Weekday menu ideas

Monday:  Oven-roasted pumpkin soup with Rooibos tea and spices

600g diced pumpkin

30ml (2 tbls) olive oil

10ml (2 tsp) light brown sugar

3ml cinnamon

2 medium-sized carrots, sliced

1 medium-sized apple, peeled and chopped

1 medium-sized potato, peeled and chopped

1 brown onion, chopped

2ml paprika

2ml fine ginger

3 whole cloves

500ml (2 cups) good quality chicken stock

500ml Rooibos tea made with two teabags

125ml milk

125ml cream

Fresh lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Toss the pumpkin with the olive oil, sugar and cinnamon.  Spread evenly in an oven-proof dish, and bake for 25-30 min at 200’C, or until just tender.

Combine the carrots, apple, potato, onion and spices in a deep casserole, and sauté in a little olive oil.  Add the roasted pumpkin to the casserole, together with the chicken stock and Rooibos tea.  Once the content comes to a boil, decrease the heat immediately, and cook it slowly on a low heat for approximately 30 minutes.

Once cooled, remove the cloves and blend the soup until smooth.  Add the milk and cream, reheat, and enjoy!

Best served with warm, crusty bread with lashings of butter!

Tuesday: Chicken casserole with cheesy herb dumplings (Rachel Allen)

1 chicken, (1.8kg)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

350 g rindless streaky bacon, cut into 1–2cm pieces

1 large onion, roughly chopped

2 large carrots, sliced

700 ml chicken or vegetable stock

a few sprigs thyme

For the cheesy herb dumplings:

350 g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp salt

300 ml buttermilk

2 tbsp finely chopped mixed herbs, such as parsley, thyme, rosemary or chives

25 g cheddar cheese, finely grated

Preheat the oven to 180’C. Remove the breasts from the chicken and cut them in half. Remove the leg portions and divide them into thighs and drumsticks. This will give eight chicken pieces in total. Season them well with salt and pepper.( Or alternatively, buy chicken portions that has already been prepared)

Pour the olive oil into a large casserole dish on a high heat, add the bacon and fry quickly for 1–2 minutes or until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Add the chicken in batches and sear on each side until golden, and remove. Add the onion and carrots and fry for 2–3 minutes or until golden.
Return the bacon and chicken to the dish, pour on the stock, add the thyme and season with salt and pepper. Bring slowly to the boil, cover with a tight-fitting lid and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

For the dumplings Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a large bowl. Add the herbs, mix, then make a well in the centre. Pour in the buttermilk. Using one hand with your fingers outstretched like a claw, bring the flour and liquid together, adding a little more buttermilk if necessary. Don’t knead the mixture or it will become too heavy. The dough should be soft but not too wet and sticky.

 Tip the dough onto a floured work surface and bring together. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to about 2cm thick. With a scone cutter or cup stamp out 10–12 dumplings, or divide the dough into 10–12 small balls.

Remove the casserole dish from the oven and turn the heat up to 230’C. Arrange the dumplings on top, leaving a slight gap between them to allow for spreading. Scatter with the cheese. Return to the oven, uncovered, for 10 minutes, reduce the heat to 200’C and cook for a further 20 minutes until the dumplings are crisp and golden.

Wednesday: Butternut-squash, sage and parmesan tart

For the filling

1 medium butternut squash, halved lengthways

1tbsp olive oil 4 eggs

250ml double cream

200g parmesan, grated

A handful of sage leaves, chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the pastry

90 g cold butter, cut into cubes

90 g plain cream cheese

160 g plain flour

65 g fine polenta

1 egg yolk

Preheat the oven to 180’C. Put the butternut squash onto a baking tray. Drizzle over the olive oil, season well with salt and pepper and bake for about 45 minutes. The squash is ready when a knife slides into the flesh with no resistance.

Remove the squash from the oven and scoop out the flesh, discarding the skin. Using a potato ricer or a masher, mash to a puree. Leave to one side to cool, keeping the oven switched on.
While the squash is cooking, make the pastry.

For the pastry, combine the butter, cream cheese, egg yolk, flour and polenta until it comes together.
Transfer the dough to a kitchen counter and knead into a neat ball. Cover in food wrap, and leave in the fridge to rest for 30 minutes.

