Spiced Poached Pears

Spicy Poached Pears
Serves 4

4 'not too ripe' pears (I use Conference) peeled
1 bottle of red wine
6 tbsp honey
1 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
4 cloves
1 orange, punctured a few times with a sharp knife

1 - Put all of the ingredients into a large pan. Bring to the boil then turn down the heat and simmer with a lid on for 45-60 minutes. Test the pears with a knife, it should glide in easily.
2 - Remove the pears and cool down. Remove the spices and orange, squeezing every last drop as you go.
3 - Take a small amount of the wine and reduce in a pan until you have a thick syrup. Serve the pears with a drizzle of syrup and a spoonful of yoghurt or cream.

These will keep nicely covered in the fridge for a couple of days. Make extra and you have a quick, classy dessert waiting for you.

Rabbit with Cider, Mustard and Prunes

Rabbit with Cider, Mustard and Prunes
Serves 2

1 rabbit, skinned and jointed (ask your butcher, and ensure that you keep the livers, heart and kidneys. The livers, mashed, will help thicken and richen the sauce and the heart and kidneys make for a delicious 'chef's treat, quicky fried in olive oil)
1 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
Salt and pepper
3 rashers of un-smoked streaky bacon, chopped
1 carrot, cubed
1 onion, cubed
1 stick of celery, cubed
1 tbsp dried or fresh thyme leaves
2 bay leaves
500ml good dry cider
A handful of dried prunes
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
100ml double cream
The rabbit livers, mashed with a fork

1 - Pre-heat the oven to 160 degrees C, GM3.
2 - In a flame-proof casserole dish, heat up the oil. Season the rabbit portions then quickly brown all over. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep aside.
3 - Add the bacon, carrots, onion and celery and cook for 5 minutes until softened and just beginning to colour. Stir in the thyme and bay leaves.
4 - Return the rabbit portions to the casserole dish then pour over the cider. Bring to the boil, cover, then place in the oven. Cook for 45-50 minutes.
5 - Remove the rabbit and keep aside. Pour the sauce through a sieve into a clean pan, pushing the vegetables through the sieve which will help thicken the sauce. Bring to the boil, then simmer whilst you remove the rabbit meat from the bones.
6 - Stir in the cream, mustard and mashed rabbit livers. Taste for seasoning. Return the rabbit meat to the sauce along with the prunes and heat through.
7 - Serve with mashed potato and seasonal greens such as sprouts or savoy cabbage.

Tuna Loin with Sautéed Potatoes and Leeks with Roast Pepper Sauce

Tuna Loin with Sautéed Potatoes and Leeks with Roast Pepper Sauce
Serves 3

4 large seasonal potatoes such as Maris Piper, skinned, cubed and par-boiled.
2 leeks, halved and sliced
Butter
2 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
2 pieces of tuna loin
Salt and pepper

For the sauce
2 red peppers
1 tsp paprika
A pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper

1 - To make the sauce, hold the peppers over your hob flame with a pair of tongs and turn until completely black. Put into a plastic food bag, seal and leave to cool. If you do not have gas, rub the peppers with olive oil and bake in a hot oven until black.
2 - Remove the peppers from the bag, peel and de-seed. Place all of the ingredients into a blender and blitz to a fine purée.
3 - Push through a sieve into a pan and then reduce until thickened. Taste for seasoning. Reserve what you are using for the meal and put the rest into an ice-cube tray.
4 - Heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan. Add the leeks and cook gently until softened and slightly coloured. Remove.
5 - Add the potatoes and cook until crisp and golden. Add the leeks and taste for seasoning.
6 - Season the tuna pieces. Heat a little oil in a frying pan and add the tuna. Cook to your liking.
7 - Serve on top of a bed of potato and leeks with some of the sauce on the side.

Shoulder of Lamb Stuffed with Anchovies, Rosemary and Walnuts

Shoulder of Lamb Stuffed with Anchovies, Rosemary and Walnuts

1 shoulder of lamb, boned out and weighing approximately 1.5kg-2kg
2 handfuls of walnuts
A small tin of anchovies, approximately 10
2 sprigs of rosemary
1 tbsp English mustard
1 tbsp cider vinegar
Olive oil

For the gravy
1 glass of cider or white wine

1 - Pre-heat the oven to GM7/220C.
2 - On a chopping board, roughly chop the anchovies, walnuts and rosemary then add to a bowl. Add the mustard and vinegar and a little olive oil until you have a good thick 'paste'. Season with salt and pepper.
3 - Lay out the shoulder and massage into the flesh. Roll and tie with string then season the skin.
4 - Heat up some oil in a baking tray on the hob and quickly brown the fat all over. Place into the oven for 20 minutes then turn down the heat to GM4, 180 degrees C. Cook for 10 minutes per 500g for rare, 15 minutes per 500g for medium, 20 minutes per 500g well done.
5 - Pour on the cider or wine with a little water halfway through cooking to make a gravy.
6 - Take out and allow it to rest for 20 minutes. Carve into thick slices and serve with seasonal roast root vegetables and borlotti beans.

