It's harvest time, my friends! Autumn begins today, the 21st of September. Cue the hordes of people rolling in piles of russet-coloured leaves.
There's going to be so much good food to eat in the next couple of months that I hesitate to try and choose a favourite. But there are definitely a handful of foods that I just can't wait to eat, and that I've been spending the last few weeks thinking about.
Apples
Today I've been crunching on some Egremont Russet apples, thanks to them arriving a little early this year at Lathcoat Farm's orchards. They're not much to look at, with their dusty olive-coloured skins, but those skins belie the beautiful flavour and texture inside. Do try them.
How to eat them? Well, first, just eat them raw - they're one of the most wonderfully portable fruits, and I plan on having AT LEAST one a day until the New Year.
But cook them too! My friend Martha recommended I have baked crabapples with cinnamon, which sounds like a perfect dessert for a chilly night. Now, she had the luxury of a crabapple tree in her backyard growing up - and unfortunately I can't fit one of those on my balcony in Hackney. But I'll try a really tart variety in hopes that I can mimic the outcome.
Apples are also divine in cake - here's one I made earlier. I've decided I'm going to make lots of these sorts of cakes this autumn - that way I can control the ingredients, using wholemeal flour and unrefined sugar. It's cheaper and lasts longer too.
Squashes
Butternut squash, pumpkin, pattypan, onion - the varieties, like apples, are seemingly endless. There are several dishes I plan on repeating this autumn from past seasons, but I'm also looking to find some new ones.
Cue Nigel Slater and his new book Tender. He always seems to know just what I'm thinking, ol' Nigel. Well, thanks to Nige and the Observer, we've been treated to a few recipes ahead of time here, including a rather delectable sounding Pan-cooked pumpkin with duck fat and garlic. I look forward to trying that out, as well as his simple idea of a "soup-stew with haricot beans, late tomatoes, cheese and pumpkin".
Mussels
Ah, mussels. They're so cheap, yet so delightful! A trip down to Belgo's will remind you how revered mussels are to the Belgians, as they should be to us. I myself am headed to Borough Market this Saturday to pick up a bag or two - they're really cheap in September.
I fancy returning to the classics - moules marinere, where mussels marry so beautifully with celery, onions, white wine and garlic, as well as trying some new ideas too - mussel pasta with mushrooms and rosemary (which screams autumn to me), or a creamy mussel sauce to top a piece of beef (I can't remember where I've seen that, but I know I have somewhere...)
Okay, those are just a few ingredients that I'm going to be using in the next months - I'm also looking forward to experimenting more with game and foraging for mushrooms. What's on your list?
Showing posts with label apples. Show all posts
Showing posts with label apples. Show all posts
Monday, 21 September 2009
Sunday, 14 October 2007
pork and apples
A classic combination, but one that needs a bit of updating since pork chops and applesauce was crowned as Peter Brady's favourite dish in The Brady Bunch. (He was trying to make like Bogart.)
My husband coats Bramley apple sauce all over his pork, so I was keen to devise a recipe that would allow him to enjoy the tart apple flavour without needing to resort to the jar.
Pork, apples, onion, courgettes and potatoes: a five-star five-ingredient meal that needs only a few extra bits from the pantry to make a fantastic and fresh Saturday night dinner.
Pork tenderloin is one of my favourite cuts, because it is so tender, yet not particularly fatty, but care must be taken not to let it dry out. In this sense it is quite similar to chicken breast - so searing it first before roasting (and then roasting it wrapped up in foil) should keep it quite juicy. However, a few extra minutes of roasting time will be required.
Seared and roasted pork tenderloin with apples and onion, served with courgettes and mash
(serves 2)
a cut of pork tenderloin (will likely serve more than 2, but leftovers can be saved for lunch the next day)
1 large apple, sliced across into about 4 rings, then cored
1 large onion, sliced across into about four rings
dried thyme
about 10 sprays of olive oil
250 g potato, peeled and cubed
1 large courgette, sliced
a splash of milk
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 200 C. Season the pork tenderloin.
Heat the oil in a large pan, and once hot, add the pork tenderloin, searing on all four sides for about 30 seconds each.
Add to a large piece of foil with the onions and apple and close up.
Roast for 35 minutes.
About 15 minutes before finishing, set the potatoes to boil for about 10 minutes. Drain and return to the pan with a splash of milk. Season and mash; keep covered.
When the pork is finished, remove from the oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes before carving.
Re-heat the pan that the pork was seared in, and add the courgettes and saute.
Slice the pork into thin medallions and serve with the mash, courgettes, and 2 pieces each of onion and apple. Drizzle the juices in the roasting tin over the pork and serve.
My husband coats Bramley apple sauce all over his pork, so I was keen to devise a recipe that would allow him to enjoy the tart apple flavour without needing to resort to the jar.
Pork, apples, onion, courgettes and potatoes: a five-star five-ingredient meal that needs only a few extra bits from the pantry to make a fantastic and fresh Saturday night dinner.
