September recipe: Plum chutney

Plum chutney ingredients

Plums are abundant in August and September in most years.  They can be preserved in jam (recipe for plum jam here).  Plums also make an excellent chutney.  This recipe uses plums and windfall apples, and makes two large jars.

Plum chutney

1.5 lb (approx 700 g) plums, after removing the stones

12 oz (approx 350 g) apples, after preparing

8 oz (approx 250 g) onions

4 oz (approx 100 g) raisins

8 oz (approx 250 g) demerara sugar

0.5 pint (approx 300 ml) malt vinegar

0.5 teaspoon (0.5 x 5 ml spoon) ground cinnamon

0.5 teaspoon (0.5 x 5 ml spoon) ground ginger

0.5 teaspoon (0.5 x 5 ml spoon) ground mixed spice

0.5 teaspoon (0.5 x 5 ml spoon) salt

Wash the plums.  Remove the stones, and chop the plums into pieces of the size you would like to find in the finished chutney. I aim for pieces roughly 0.5 – 1 cm (0.25 – 0.5 inch) cubed.

Peel and core the apples.  If using windfalls, cut out any bruised areas.  Chop into pieces of the size you would like to find in the finished chutney.

Peel and chop the onions.

Put the chopped fruit and vegetables into a large saucepan, along with the raisins, sugar, vinegar, salt and spices.

Bring to the boil.

Simmer, stirring from time to time, until the fruit and vegetables are soft and the chutney has thickened.  I test for this by drawing a wooden spoon through the chutney. If the bottom of the pan is visible before the chutney flows back into the gap, I consider the chutney done.  This stage normally takes about 45 minutes for me; it may vary depending on your pan and cooker.

Remove the pan from the heat.

Pour the chutney into clean glass jars. I find the easiest way to do this is to pour the chutney into a heatproof jug first, then use the jug to fill the jars.

Seal the jars immediately. I use cling film and a screw-top lid, preferably a plastic lid as chutney will eventually corrode a metal lid.

Store in a cupboard for three months or so to allow the flavour to develop before eating.  The chutney will store for several years provided the seal stays intact.

November recipe: Butternut squash soup

Butternut squash soup

Butternut squashes are usually available in the late autumn and early winter.  I’ve previously posted a recipe for stir-fried chicken wings with butternut squash.

Butternut squash also makes a satisfying autumn soup.  With its warm colour, this soup helps to brighten up a cold grey day.  It can also be made with pumpkin if you don’t like or can’t get butternut squash.  This quantity serves 2 as a main meal with bread, or 4 as a first course.

Butternut squash soup

Approximately 1 lb (approx. 450 g) butternut squash

Half an onion

1 clove garlic

1 teaspoon (1 x 5 ml spoon) ground cumin

1 teaspoon (1 x 5 ml spoon) ground coriander

0.5 pint (approx. 300 ml) water

6 fl. oz (approx. 170 ml) milk

2 fl. oz (approx. 60 ml) single cream

1 teaspoon (1 x 5 ml spoon) sage or parsley

Peel the butternut squash and remove the seeds.  Cut into pieces approximately 1 inch cubed (approx. 2.5 cm cubed).

Peel and chop the onion.  Peel and crush the garlic.

Fry the butternut squash and onion in olive oil over a medium heat for a few minutes until starting to colour and soften.

Stir in the crushed garlic, cumin and coriander.

Add the water.  Season with salt and pepper.  Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer over a low heat for about 20 minutes until the squash is soft.

Remove from the heat and liquidise the soup to a smooth consistency.  It will be quite thick at this stage; if it is too thick to liquidise easily, add some of the milk.

Stir the milk, cream and herbs into the liquidised soup.  Reheat the soup gently over a low heat until just starting to bubble.

Serve hot with bread.

October recipe: Pear and chocolate layer cake

I’ve posted several autumn recipes for apple cakes, here, here, and here.

The other traditional fruit of a British autumn is the pear. Pears are at their best in late autumn, and the combination of pears and chocolate works particularly well.  If you have a glut of pears, this delicious cake is a good way to use them. Here’s the recipe.

