AUTUMN RECIPES

 Today is 1st November, the first day of the last month of autumn, so I am very pleased to give you a few autumn recipes which I hope you will enjoy preparing and serving, dear Reader.   

 

 

                                              VEGAN PUMPKIN SOUP

A recipe for a delicious autumn soup.

 

1 kg (2 lb) pumpkin, peeled, cleaned from seeds and fibres and cut into chunks

2 large leeks, white parts only, sliced

1 onion, peeled and chopped

1.300 ml (6 cups) tasty vegetable broth

Salt, freshly ground black pepper and grated nutmeg to taste

125 ml (½ cup) coconut milk

¼ cup chopped parsley

 

Place the vegetables into a large saucepan with sufficient water to cover and cook until tender, then cool and blend.

Return the pumpkin purée to the saucepan and pour in the vegetable broth and sprinkle with pepper and nutmeg and simmer gently until the soup thickens.  Then flambé the brandy, pour it into the soup and simmer for a minute or two.

For a party, you could serve the soup in a pumpkin shell instead if a tureen.

 

 

                                               SHRIMP RUSSIAN SALAD

An old-fashioned but delicious salad wich is a must for any buffet dinner.

 

1 ¼ kg (2 ½ lb) shrimp shelled, deveined, washed and boiled * (Please see first recipe below)

 

1 kg (2 lb) potatoes, boiled in salted water, peeled and diced

500 g (1 lb) carrots, peeled, boiled and diced

500 g (1 lb) peas, cooked in salted water and strained

 

2 sweet gherkins, finely sliced

2 tbsp olive oil

1 cup fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped, separated

2 cups mayonnaise *(Please see recipe below)

 

                                    Recipe for Boiled Shrimp

Shrimp shells

 1 tbsp salt

1 peeled garlic clove

1 bay leaf

2 litres (8 cups) water

 

Bring the shrimp shells and the other ingredients to the boil, simmer gently until the garlic softens and strain.   Add the shrimp and boil for 2-3 minutes or until they turn pink.  Remove and cool immediately to prevent the shrimp from hardening.

 

                                        Recipe for Mayonnaise

 

2 egg yolks, at room temperature

1 heaped tsp Dijon mustard

½ cup sunflower oil mixed with

¼ cup mild olive oil

1 tsp tarragon vinegar

Lemon juice to taste

A little salt, if necessary

 

Place the egg yolks in a bowl with the mustard, vinegar and a little salt and stir until well combined.   Then very, very slowly add the oil, drop by drop whipping constantly until ¼ of the oil has been added and the egg yolk mixture thickens and emulsifies.  Continue adding the oil in a thin stream and beating until all the oil has been used.

 

Place all the diced vegetables and the boiled shrimp in a large bowl with the sliced gherkins and ½ the chopped parsley, drizzle with a little olive oil and very gently fold in the mayonnaise, until well combined.

 

Arrange the shrimp Russian salad in a pretty bowl or dish and garnish with extra parsley.

 

 

                                CHICOREE MIT SCHINKEN UND KASE

                                  (Chicory baked with Ham and Cheese)

It would be committing sacrilege if I did not include the recipe of this fabulous German vegetable dish!

 

8 heads of chicory, trimmed and cored enough so that the leaves don’t separate, Washed and patted dry

197.5 ml (¾ cup) milk

197.5 ml (¾ cup) water

Salt to taste

8 thin slices of precooked ham

8 slices of Emmentaler or Gruyere cheese

 

Place the chicory, in one layer, in large shallow pan and pour the milk and water over, season with salt and heat until small bubbles appear around the rim of the saucepan.  Reduce the heat, cover the saucepan and simmer gently for 20 minutes until the chicory is tender but not falling apart.

 

Meanwhile preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F).   Remove the chicory heads from the pan and drain them on a double thickness of kitchen paper.  Wrap each chicory in a slice of ham and then in a slice of cheese.   Lavishly butter a shallow baking dish and arrange the chicory rolls side by side.   Bake undisturbed, in the middle of the oven for about 10 minutes, or until the melts, and serve immediately from the baking dish.   

  

         

                                                       PUMPKIN BAKE

                                                     Sliced Pumpkin Bake 

A delicious pumpkin dish.2 tbsp semolina, divided

1 kg(2 lb) pumpkin, peeled and thickly grated

2 leeks, trimmed and finely sliced

500 g (1 lb) feta of very salty soaked in cold water for half an hour the crumbled

Freshly ground pepper and a little salt if necessary

700 g (an ample1.5 lb) plain flour

2 eggs beaten with

250 ml (1 cup) milk

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbs olive oil mixed with 

1 tbsp melted butter

Sprinkle an oiled baking tin, evenly,  with half the semolina.  Saute the vegetables with the olive oil and butter mixture, stirring occasionally until tender.  Stir in the feta and freshly ground black pepper, taste and add some salt, if necessary.  Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F). 

Then make a bechamel with the remaining olive oil, flour milk and eggs and simmer gently until thick. Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly.  Mix the sauteed vegetables with the bechamel and spoon into the prepared tin.  Sprinkle evenly with the remaining semolina and bake for 40 minutes at least, until crisp and golden. 

Reverse the pumping bake on a round dish and serve with sauteed vegetables or a fresh salad of your choice.

 

                                                       QUINCE JAM

A lovely thick jam.

 

1 kg (2 lb) quince, peeled seeded and grated

1 kg (2 lb) sugar

250 ml (1 cup) water

2 twigs sweet verbena

 

Boil the water with grated quince for 5 minutes.   Then stir in the sugar and add the sweet verbena, lower the heat and simmer gently until the fruit thickens into a jam.  Allow to cool and spoon into sterilized jars and seal.  

 

 

The following is not an autumn dessert, but please allow me to give the recipe of this fantastic sweet that can be served all the year round.

       

                                                 MOUSSE AU CHOCOLAT

Years ago, I never made this decadent chocolate dessert because it contains uncooked eggs.  Now that one can find pasteurized whites and yolks of eggs, I prepare it often because it is a family favourite.

 

250 g (½ lb) dark chocolate cut into small pieces

30 g (1 oz) butter, cubed

4 tbsp water

5 eggs separated, whites whipped to stiff peaks with the tiniest pinch of salt

1 tbsp dark Jamaican rum

Whipped cream and chocolate shavings for garnish

 

Over very low heat, melt the chocolate and butter with the water, stirring until the mixture is smooth and glossy.   Remove from the stove and cool.

 

Stir the egg yolks into the chocolate mixture, one at a time, then add the rum and finally, gently fold in the whipped egg whites, until no traces of white are evident.

 

Pour the mousse into a mould and chill overnight.  You could also serve it in glasses, garnished with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

 

 

 

                                            Autumn Harvest by Chris Dixon

 

                                                Quince by Irina Musonov