Harvest Feast

This weekend, Bethanie hosted a prayer weekend. As part of it we all gathered together for a Harvest Feast, celebrating God's goodness and blessing. Every course used home grown produce from the Bethanie Garden.

Starter

Goats Cheese with Caramelised Red Pepper Relish

Main

Normandie Sausages

Potato, Pumpkin and Sage Mash

Redcurrant and Rosemary Sauce

Baked Red Cabbage

Dessert

Pumpkin Pie

served with creme fraiche

Goats Cheese with Caramelised Red Pepper Relish

Serves 8

2 red peppers
2 red onions
50ml balsamic vinegar, and extra for drizzling
400g Soft goats cheese
Parsley to garnish
sliced baguette to serve

Spread a layer of the cheese into 8 ramekins (50g per person), and put in the fridge to keep chilled.
Finely slice the red peppers and onions. Heat a glug of olive oil in a frying pan and add the peppers and onions, cook until softened. Add the baslsamic vinegar and reduce to a medium-low heat. Cook until there is little to no liquid and peppers and onions are gluey. Remove from heat and allow to cool fully.
Top each cheese ramekin with the peppers and onions, drizzle with a few drops more of the vinegar. Garnish each dish with chopped parsley. Serve with a few slices of thinly sliced baguette.

Shortcrust Pastry

To fit a 28cm flan tin

65g butter (room temp)
130g plain flour
1 egg yolk, beaten

In a mixing bowl, rub the butter into the flour until it becomes like breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and just enough very cold water to gather it all into a ball. Roll out the pastry on a flour dusted surface and place in flan tin. Keep in fridge until needed.

Spiced Apple and Raisin Crumble

A Delia Smith recipe. I love cooking this around October time; it fills the air with a scent that reminds me that Christmas is on its way!

Serves 6

900g Bramley apples, peeled, cored and sliced

75g raisins

25g soft brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

2 tbsp water

topping:

110g plain flour

110g porridge oats

75g butter, room temperature

80g soft brown sugar

Preheat oven to 180C. Place the sliced apples, raisins, sugar and spices in a saucepan, sprinkle with the water and cook gently until the apples are soft and fluffy. Spoon the mixture into pie dish/ shallow gratin dish and set aside.

To make the topping, place the flour in a large mixing bowl, then add the butter and rub it into the flour lightly, using your fingertips. Then when it all looks crumbly, and the fat has been dispersed fairly evenly, add the oats and the sugar and combine that well with the rest.

Sprinkle the topping mixture all over the fruit, spreading it out with a fork.

Place the crumble on a high shelf in the oven and bake for 30-40 mins or until the top is tinged with brown.

In-a-hurry Naan Bread

This is a really quick naan bread recipe based on Caroline's In-a-hurry Pizza Base.

Serves 6 (2 medium pieces of naan each)

750g plain flour
500g natural yoghurt (4 pots)
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp paprika
knob of butter

Mix the flour and the spices together in a bowl. Gradually add the yoghurt, mixing it all together with your hands, until a good dough mixture is achieved. Divide into 12 equal-ish sized balls. Roll each ball out to the size of a hand. Place onto baking sheets, melt the butter and brush over the top of each naan. Bake in a hot oven for 20-25 mins.

Spiced Red Lentils

This is a Bethanie fave! And surprisingly very filling.

Serves 4

200g split red lentils

1 1/2 tsp mustard seeds

4 tbsp olive oil

salt

70g butter

juice of 1 lime

PASTE:

25g fresh coriander

1 onion, peeled, roughly chopped

40g ginger, peeled, roughly chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled

SPICE MIX:

1 1/2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 tsp paprika

1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes

1/2 tsp fenugreek (optional)

Wash lentils, drain and soak in 350ml of fresh water for 30mins.

Roughly chop up the leafy part of the coriander bunch. Put the stems into a food processor with the onion, ginger and garlic, pulse to an almost paste.

Put the mustard seeds in a heavy based pan and place over a medium. When they begin to pop, add the onion mix and the oil, stir and cook on low heat for 10 mins.

Add spices and continue cooking and stirring for 5 mins longer.

Add the lentils and their soaking water, the tomatoes, fenugreek (if using) and salt. Cover and simmer for 30 mins or until lentils are cooked and sauce is not watery. If the mixture is catching before lentils are cooked, add more water.

Before serving, stir in the butter, lime juice and chopped coriander.

Serve in bowls with a side of fresh green salad, raita and our In-a-hurry Naan Bread.

Pumpkin Pie

Serves 8 large slices / 12 medium slices

1 quantity shortcrust pastry (or pre-made sheet if in a rush)

600g pumpkin flesh cut into chunks

130g soft brown sugar

pinch of salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1 1/2 tbsp honey

grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

grated zest and juice of 1 orange

4 eggs, beaten

Creme Fraiche to serve

Preheat oven to 180 C. Lay pastry case out onto greased 28cm flan tin, and prick with a fork all over. Cover with baking paper and weigh down with baking beans (or rice). Bake blind for 20-25mins.

Having removed its seeds, steam the pumpkin until tender. Scoop the tender flesh into a bowl and discard the skins. Add all the remaining ingredients, except the eggs, into a food processor and puree until smooth. Add the eggs and blend.

Pour into pastry case and bake for 55 mins until a skewer comes out of the centre clean. Allow to cool and dust with icing sugar.

Redcurrant and Rosemary Sauce

Tasty, fruity sauce for yummy sausage and mash suppers!

Serves 4

500ml vegetable stock

2 tsp wholegrain mustard

2 tbsp redcurrant jelly (blackcurrant jelly/cranberry sauce will work too)

1 sprig fresh rosemary

Pour the stock into a medium sized saucepan and place over a high heat. Add the mustard and jelly and stir through. Add the rosemary and let it all bubble away fiercely for 15 mins.

Note: For a thicker sauce then melt 25g butter in the pan first, and add 1 heaped tablespoon plain flour. Mix into a paste and then gradually add the stock. Continue as normal from here, serving when desired consistency is reached.

Choc Pots

Serves 8

225g chocolate, minimum 70% cocoa solids

600ml double cream

Break the chocolate into pieces and melt in a glass bowl over a pan of simmering water.

Warm the cream in a jug in the microwave or in a pan over a really low heat.

Stir the cream into the melted chocolate until completely combined. Turn mixture equally into 8 ramekin dishes (about half full) and set aside until ready to serve.

serving suggestions:

(1) serve with fruit kebabs, so as to create individual chocolate fondues.

(2) serve on a plate with Palmero biscuits and a shot glass of Muscat

Smoky Walnut Pasta

We have a sack full of walnuts from a neighbour at the moment, so I have been looking for some good recipes to help us use them up.

This pasta recipe is delicious and is so warming at this time of year. Based on a recipe from Gennaro Contaldo.

Serves 4

400g Pasta (penne or fusilli works well)

70g butter

1 clove garlic, squashed

200g smoked lardons

75g walnuts (shelled weight)

1 egg, beaten

150ml single cream

parmesan to serve

lemon thyme leaves to garnish

Put the pasta on to cook. Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, heat the butter, add the garlic and saute until golden. Remove the garlic and discard. Add the lardons and walnuts to the butter and saute until lardons turn a golden-brown, taking care not to burn the walnuts.

In a bowl, mix together the beaten egg and the cream and set aside.

Cook the pasta until al dente and drain. Add the walnuts and lardons to the pasta and stir through. Then stir in the egg and cream mixture. Season well and place back on medium heat for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly, making sure sauce doesnt burn at the bottom of the pan.

Remove from heat and serve immediately with lots of parmesan and lemon thyme to garnish.