaky bacon
1 litre hot vegetable stock
4 tsp balsamic vinegar

Method

Preheat the oven if necessary to 220°C/ESSE Dial Guide HOT. (Aim for the dial reading to be at the top end of HOT).
Place the tomatoes, red onion and garlic in a roasting tin. Drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Roast for 20 minutes until softened and slightly charred.
Meanwhile, put the bacon on a rack et over a baking tray and place in the oven for the last 15 minutes of the tomatoes cooking time. Remove when crisp, leave until cool then break into pieces.
Bring the stock to the boil in a large pan, add the roasted tomato mixture and mix well. Puree until smooth.
Reheat if necessary then ladle into warmed bowls or mugs. Drizzle with the balsamic vinegar and scatter with the crispy bacon to serve.

Variation

This soup is also delicious served cold in the warm Summer months. Prepare as above, chill and serve drizzled with balsamic vinegar and torn Parma ham rather than crisply bacon.

5th October 2022 by Dan

These muffins have a dark side to them… from the beetroot added to give colour and flavour. Great for Hallowe’en, they provide a sweet, sticky end to the festivities!

Makes: 12 large muffins

Ingredients

200g golden syrup
200g black treacle
150g unsalted butter
125g dark brown sugar
100g stem ginger, finely chopped
4 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
250g pack cooked beetroot
250ml milk
2 medium eggs, beaten
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
300g plain flour

Icing:

150g icing sugar
zest of 1 lemon, plus 1 tbsp
lemon juice

Method

Preheat the oven if necessary to 180°C/ESSE Dial Guide MODERATE. (Aim for the dial reading to be at the top end of MODERATE or very low end of HOT). Line a large 12-hole muffin tray with cases.
Place the golden syrup, black treacle, butter, sugar, stem ginger, ground ginger and cinnamon in a pan and warm until the butter and sugar have melted.
Meanwhile, puree the beetroot with the milk, eggs and bicarbonate of soda. Add to the slightly cooled sugar mixture, mixing well.
Sift the flour into a bowl then beat in the beetroot mixture until the mixture is smooth.
Divide between the muffin cases. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until firm but springy to the touch. Be careful not to overcook the muffins, they are nice a little sticky. Remove from the rack tray and leave to cool on a rack.
While the muffins are cooling make the icing. Mix the icing sugar with the lemon zest and lemon juice to make a smooth paste. Drizzle over the muffins when completely cold.

Get Ahead

These muffins keep really well for up to 4 days if stored in an airtight tin.

5th October 2022 by Dan

This is a delicious vegetarian pasta dish with contrasting flavours and textures from the soft shallots and pumpkin, to the al dente pasta (with a bite) to the crunchy pumpkin seeds.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 small pumpkin
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
20 small shallots, peeled
300g dried or fresh penne pasta
1 chilli, seeded and finely sliced
15g butter
6 tbsp water
1 sprig rosemary, chopped
Grated Parmesan cheese, to serve

Method

Preheat the oven if necessary to 180°C/ESSE Dial Guide MODERATE. (Aim for the dial reading to be at the top end of MODERATE or the very low end of HOT).
Peel and cut the pumpkin into bite-sized pieces, reserving the pumpkin seeds. Place the pumpkin in a pan with the olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Sauté for about 5 minutes until coloured on the outside. Add the shallots and cook for a further 5-10 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling, salted water according to the packet instructions. Drain, rinse and keep warm. Toast the pumpkin seeds in the oven for 5 minutes.
Return a quarter of the pumpkin and shallot mixture to the pan with the chilli, butter, water and rosemary. Heat through to make a bubbly sauce. Add the remaining pumpkin mixture then finally fold in the cooked pasta.
Serve on warmed plates dusted with a little Parmesan cheese and scattered with the pumpkin seeds.

Variation

Those who miss meat might welcome the addition of come cooked and sliced spicy sausage at the end of cooking.

5th October 2022 by Dan

This creamy lemon tart is perfect all year round but especially good in the late Summer or Autumn months when fruit choice for the topping is abundant. The fruit selection in the photograph gives some ideas but feel free to choose your own favourites.

Serves: 8

Ingredients

1 recipe sweet pastry

Filling:

3 eggs
160g caster sugar
grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
160g butter, melted
90g ground almonds

Topping:

selection of fresh fruit like sliced
green apples (dipped in lemon juice), sliced fresh or canned peaches, apricots and pears, sliced strawberries, sliced kiwi, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, sliced and halved grapes
mint sprigs, to decorate (optional)

Method

Preheat the oven if necessary to 190˚C/ ESSE Dial Guide HOT. (Aim for the dial reading to be at the low end of HOT).
Make the pastry according to the recipe instructions. Roll out and line a 23cm fluted flan tin and chill for 10 minutes. Cover with foil and weight with baking beans then bake ‘blind’ for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and beans and cook for a further 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk the eggs and sugar until they are very thick. Stir in the lemon zest and juice then the melted butter and almonds. Pour into the prepared pastry case. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the filling is golden and set. Allow to cool.
To serve, top the tart with a selection of fresh fruit and decorate with mint sprigs if liked. Cut into wedges to serve with cream, crème fraîche, yogurt or ice cream

Get Ahead

The tart can be made up to 24 hours ahead but to avoid the fruit drying out, glaze with a mixture of 2tbsp apricot jam warmed until syrupy with 2 tbsp water. Spoon over the fruit when cooled but still liquid

5th October 2022 by Dan

Bring a touch of the Orient to a Sunday lunchtime in Autumn with this wonderfully spicy and slightly sweet flavoured roast. Pork offers great value for money and when served with root vegetables in season has a great taste. Vary the roots if liked to include parsnips, beetroot, salsify, celeriac and swede.

