Turkey, Lentil and Orange Soup with Chive and Mustard Dumplings

Turkey, Lentil and Orange Soup with Chive and Mustard Dumplings
Feeds 6

1 turkey leg, split into a thigh and drumstick
3 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
6 rashers of smoked streaky bacon
1 onion, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and diced
3 celery sticks, diced
A few thyme stalks, stripped of their leaves
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 tin of tomatoes
Zest and juice of 1 orange
500ml water
100g brown lentils
Salt and pepper

For the dumplings
150g self raising flour
75g butter or low fat spread
A handful of fresh chives, chopped
1 tbsp English mustard
Salt and pepper

1 - Pre-heat the oven to 160C/Fan 140C/GM3.
2 - Heat the oil in a large casserole dish. Quickly brown the turkey leg all over then remove and keep aside.
3 - Add the bacon, onion, celery and carrot and cook for 10 minutes until beginning to colour.
4 - Stir in the thyme and garlic. Cook for a further minute then add the tomatoes. Return the turkey leg to the casserole and then pour in enough water to barely cover the leg. Stir, bring to the boil then place in the oven for 1 hour.
5 - Take out of the oven and stir in the lentils. Return to the oven and cook for a further 45 minutes.
6 - Remove from the oven and take out the turkey leg. Strip it of the meat and put this back into the casserole dish and stir through along with the orange zest and juice. Taste for seasoning.
7 - To make the dumplings, rub together the butter and flour. Stir in the remaining ingredients along with a little water to form a soft dough. Roll into balls the size of golf balls and place onto the top of the soup. Put the lid on and place back into the oven for a further 15-20 minutes until the dumplings are puffed up and cooked through.

Chocolate & Orange Granola

We love granola in our house. Served with Greek yoghurt and fresh fruit, it’s an incredibly healthy way to start the day. But only if you are using a quality granola with not too much sugar in and preferably zero additives.

To avoid some of the commercial granolas that can be over sugary and often lacking on the good things such as nuts and seeds (and flavour!), why not make your own? This granola combines a match made in heaven - chocolate and orange - and as you are in control of the ingredients, lots of protein from nuts and seeds and little sugar. And it is utterly delicious!

Experiment with flavours and spices but get your confidence up by making this first. It will keep in an airtight jar for two weeks but really, it won’t last that long as you will want to eat it every day!

Ingredients

150g rolled oats

150g of chopped nuts (I like to use 50g each of walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds)

25g each of pumpkin seeds, flax seeds and sunflower seeds

Half tsp each of ground ginger and cinnamon

5 tbsp runny honey

1tbsp coconut oil

Juice and zest of one orange

2 tbsp cocoa powder

1 - Pre-heat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/GM4.

2 - In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, nuts, seeds and spices.

3 - In a saucepan, melt the coconut oil and combine with the honey, orange juice and zest and cocoa powder.

4 - Pour into the oat and nut mixture and stir to combine thoroughly. Tip out and spread onto a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper. Bake for 20-25 minutes, stirring halfway though, until beginning to toast and darken.

5 - Remove and allow to cool on the tray. Break up slightly and tip into an airtight jar.

Sticky Sweet and Sour Aubergines

This is a recipe I've slightly tweaked a few times from Sabrina Ghayour's fantastic cookbook Bazaar, a wonderful book with a huge selection of Middle Eastern inspired dishes.

Aubergines are a 'love them' or 'hate them' vegetable, with an odd texture and sometimes bitter taste depending on how you prepare and cook them. If you are in the lover group, I can guarantee this will be your new favourite aubergine recipe. If you are a hater, please try this and then make your mind up.

Brilliant served hot with simple boiled rice and greens, or cold as a side dish with cold meats and salads.

Feeds 4 with rice

For the sauce

1 whole garlic bulb

1 tbsp olive oil

2 onions, peeled, halved and cut into thin slices

1 tsp ground cinnamon

A pinch of chilli flakes

3 tbsp tamarind paste (available in most superstores and all Asian supermarkets)

2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes

4 tbsp honey

Zest and juice of half a lemon

Salt and pepper

4 tbsp olive oil

6 small or 4 large aubergines, cut in half and sliced into 1cm wedges

1 - Pre-heat oven to 180C/GM4. Cut the top off the garlic bulb to expose the top of the cloves. Place onto a piece of foil and drizzle with a little oil. Wrap then bake on a high shelf for 30 minutes. Remove and allow to cool slightly.

2 - Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until caramelised.

3 - Stir through the cinnamon, chilli and tamarind paste and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.

4 - Add the tomatoes and honey, ring to the boil then simmer, covered slightly, for 15 minutes until reduced to a thick sauce. Pop the cooked garlic cloves into the sauce and using a hand blender, pulse until everything is combined into a rustic sauce. Add the zest and juice and taste for seasoning.

5 - While the sauce is cooking, heat the oil in a large non-stick pan. Add the aubergines and cook slowly in batches until golden brown on each side. Don't be alarmed at the oil disappearing; aubergines are like sponges but after some cooking, they eventually release some oil. Remove and drain on kitchen towel.

6 - When finished, add to the sauce and stir through. Again, taste for seasoning. Serve with boiled rice, greens and optional scattering of chopped coriander leaves.

Beef and Root Vegetable Stew with Herb and Mustard Dumplings

Autumn is finally here in the UK and for me, it is the finest of seasons. The nights may be getting darker, the weather is certainly getting colder, but it all adds to the cosiness of a season that I always anticipate.

When it comes to comforting food, this is the season to eat: hot stews and casseroles; filling sticky puddings and hot custard; steaming oat porridge with syrup. These are the foods of the Gods and I champion every single one of them.

