Category: Autumn recipes

Gooey Chocolate Chilli brownie’s with cranberries

October 12, 2015




  At teatime or in the evening when it begins to get chilly, this is great to have with a cup of Coffee or tea. It gives you a real tingle inside after having one.

  I have been making this Chocolate chilli brownie recipe for years now, sometimes I drizzle white chocolate on top, add pistachios or you can even change the cranberries to dried cherries. However Ive decided to use cranberries as we only seem to see them in December but in actual fact they go perfect along side the chocolate and chilli.
This is such a super, easy, sweet treat to serve whatever the occasion. It will go great after Hot dogs, or an autumnal one pot wonder. They are even fantastic to give as a gift.

  You can serve this with double cream, ice cream or to be even more decadent and naughty, I would add some booze such as Pedro Ximenez sherry.


  I also made these for my regular cooking slot on BBC Radio Leicester a couple of weeks ago so if you click on the clip here, you can hear me making them for Ben Jackson and how much he liked them! 



Gooey Chocolate chilli brownie’s with cranberries:






Ingredients:


(Serves 8 Brownies in a tin roughly as mine was 28cmx18cm )

–  100g Dark Chocolate ( at least 60,70 % cocoa solids ) 
–  88g unsalted butter
–  163g Caster sugar
–  2 eggs
–  65g plain flour
–  50g dried cranberries
–  1/4-1/2 tsp of Ground hot chilli powder (depending how hot you want it! )I use Spice Kitchen spices
–  1/4-1/2 tsp of fresh chopped red chilli ( depending how hot you want it! )




Method:

*  Grease a tin of your choice and line with parchment paper

*  Preheat oven to 160-170c

*  Melt chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water

*  In a separate bowl whisk eggs and sugar together and then sift in flour and fold in

*  Place that mixture into the melted chocolate and butter and mix with a spatular, add in cranberries

*  place mixture into your baking tray and pop into the oven for about 40 minutes

*  Allow to cool on a tray until you cut into squares

*  Serve with a nice cup of hot drink, double cream or Ice cream. If you want to be even more naughty, pour over some booze such as Pedro Ximenez sherry.
















Sausage, vegetable and apple traybake

October 6, 2015
This oven-roasted meal really is incredibly easy to make. Not to mention how inexpensive it is also.
 After a long day the last thing you need is to be slaving over the oven or even waiting a long time for something to cook. Plus, now that Autumn is making more of an appearance and becoming darker in the evenings this is the perfect comfort, pick me up food and with a little cheekiness from the cider I’ve popped in there.
 Ive used apples in this recipe as it just adds an extra burst of sweetness against the sausages and sage in there. Plus lots of people are giving them away due to bumper crops this year. 
  If you have a family get-together coming up or you just want to do a Sunday lunch thats a little easier, this is a perfect choice for that. Leftovers can be chopped up and put into a spicy tomato pasta bake.
 With the lovely colours it gives off, it truly is Autumn in one dish really.




Sausage, vegetable and apple traybake:






Ingredients:
(Serves 2)
–    1-2 tbsp Rapeseed oil
  • 6 British sausages ( I used a Pork and chive variety)
  • 2 red onions sliced into wedges
  • 2 garlic cloves crushed and roughly chopped
  • 1 chicken stock cube crumbled over or half a gel pot
  • 1-2 parsnips roughly diced
  • 1 red pepper roughly diced
  • 1 orange pepper or yellow diced roughly
  • 2 apples, something like a British cox 
  • 2-3 potatoes peeled and chopped into inch size chunks
  • a good sprig of thyme
  • a few fresh sage leaves
  • 200ml Apple cider
  • 1 tbsp dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp honey 
  • salt and cracked black pepper to season
  •  
Method:
  • Preheat oven to 190c. In a frying pan, brown off the sausages.
  • Coat all vegetables in oil, ( not the peppers or apples yet )and pop into the oven for 15 minutes.
  •   After 15 minutes coat the vegetables with the honey and mustard, add the peppers, thyme, garlic, stock and seasoning.
  • Place the sausages in between the veg and pour into your frying pan the cider to get all the sticky juice from the sausages.then pour that into your traybake.

*  Pop back into the oven for a further 15 minutes. After that put your apples and sage in-between the sausages and veg and pop back into the oven for approximately another 15 minutes or when all golden and cooked.



I couldn’t help diving in with a knife and fork before even serving it up, it was THAT nice!

Spiced blackberry & blueberry oaty, nutty, crumble

September 24, 2015
Yesterday was the autumn equinox, so I felt that this recipe was perfect to share with you on this day as the evenings draw colder and darker.
 I actually came up with this recipe about 3-4 weeks ago, when the Blackberries were in abundance and so were Blueberries. However my little blueberry bush is still going strong now.
 Below is what I wrote in my column, however I feel the words still fit the bill today, what do you think? 


  
 Blackberries in Woodland.


