The weather may still be unseasonably warm, but with the nights drawing in, it won’t be long until the sweaters, tights and boots are coming out of the wardrobe.
Welcome the arrival of autumn with filling and satisfying recipes that feature delicious seasonal ingredients, such as pumpkin, squash and apples.
Pumpkin Soup with Parmesan
Serves 6 – ready in 40 minutes
Ingredients
50g butter
1 medium chopped onion
2 crushed garlic cloves
1kg of pumpkin or butternut squash, deseeded and cubed
2 bay leaves
75ml white wine
900ml vegetable stock
15g parmesan rind, plus thin slivers to garnish
2 tbsp double cream (optional)
Truffle oil to serve
Method
Melt butter in a large saucepan over a medium to low heat. Add onion and pumpkin and cook for approximately 5 minutes, until soft. Add garlic and bay leaves and cook for another 5 minutes.
Add the wine and bring to a simmer, then add the stock and parmesan rind. Increase heat, bring the soup to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes or until the pumpkin is soft. Cool slightly and discard the bay leaves.
Puree the soup until smooth, either using a stick blender or in batches in a blender. Return the pan to a medium heat and use a little water to loosen the soup if it’s a little thick. Stir in the cream (if using) and season with salt and pepper.
Ladle soup into 6 warmed soup bowls, top each with a few slivers of parmesan and drizzle with a little truffle oil before serving.
Toffee Apples
Serves 6 – takes less than an hour
Ingredients
6 Cox apples
225g granulated sugar
110ml water
30g butter
2 tbsp golden syrup
4 tbsp mixed nuts (optional)
6 small wooden lolly sticks
Method
Push the lolly sticks halfway into the apple at the stalk end.
Dissolve the sugar and water over a gentle hear in a heavy based saucepan.
Add the butter and syrup and bring to the boil. Continue to boil without stirring until the mixture turns into toffee and reaches 290°C when tested with a sugar thermometer.
Remove from the pan and carefully stir in the nuts (if using).
Carefully dip each apple into the toffee. Make sure that the apple is well coated and then set aside to cool and harden on a baking tray lined with non-stick parchment.
