Autumn has well and truly arrived, bringing us the celebration of the harvest and all the wonderful produce that it provides.

Those earthy smells, magical twilight hours and beautiful colours, remind us that boating keeps us very much in tune with the seasons and the ever changing picture of our surroundings.

Enjoying Autumn walks with my dog Rosie, I’m often on the lookout for useful bits and bobs, be it kindling, pine cones and foliage, or berries and fruits, they all have their good uses. It’s mushroom season too!

The hedgerow berries have also been put to good use, some of my recipes can be found in previous Autumn articles.

Now it’s time for apples, I’m sure we’ve all had our first crumble of the year, there is nothing finer than a comforting homemade crumble with custard! I’ve got a lovely cake recipe using apple with cheese along with a few other ideas.

A tip for those apples as you prepare them to avoid discolouration, immerse in a bowl of cold water with a good tablespoon or more of lemon juice.

I’ve also made pear jam again this year, it’s a simple method of half quantity sugar to fruit, ½ tsp mixed spice, simmered slowly for at least 90 minutes until smooth and boiled until setting point reached, skim off foam and spoon into sterilised jars.

It has to be the ultimate warm and hearty feeling of satisfaction, to watch the fire and enjoy good food after a few hours out in the fresh air.

Here are some of my favourite Autumn recipes, along with some one pot dishes, my trusty base curry recipe and some ideas for using pumpkins. Slow is the secret for many curries, so if you’ve got a Cobb cooker don’t put it away yet, it’s the perfect way to get your curries going and may just attract new friends!

SAUTÉED MUSHROOMS WITH SWEET APPLE AND WALNUT ON SOURDOUGH

Use chestnut mushrooms if you can for a good nutty taste and Cox’s sweet apples.

For the dressing: 4 tbsp crème fraiche, 2 tbsp white or red wine vinegar, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, pinch salt and pepper, combine the ingredients together.

Add a few freshly chopped chives or parsley (if you have them) before serving.

Prepare 2 apples by quartering, peeling and slicing.

Slice and sauté 8 to 12 mushrooms in a dash of oil, season and add the sliced apples and a knob of butter just to warm the apples through.

Thickly slice the bread into 4 pieces and lightly toast or pan fry.

Top with the mushrooms and apples, a few walnut pieces and the dressing to serve.

WHOLEMEAL SAUSAGE AND APRICOT ROLL

This recipe uses part wholemeal flour and reduced fat sunflower spread for a healthier option.

For the pastry
225g flour, wholemeal or half and half with plain
140g reduced fat sunflower spread
1 tsp poppy seeds
Rub the flour and the spread together to resemble fine breadcrumbs and then stir in 2 tbsp cold water and a pinch of salt, bring together to form a dough and wrap tightly and chill for 20 minutes.

For the sausage-meat filling
450g lean minced pork (or use herbed sausages, squeeze the meat out of the casings)
1clove garlic, very finely chopped
1 large cooking apple cut into small pieces or grated
75g dried apricots, finely chopped
½ tsp dried (or fresh) herbs such as sage or mixed, if using plain sausagemeat
½ tsp each salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 220/gas 7.
Roll out the pasty on a floured surface to form a rectangle (about 25 x 30cm) to fit onto a greased/lined baking sheet. Trim to shape if necessary.
Combine all the filling ingredients and squeeze together to form an oblong shape to sit over the pastry.
Brush the edges with cold water and fold over, press firmly to seal.
Score the top to make a lattice, then lightly brush with water and sprinkle the poppy seeds over.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until the pastry is golden.
Serve warm or cold as a ploughman’s lunch with pickles, tomatoes and a chunk of cheese.

I use lots of fresh lemons and limes in my recipes, and sometimes get caught out when I haven’t any fresh ones in. It’s only recently that I’ve discovered supermarket convenience citrus juices, like those we used to buy for pancake day, they work out much cheaper, although they do have preservatives added, but nonetheless are very useful to keep in.

PINK PICKLED ONIONS A lovely accompaniment to the sausage and apricot roll.

1 red onion, finely sliced
2 limes, juiced, or 2-3 tbsp shop bought lime juice
pinch salt
Combine the onion with the salt and lime juice, leave to pickle in the fridge overnight. The acidity will draw the colour and turn everything into a lovely pink colour.

HARVEST PORK CASSEROLE This is an easy one pot satisfying meal, makes plenty to keep in the fridge for a few days or freeze for another day.

4 Pork shoulder steaks (or boneless leg approx. 600g)
1 celery stick,
1 carrot, onion and leek, all roughly chopped
1-3 potatoes, depending on size, cut into small pieces
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
1 tbsp fennel seeds, ground in pestle and mortar or spice grinder
1 tbsp each ground cumin and coriander
2 tbsp plain flour
300 ml chicken or vegetable stock
300 ml cider or apple juice
2 small sweet apples salt and pepper to season

Batch fry the pork in a little oil in the casserole pot and set aside. Then add the onion and garlic to the pot to gently fry for a couple of minutes, add the spices and stir in the flour. Turn the heat right down, add the stock and cider, then add the pork back to the pot, followed by all the vegetables, apple and seasoning. Nestle the meat down under the liquid, cover and cook low and slow in a moderate oven or over the stove for about an hour. Check the meat for tenderness, depending on the cut, continue to cook for another half hour or so.

Serve with greens such as cabbage or kale.

CRUMBLY APPLE AND WENSLEYDALE CAKE

This is an easy bake, delicious when served warm, it’s moist, sweet and tangy with the perfect combination of ingredients.