Pork tenderloin is one of my favourite cuts, because it is so tender, yet not particularly fatty, but care must be taken not to let it dry out. In this sense it is quite similar to chicken breast - so searing it first before roasting (and then roasting it wrapped up in foil) should keep it quite juicy. However, a few extra minutes of roasting time will be required.
Seared and roasted pork tenderloin with apples and onion, served with courgettes and mash
(serves 2)
a cut of pork tenderloin (will likely serve more than 2, but leftovers can be saved for lunch the next day)
1 large apple, sliced across into about 4 rings, then cored
1 large onion, sliced across into about four rings
dried thyme
about 10 sprays of olive oil
250 g potato, peeled and cubed
1 large courgette, sliced
a splash of milk
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 200 C. Season the pork tenderloin.
Heat the oil in a large pan, and once hot, add the pork tenderloin, searing on all four sides for about 30 seconds each.
Add to a large piece of foil with the onions and apple and close up.
Roast for 35 minutes.
About 15 minutes before finishing, set the potatoes to boil for about 10 minutes. Drain and return to the pan with a splash of milk. Season and mash; keep covered.
When the pork is finished, remove from the oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes before carving.
Re-heat the pan that the pork was seared in, and add the courgettes and saute.
Slice the pork into thin medallions and serve with the mash, courgettes, and 2 pieces each of onion and apple. Drizzle the juices in the roasting tin over the pork and serve.
Thursday, 20 September 2007
autumn arrives
Mindsets change on the twenty-first of September. No longer are the long summer days sought; instead, delight comes from crisp afternoons and maroon and marigold leaves delicately strewn on the pavement.
For food-lovers, a decided shift occurs in the psyche. The season for berries, cherries and peas has passed. In with the apples, in with the squash. As September transitions into October (and I can’t wait to make my pumpkin soup), have a look at some of the best fruits and vegetables of the new season:
Last of the blackberries
I noticed sadly on Saturday that there weren’t any blackberries on the shelf. It could be there’s a late-summer run on this regal purple fruit, or, as the season changes, there are few left for the shops.
In any case, if I can get my hands on any more blackberries, I’m aching to try an idea that sprung into my head last week: nectarine and blackberry crumble.
Apple harvest
According to the BBC, we should be able to find Worcester Pearmains, Bramleys, Discoveries, Early Windsors and Cox’s Orange Pippins before long. I found a few baby Cox’s in my local last weekend, and they weren’t half bad either.
Mushroom nights
There’s nothing lovelier than a roasted mushroom soup, especially as the wild varieties will be available soon. But dried mushrooms work great too and add so much flavour. A few years back I tried a Gary Rhodes’ recipe – a creamy pork and mushroom stew – from Keeping it Simple (a cookbook I really like). It’s a great warming fall recipe for chilly nights.
Marrow merriment
Of course, the obese (and less flavourful) older sibling to the courgette makes an appearance. Like pumpkin, marrow lose flavour and hold more water as they grow. I like marrow best stuffed with other, more vibrant flavours – perhaps a sun-dried tomato stuffing?
Pumpkin time
Truly the star of the autumn season, pumpkin is extremely versatile. Enjoy its flesh and its seeds in a spicy pumpkin curry or pumpkin soup and roasted pumpkin seeds – and the shell can be used as a bowl or a jack o’lantern for kids.
For food-lovers, a decided shift occurs in the psyche. The season for berries, cherries and peas has passed. In with the apples, in with the squash. As September transitions into October (and I can’t wait to make my pumpkin soup), have a look at some of the best fruits and vegetables of the new season:
Last of the blackberries
I noticed sadly on Saturday that there weren’t any blackberries on the shelf. It could be there’s a late-summer run on this regal purple fruit, or, as the season changes, there are few left for the shops.
In any case, if I can get my hands on any more blackberries, I’m aching to try an idea that sprung into my head last week: nectarine and blackberry crumble.
Apple harvest
According to the BBC, we should be able to find Worcester Pearmains, Bramleys, Discoveries, Early Windsors and Cox’s Orange Pippins before long. I found a few baby Cox’s in my local last weekend, and they weren’t half bad either.
Mushroom nights
There’s nothing lovelier than a roasted mushroom soup, especially as the wild varieties will be available soon. But dried mushrooms work great too and add so much flavour. A few years back I tried a Gary Rhodes’ recipe – a creamy pork and mushroom stew – from Keeping it Simple (a cookbook I really like). It’s a great warming fall recipe for chilly nights.
Marrow merriment
Of course, the obese (and less flavourful) older sibling to the courgette makes an appearance. Like pumpkin, marrow lose flavour and hold more water as they grow. I like marrow best stuffed with other, more vibrant flavours – perhaps a sun-dried tomato stuffing?
Pumpkin time
Truly the star of the autumn season, pumpkin is extremely versatile. Enjoy its flesh and its seeds in a spicy pumpkin curry or pumpkin soup and roasted pumpkin seeds – and the shell can be used as a bowl or a jack o’lantern for kids.
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