The slow cooker comes into its own during these frugal and busy times and it sits there begging for yet another meaty stew to help fill the house with mouth-watering smells to come home to each evening. Some decent chunks of braising beef, lots of root vegetables, woody herbs and a slosh of red wine and stock are all that is required to make a heavenly stew. And if you can top it with some dumplings, an invention born to stick to your insides and fill the most rumbling of tummies, you can guarantee smiles on faces all round. Enjoy the seasons.

Beef and Root Vegetable Stew with Herb and Mustard Dumplings
Feeds 4

2 tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil
800g braising beef cut into large chunks
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 handful of roughly chopped thyme or 1 tbsp dried thyme
2 tbsp tomato puree
2 heaped tbsp seasoned plain flour
250ml red wine
250ml beef stock
4 carrots, peeled and sliced into thick chunks
2 leeks, sliced into large chunks
1 small swede, peeled and cut into chunks

For the dumplings
200g self-raising flour
100g margarine or butter
1 tbsp English mustard
4 tbsp chopped chives, thyme and parsley
Salt and pepper
Water

1 - Pre-heat the slow cooker or the oven to 160C/Fan 140C/GM4.
2 - In a large pan or casserole dish, heat up the oil. Add the beef and fry quickly to seal all over. Remove with a slotted spoon.
3 - Add the onion and cook for a further 5 minutes. Return the beef and stir in the herbs and tomato puree. Sprinkle in the flour and stir for 1 minute.
4 - Add the wine bring to the boil, stirring all of the time to get rid of any lumps. Cook this out or a minute then stir in the stock. Add the vegetables then either pour into the slow cooker or place the casserole dish into the oven.
5 - If cooking in the slow cooker, cook on a low setting for 5-6 hours. If cooking in the oven, cook for 2 to 2.5 hours, checking every hour to see if the liquid is sufficient.
6 - To make the dumplings, rub the flour and margarine together then stir in the mustard, herbs and a little salt and pepper. Pour in enough water so that when mixed with hands you have a soft sticky dough. With floured hands or two tablespoons, form walnut sized balls and put aside.
7 - For the final 45 minutes cooking time, place the dumplings on top of the stew and cook until plump and cooked through.
8 - Taste for seasoning. Serve with seasonal greens.

Meatball Marinara

An unnamed high street food provider has a version of this on their menu. Meatball marinara: hot meatballs, tomato sauce and cheese stuffed into bread. Sounds messy and delicious yeah? Well, it is!

Here's a homemade version which was actually made from the leftover pasta and meatball dish I made the night before. Waste not want not! So you can use this exact recipe for a plate of pasta and meatballs if this doesn't take your fancy.

I've served this on a piece of thick sourdough which is robust enough to soak up the juices without falling apart, but any old bread will do if lightly toasted.

Meatball Marinara

Ingredients - feeds 4

For the tomato sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
400g tin of tomatoes
1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp dried oregano
A pinch of ground chilli
Salt and pepper

For the meatballs (to make 20-25)
500g good quality minced beef
2 cloves garlic, crushed
A handful of fresh basil, finely chopped
The zest of half a lemon
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp olive oil

Fresh spinach (optional)
4 thick slices of bread, lightly toasted
Grated Cheddar cheese

1 - To make the tomato sauce, heat up the oil in a pan. Add the onion and cook on a low heat for 10 minutes until softened. Add the garlic, cook for a further minute. Then add the tomatoes, Balsamic vinegar, oregano and chilli. Stir, bring to the boil then lower the heat and simmer for half an hour with the lid slightly off.
2 - When cooked and reduced, taste for seasoning then using a hand blender, blend to your desired consistency. Keep aside.
3 - For the meatballs, put all of the ingredients into a mixing bowl and using your hands, combine thoroughly. Using damp hands, form meatballs the size of a golf ball and put aside onto a seperate plate.
4 - In a large non-stick pan, heat up the oil. Add the meatballs and cook on a medium heat all over, stirring regularly until golden brown.
5 - Pour in the tomato sauce, cover and simmer on a low heat for 15 minutes.
6 - Heat up your grill to a high setting. Cover a grill tray with foil and place on your toasted bread. Put a layer of optional spinach onto the bread then using tongs, place 4-5 meatballs onto each slice. Pour on the tomato sauce, top with a handful of Cheddar cheese and then grill until golden and bubbling. 

Sweet Potato and Coconut Dahl

This is a bit of a mishmash of a traditional and much loved Indian Dahl with the coconut and lime of south Indian food. I used green lentils but you could use red or brown, even yellow split peas. Either way, you are left with a very delicious, spicy and creamy curry that needs flat breads to mop it up as opposed to rice.

Sweet Potato and Coconut Dahl

Ingredients - feeds 4

200g green lentils, cooked according to instructions (or used tinned)

One large sweet potato, peeled and cubed

3 tbsp groundnut or sunflower oil

1 onion, diced

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp turmeric

1 tbsp ground coriander

1 tbsp garam masala

1 stick of cinnamon

1 tsp chilli powder

2 whole chillies

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

1 tin of coconut milk

Salt and pepper

Juice of 1 lime

Chopped spinach and coriander

1 - Heat the oil on a large, deep non-stick pan. Add the cubed sweet potato and stir fry for 10-15 minutes until coloured and beginning to soften.

2 - Stir in the onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes until beginning to colour and soften.

3 - Add the spices and chillies and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Tip in the tomatoes and coconut and season well with salt and freshly ground pepper.

4 - Stir in the cooked lentils and simmer for ten minutes until everything is warmed through and the sweet potato fully cooked. Add the juice of the lime and serve with flat breads, fresh spinach and coriander.