For the filling, lightly beat the eggs, cream, grated Parmesan and the pureed butternut squash together. Season to taste and add the sage, stirring to combine.
Roll out the chilled pastry on a floured surface until 4mm thick. Use to line a loose-bottomed 25cm tart tin.

Cut out a circle of greaseproof paper, about 4cm larger in diameter than the flan dish. Press this disc over the base and against the sides of the case and fill with baking beans. Bake for 10 minutes at the same temperature as the butternut squash. This process is known as 'baking blind'.

Remove the paper and beans and return the pastry to the oven for 3-4 minutes, until beginning to colour. Tip the filling into the tart and level it out. Return the filled tart to the oven, turn the heat down to 160’Cand bake for about 20 minutes, until the filling has set and the pastry is golden. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Thursday: Thai chicken soup

This recipe is perfect for when you don’t have a lot of time (or motivation) to stand in front of the pots.  It still delivers a punch in the taste department!

1 small onion, finely chopped

15ml Thai red curry paste

15ml tomato paste

300ml good quality chicken stock

100ml mango juice

1 × 400g tin coconut milk

500g chicken breasts cut into small strips

In a large pot, fry the onions in a little oil until softened.  Add the red curry paste and tomato paste, and cook for a minute, stirring continuously.

Add the chicken stock, mango juice and coconut milk.  Bring to the boil and reduce before adding the chicken strips.

Cook for about 10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked, and enjoy hot with fresh coriander.

Friday: Pork Spare-Ribs

Sweet, sticky and melt-in-the mouth.  Need I say more?

800 g pork spareribs

145 g brown sugar

60ml tomato sauce (ketchup)

60ml soy sauce

60ml Worcestershire sauce

70g chilli sauce

2 cloves garlic, crushed

3g dry English mustard powder

Few grindings of black pepper

Preheat oven to 175'C. Cut spareribs into serving size portions, wrap in double thickness of foil, and bake for 1h30min.  Unwrap, and drain drippings. Place ribs in large roasting pan.  In a bowl, mix together brown sugar, tomato sauce, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, chilli sauce, garlic, mustard and pepper.  Coat ribs with sauce and marinade at room temperature for 1 hour or overnight. ( I have actually skipped this step with equally good results).
Preheat grill to medium heat.  Position grate four inches above heat source.  Place ribs on grill, and cook for 30min, basting regularly with marinade. 

At the (most likely) chance of burning the roof of your mouth, tuck in and enjoy immediately!!  Best served with homemade French fries.

Saturday morning: Eggy brioche with autumn berries & crème fraiche

400 g blackberries or strawberries

3 eggs

300 ml milk

3 tbsp icing sugar 

1 thick slices brioche

1 tbsp sunflower oil 

3 tbsp creme fraiche

Blend half of the blackberries/strawberries in a food processor (this will create a coulis). Press the mixture through a sieve into a bowl. Mix the remaining berries into the coulis and set aside.

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and icing sugar until smooth and creamy.

Dip the brioche slice in the mixture to coat. If you can’t find brioche, white bread will also do the trick.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the brioche slice for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown all over. Drain on kitchen paper.

To serve, place the brioche onto a serving plate and spoon the crème fraîche and berry coulis alongside.

Enjoy with a cup of freshly brewed coffee, good conversation, and let the weekend festivities begin!

Sunday:  Slow roasted leg of lamb

I can think of nothing more welcoming than the smell of a roasting leg of lamb in the kitchen when escaping the cold, rainy weather outside.

2kg leg of lamb

30ml olive oil

1 onion, chopped finely

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

2 sprigs of fresh rosemary (lamb’s best friend)

3ml fine coriander

15ml cumin

5ml fine cloves

5ml fine cinnamon

10ml brown sugar

Salt & pepper to taste

1 tin (410g) chickpeas

Preheat the oven to 200’C.  Prepare the spice mix for the lamb by sautéing the onion in olive oil, then add the garlic, rosemary, cloves, coriander, cumin and cinnamon.  Fry until the flavours start to develop.  Add the brown sugar and remove from heat.

Season the lamb liberally with salt and pepper, rub in the spice mix, and place on a roasting tray.  Roast the lamb for approximately 20 min, and then turn the oven down to 180’C.  Continue roasting the lamb for approximately 1h&30 min.  During the last 15min of cooking, add the chickpeas.

Serve with couscous and a glass of gutsy red wine.