Serves: 6

Ingredients

2tsp Chinese 5 spice powder
3tbsp olive oil
15g fine sea salt
1.3kg pork loin roast, rind scored
2tsp grated root ginger
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
½ tsp chilli flakes (optional)
3 large floury potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
6 carrots, scrubbed and trimmed
6 small turnips, scrubbed and trimmed
2 sticks celery, each cut into 3 pieces
fresh herbs, to garnish (optional)

Method

Preheat the oven if necessary to 200°C/.ESSE Dial Guide HOT. (Aim for the dial reading to be in the middle of HOT).
Rub the Chinese 5 spice powder, 1 tbsp of the oil and the salt over the pork, making sure it gets into the cuts in the rind. Place on a rack over a roasting tin and cook for 1 hour.
Mix together the remaining oil with the ginger, sesame oil and chilli if used in a second roasting tin. Add the potatoes, carrots, turnips and celery, tossing well.
Pour the fat and juices from the pork over the vegetables and return both to the oven (place the vegetables above the pork). Roast for a further 1 hour, turning the vegetables once, until both are tender and cooked.
Allow the pork to rest in warm place, wrapped in foil, before slicing to serve with the roasted vegetables. Garnish with a few fresh herbs if liked.

Variation

Summer 5 Spiced Pork:

Prepare as above but use a selection of Summer vegetables like sliced courgettes, quartered peppers, wedges of red onion, cubes of aubergine and whole cloves of garlic instead of the roots. Roast for the final 40 minutes of the cooking time.

5th October 2022 by Dan

This is a wonderful, lightly-spiced, curried, family main meal dish. It is equally good made with either cooked fresh salmon or canned salmon (so makes a good store cupboard standby). Make it in a large roasting tin for a one-pot meal or, to make this meal easier to serve, cook in individual baking dishes.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

400g cooked fresh wild Alaska salmon or 2 x 213g cans red or pink wild Alaska salmon
500g butternut squash, peeled and cut into chunks
2 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp cumin seeds
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small cauliflower, broken into florets
150g fine green beans, trimmed and halved
300g low-fat natural yogurt
2 tbsp Korma curry paste
2 tbsp mango chutney
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
4 poppadoms, lightly crushed

Method

Preheat the oven if necessary to 170˚C/ ESSE Dial Guide MODERATE. (Aim for the dial reading to be in the middle of MODERATE).
Skin the cooked fresh salmon and break into chunks or drain the canned salmon (discarding the liquid, skin and bones) and flake into large pieces.
Put the butternut squash in a large roasting tin, add the oil, cumin seeds and salt and pepper to taste, tossing to coat. Roast for 25-30 minutes until tender, turning once.
Meanwhile, cook the cauliflower in lightly salted boiling water for 3-4 minutes. Add the green beans and cook for a further 3-4 minutes. Drain well and add to the cooked squash with the chunks of salmon.
Mix the yogurt with the curry paste, mango chutney and coriander. Spoon over the vegetables and salmon, then sprinkle with the poppadoms. Bake for 10-15 minutes until piping hot. Serve at once

Tip

Vary the hotness of this curried dish according to your preferred taste. This recipe uses mild strength Korma paste but experiment with medium Madras, Tikka Masala or Passanda strengths or spicy and hot Jalfrezi and Vindaloo.

5th October 2022 by Dan

This superb soup has a fantastic taste, enhanced by adding the rind from the cheese as it cooks, to extract every bit of flavour. You’ll need roughly 500g butternut squash when peeled and deseeded. If you have any leftover, simply roast to serve as a vegetable with another meal.

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

150g Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, with rind
25g butter 1 large onion, finely chopped
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and chopped into chunks
900ml hot vegetable stock
150ml milk
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4-6 slices French bread
chopped fresh parsley or thyme, to garnish

Method

Reserve the rind from the Parmigiano-Reggiano and cut into chunks, then finely grate the cheese.
Melt the butter in a large pan, add the onion and cook gently for about 3 minutes, until softened but not browned. Add the squash, stock and cheese rind. Heat until the mixture is just simmering, then partially cover with a lid and cook gently for about 20 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and tender.
Remove the rind from the pan and discard. Purée the mixture with most of the grated cheese until smooth (reserve just a little for the garnish). Return the soup to the pan, add the milk and salt and pepper to taste and stir to mix. Reheat until piping hot.
Meanwhile, toast the bread, sprinkle with the reserved cheese and grill or bake to melt.
To serve, ladle the soup into warmed bowls and top each with a piece of French toast. Sprinkle with chopped parsley or thyme and serve at once

Tip

Other edible squashes can be used to make this soup. If using small round squash why not keep the scooped out shells and ladle the soup into them for serving? Takes care of the washing up too!

CONTACT US

FOLLOW US

THE LITTLE THINGS