Pear and chocolate layer cake

5 oz (approx 125 g) wholemeal flour

5 oz (approx 125 g) self-raising flour

6 oz (approx 150 g) butter

3 oz (approx 75 g) ground almonds

2 oz (approx 50 g) light brown soft sugar or caster sugar

1 teaspoon (1 x 5 ml spoon) almond essence

1 lb (approx 450 g) pears (about 12 oz [approx 350 g] after peeling and coring)

1 oz (approx 25 g) cocoa

2 teaspoons (2 x 5ml spoon) baking powder

4 oz (approx 100 g) dark brown soft sugar

2 eggs

1 Tablespoon (1 x 15 ml spoon) milk

Peel and core the pears. Cut into approx 1 cm cubes

Rub the butter into the wholemeal and self-raising flour until it resembles breadcrumbs.

Put approximately 2 oz of the mixture into a separate bowl. Stir in the ground almonds and light brown soft sugar.  Add the almond essence and the white from one of the eggs, and mix well.  Stir in the chopped pears.

Stir the cocoa, baking powder and dark brown sugar into the rest of the mixture.  Add the egg yolk, remaining egg, and milk.  Mix well.

Grease a shallow baking tin about 8” (approximately 20 cm) square.

Spread half the cocoa mixture in the bottom of the cake tin.

Spread the pear and almond mixture on top.

Spread the rest of the cocoa mixture on top (so you end up with a layer of pear and almond mixture sandwiched between two layers of the cocoa mixture).

Bake in a moderately hot oven at approx 180 C for about 1.25 to 1.5 hours, until the cake is firm and a skewer comes out clean.

Mark into squares. I usually expect to get about 16 squares.  Cool in the tin for about 30 minutes.

Remove the squares from the tin, cool on a wire rack.

This cake will keep for 4-5 days in an airtight tin, and can be frozen. 

Autumn fungi

Fungi are at their most spectacular in autumn, especially after damp or wet weather, when all manner of weird and wonderful specimens can be found growing in damp grass, on trees, or amongst the leaf litter of a British woodland.  They appear only fleetingly, as what we recognise as 'fungi' are just the fruiting bodies, produced to spread the fungus' spores to new territory.  As soon as the spores have been released to drift away on the wind, the fruiting bodies have done their job and many will shrivel and disappear within a few days.

Many conservation charities, such as local wildlife trusts, the National Trust or the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) organise guided fungi walks in the autumn, with an expert on hand to identify the fungi.  If you thought fungi were just dowdy little brown mushrooms, prepare to be surprised. The sheer variety of colour, shape and size is astonishing:

Some of the fungi found on a fungus walk

Close-up of some of the finds. The red and green fungi are called rustulas

 

These purple fungi are called Amethyst Deceivers (a romantic name if ever there was one)

Earthball fungus, with a section cut through it to show the spores in the centre

Section through a stinkhorn egg.  The white area in the centre will eventually form the stalk, while the outer layer will form the cap and the striated middle layer will form the spore-containing gills.  A mature Stinkhorn lives up to its name (!), and is best avoided.

Turkey's Tail fungus

September recipe: Pasta with bacon, cream and courgettes

This simple and delicious dish is quick and easy to prepare.  It makes use of late summer and autumn vegetables such as courgettes*, sweet peppers and mushrooms, which go very well with the bacon.  I like the strong, rich flavour of smoked bacon, but you can use any kind of bacon you prefer.  You can also vary the vegetables and herbs according to taste and availability.

Pasta with bacon, cream and courgettes (serves 2)

4 oz (approx 100 g) pasta

4 oz (approx 100 g) smoked streaky bacon

Half a small onion

4 oz (approx 100 g) mushrooms

Half a red pepper

6 oz (approx 150 g) courgettes*

5 fl. oz. (approx 140 ml) single cream

Parsley (or other herbs of your choice)

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to the instructions on the packet.  Any shape of pasta will work in this dish.

Chop the bacon into small pieces.

Peel and chop the onion.

Peel and slice the mushrooms.

Wash and chop the red pepper and courgettes.

Fry the chopped bacon gently in butter until it is starting to colour.

Add the chopped onion, courgette and red pepper. Fry for 2-3 minutes, then add the sliced mushrooms and continue to fry until the vegetables are softened and coloured (usually about 5 minutes for me, although it will vary depending on your cooker and the size of the vegetable pieces).

Pour in the cream and season with salt and black pepper.

Cook gently for 2 minutes or so until the cream starts to bubble.

Remove from the heat. Stir in the cooked and drained pasta, and sprinkle with chopped parsley (or other herbs of your choice).

Serve immediately, with a green vegetable or salad if wished.

*I believe courgettes are called zucchini in North America