Veggie Chilli

Even in these British days of seasonal uncertainty, it is fair to say that winter is setting in. The heating has been on for the last few days and the walk up to nursery each day has seen us clad in hats and mittens. I love it when it gets a bit chilly. Not too cold, just cold enough for me to bring out my vast collection of coats from the cupboard. Did I tell you that coat collecting was a passion of mine? I'll leave that for another time.

I've gone overkill on the pumpkin to the extent of eating it every day for the last 2 weeks. Time for a change of vegetable. Root vegetables are in such abundance, I thought it was time to make a delicious spicy vegetarian dish to warm us through. A nice chilli con carne, that classic Mexican dish of meat and kidney beans. But with all of this veg, I thought it would be a good idea to play on the basic theme of a chilli but leave out the meat and pack it with vegetables.

This is one of those dishes that can be experimented with. It is so good for you, and the spices lend themselves to most vegetables, as long as you don't overcook certain ones. So if you still have a courgette, ensure it goes in right near the end to maintain a crunch. A good handful of strong cheddar scattered over the top makes this a chilli that even the most determined of meat eaters would love. A flavour packed healthy chilli for chilly people, just what the doctor ordered.

Veggie Chilli
Feeds 4

2 Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 Carrots, peeled and cubed
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 Courgette, cubed
1 tin of Kidney Beans
A few handfuls of frozen peas
1 tin of tomatoes
4 handfuls of green lentils, soaked for 1 hour
500ml of vegetable stock,
1 tbps tomato purée
2 tsps cumin seeds
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp groundnut oil
Salt and pepper

1 - Heat up the oil in a large pan and add the onion. Cook for 5 minutes until soft, then add the garlic, oregano and spices and cook for 2 minutes until fragrant.
2 - Add the vegetables except for the courgette, pureé and lentils and cook stirring for another 5 minutes.
3 - Add the tomatoes and cocoa powder and enough stock to make a reasonably loose stew. Bring to the boil and cook for 30 minutes.
4 - Add the courgette and cook for a further 5 minutes, then finally the peas and cook for 5 minutes. Test to see that the lentils are cooked.
5 - Taste for seasoning. Serve scattered with cheddar cheese and a dollop of creme fraiche or yoghurt.

Spiced Pumpkin Bread & Butter Pudding

Spiced Pumpkin Bread & Butter Pudding
Serves 6

100g raisins
3 tbsp whisky
3 tbsp hot water

For the sauce
100g muscovado sugar
25g butter
1 tbsp golden treacle

For the pudding
1 whole egg and 3 egg yolks
100g caster sugar
100g pumpkin, cubed and steamed then blitzed to a purée
250ml double cream
50ml milk
Half tsp ground cinnamon
A few grates of fresh nutmeg
Half tsp ground ginger
1 vanilla pod, split and seeded
Approximately half of a stale white baguette cut into cubes

1 - Pre-heat the oven to GM2, 150 degrees C.
2 - Soak the raisins in the whisky and hot water until plump. You may want to do this overnight, entirely up to you. Drain.
3 - To make the sauce, heat the muscovado sugar, treacle and butter in a pan until melted then pour equal measures into 6 buttered ramekins.
4 - In a large bowl, whisk the sugar and eggs until pale. Pour in the cream, milk, purée, spices and vanilla pod and whisk until thoroughly combined. Stir in the bread cubes and leave for 10 minutes to soak.
5 - Place the ramekins into a deep baking tray and pour in boiling water until it comes half way up the sides. Fill the ramekins with a few cubes of bread and the custard mixture.
6 - Place on the middle shelf of the oven and cook for approximately 1 hour or until the custard is firm. If the top starts to colour too quickly, cover loosely with foil.
7 - Remove from the oven and leave to rest for a few minutes. Then run a knife around and turn out onto a plate. Serve with créme fraiche, yoghurt or whipped cream.