  
Beyond the garden, the hedgerows are thick with their summer growth: Rose-hips are bright jewel red, Sloes are covering the rows with a blanket of dark purple and  blackberries are big and juicy this year so it seems autumn is already proving a great season for produce and I have had an amazing haul so far.
  So, with the fact that I lit the fire and wore a jumper for the first time last week,  I was craving something I always eat when autumn comes around; the humble crumble. 
   One fruit that is just still around also are blueberries which for this dish I have picked from my little bush in my garden. Using both fruits together in this recipe gives it a sweet and sour flavour and work amazing together with the oaty, nut topping.
  If the weather proves me wrong and turns warm, instead of serving this with custard, serve with a vanilla ice cream.




Spiced Blackberry & Blueberry oaty nutty crumble:



Ingredients:
(serves 4-6 people) approximately 
fruit mix:
(depending on how big your dish is)
  • 250-300g Blackberries rinsed and drained 
  • 150g Blueberries
  •   2 tbsp Caster sugar
  •   a few small knobs of unsalted butter  
Crumble topping:
  •   100g Plain flour
  •   100g Caster sugar less if you don’t like it too sweet
  •   approximately 75g Unsalted butter 
  •   100g Jumbo rolled oats
  •   a good handful Whole almonds sliced/chopped yourself
  •   1 tsp ground cassia/ cinnamon  (I used Spice Kitchen) 
  •   1 tsp ground Nutmeg or grated

N.B: If you have any crumble topping leftover, no fear, pop in a freezer bag and freeze for another day.
 Also, I have tried this recipe using “Stork” margarine and a Soya spread and both works aswell.






Method:
  •   Preheat oven to 180c 
  •   In an oven proof dish place your blackberries and your blueberries and even out. Cover with Caster sugar and the butter, set aside.
  •   Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl place in your flour and rub in the butter with your fingertips to resemble breadcrumbs.
  •   Stir in the oats, cinnamon and sugar.
  •   Sprinkle the crumble topping over your fruit mix and pat down gently evenly.
  •   pop the dish onto a flat baking tray as the mixture could overflow. Pop into the oven for 20 minutes.
  • After 20 minutes, take out and sprinkle the almonds on top and pop back into the oven for a further 10 minutes or until starting to turn golden and crisp on top.
–   Serve into bowls with piping hot vanilla custard.









Tomato, Barley and vegetable soup

September 21, 2015
This recipe sent me back thinking to my childhood, not because it was something we always ate, but because it reflected on something that happens all over our country at this time of year, in Churches, schools, Farm shops and that is of course…The Harvest festival. 
   
  Farmers and vegetable growers of all levels gather their crops in Autumn as a celebration to show the general public where their food comes from and also it’s a chance to raise money for Charity. 
  Last Saturday was also the start of British food Fortnight, (19th Sep-4th Oct 2015) so the two fit perfectly together.

  This soup is packed full of most vegetables that are being harvested now and they certainly were from my little Kitchen garden that Im so very proud of. 


   Soup always makes me feel good inside and warm,when Ive had it. Maybe after a long day or when a cold is drawing near. With this recipe, Im sure it will give you quite an amount of your Five-a day.

  This is a one pot dish that is so economical but with the added pearl barley and lots of vegetables it will keep you feeling full –  Fit for the Harvest festival! 








Tomato Barley and vegetable soup:
Ingredients:
( Serves 4 approximately)
  •   1-2 tbsp rapeseed oil 
  •   a couple of handfuls of pearl barley
  • 1 onion finely diced
  • 1  Large carrot finely diced
  • 1  large celery stick finely sliced
  • 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped or grated
  • 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
  • 1-2 tbsp of tomato puree
  •   Pinch of sugar
  • 1 leek  finely sliced 
  • 1 gel pot of vegetable stock or Chicken stock
  • handful of fresh herbs : Oregano, Thyme, Rosemary finely chopped
  • 1-2 runner beans sliced
  • 1 courgette chopped finely
  • salt and cracked black pepper to season
  • Handful of finely chopped fresh basil to finish
Method
  • Cook Pearl barley to packet instructions but add in some stock to your water, whichever you are using.
  •   Sweat off your carrot and celery with your rapeseed oil in a pan for a minute or two, then add in your onions. Cook until starting to soften.
  •   Then add in your sliced leek, stir and sweat down for about 2 minutes. Add in your Garlic and stir again.
  •   Pop in your chopped tomatoes, tomato puree and sugar and turn down the heat slightly. Stir in your stock and add about 1/2 litre of water. (I prefer to add as I go) 
  •   Leave this now to simmer away for about 15-20 minutes allowing your veg to soften. Keep checking and if it needs more water, add a little more.
  • After this point, add in your courgettes and runner beans and cook for about 3 minutes.
  • Then add in your cooked pearl barley and herbs, stir, add more water if it needs it and cook until your beans and courgettes are softened.
  • Taste and see if it requires seasoning or sometimes a little sugar if tart.

–   Serve into bowls, sprinkle on the basil and dive in with some crusty bread.