575g apples
175g self-raising flour tsp baking powder
75g light brown sugar
50g each raisins and sultanas
50g Brazil nuts or walnuts roughly chopped
2 eggs
90ml sunflower oil
225g Wensleydale cheese
Sprinkling icing sugar to finish

Grease and base line a 9 inch loose bottomed tin or flan dish.
Peel, core and thinly slice the apples.
Sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl. Stir in the sugar, raisins, sultanas, nuts and apples. Mix well to combine.
Beat the eggs with the oil and add to the dry ingredients, thoroughly combine.
Turn half the mixture into the prepared tin, crumble the cheese over the top, then spoon the rest of the mixture over and spread to the edges of the tin.
Bake at 180/gas 4 for about 50 minutes, checking and turning after 25 mins, until just firm in the centre. Allow to cool slightly before turning out. Enjoy warm, sprinkled with icing sugar.

LEEK AND CHEESE BREAD AND BUTTER PUDDING
A savoury take on a good old fashioned recipe!

6 – 8 slices wholemeal sliced bread
1 tbsp each of butter and Dijon mustard
1or 2 (depending on size) leeks, trimmed and finely sliced
50g jarred sun dried tomatoes (or use fried bacon pieces for a non-veggie version) 250ml milk
3 eggs
85g grated cheddar cheese

Trim the crusts off the bread (save for a savoury crumble or stuffed veg topping)
Melt the butter and stir in the mustard, spread over the bread slices and make into sandwiches.
Cut in half and arrange tightly together in the base of a buttered ovenproof dish.
Gently sauteé the leeks in a little oil or butter and arrange over the bread with the chopped tomatoes or bacon.
Whisk the milk with the eggs and pour over the dish, allow to soak for 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 190/gas5.
Sprinkle the grated cheese on top and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden and risen.

Not to waste those crusts, they are the perfect topping for a pumpkin tray bake, stuffed vegetables, or a cauliflower and broccoli gratin. Whatever your base of vegetables, just add a creamy cheese sauce and top with those breadcrumbs and a few broken pieces of walnut and extra cheese! Bake in the oven or finish under the grill for an extra crispy top.

PUMPKINS

Pumpkins are in season from now until November and have lots of uses other than the messy job of carving out for lanterns, best bought after Halloween when they are a bargain! Ideas run from chutney to tagines, soup, curries, casseroles, pancakes, risottos, sweet pastry pies, the list goes on.

Nothing beats a good warming, thick and wholesome soup. Here’s a version using orange zest for an extra twist.

PUMPKIN AND ORANGE SOUP A quicker method by boiling the pumpkin instead of roasting in the oven.

1 medium pumpkin, peeled, de-seeded and chopped into small pieces
1 tsp finely grated orange zest
juice from 1 small orange
1 onion and 1 carrot finely chopped
1 tsp caster sugar
1 inch ginger finely chopped
1½ pint vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp crème fraiche, yoghurt or cream (optional) to finish

Gently fry the onion in a dash of oil until it starts to soften, add the carrot, pumpkin, ginger, stock and orange. Simmer with the lid on for about 20 minutes.
Allow to cool slightly, then blitz to a smooth consistency.
Return to the pan and check for seasoning adding salt and pepper to taste.
Stir in crème fraiche if using.
For an extra twist to finish, sprinkle with freshly chopped chilli or dried flakes and a few roasted pumkin seeds.

PUMPKIN RISOTTO WITH HAZELNUT BUTTER

Hazelnut butter (can be made ahead and kept in the fridge)

25g skinned hazelnuts, gently toasted for a few minutes until golden brown. If you can’t get skinned, dry toast skin on nuts in a pan and then rub together between your fingertips to remove the skins, not to worry if they don’t all come off.
60g butter
1 tbsp parsley (finely chopped fresh or use dried)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Finely chop the hazelnuts when cool and combine with the softened butter, parsley and seasoning.
Spoon onto a piece of baking paper or cling film and roll up into a tight sausage shaped roll, keep in fridge until needed.

For the risotto

450g pumpkin, peeled, de-seeded and diced
25g butter 85g onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
110g Arborio risotto rice
330ml hot vegetable stock
Finely grated zest of ½ orange
25g freshly grated parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a pan and gently fry the onion until soft but not brown.
Add the diced pumpkin and simmer for 5 to 10, until just beginning to soften, without overcooking.
Add the garlic and rice and stir round the pan to combine the ingredients.
Now add the stock one ladle at a time, ensuring each addition is absorbed before adding the next, this takes about 20 minutes.

The risotto is ready when the rice is creamy but still has a bite, depending on how accurate your quantities are, you may need to use more or less stock.
Stir in the orange zest, parmesan and seasoning to taste, top with slices of the hazelnut butter to serve.

STICKY GINGERBREAD

150g preserved stem ginger in syrup, plus 3tbsp syrup from the jar
1 large cooking apple (about 225g)
125g black treacle
125g golden syrup
175g dark muscovado sugar
175g unsalted butter
225g plain white flour
125g wholemeal flour
1tsp ground mixed spice
1 ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 eggs

Grease and line a 7 inch square cake tin, use 2 small loaf tins if you don’t have one. Peel core and quarter the apple, then stand in a bowl of cold water with a squeeze of lemon juice to prevent discolouration.
Put the treacle, syrup and sugar in a pan and add the butter, gently melt and allow to cool to slightly.
Sift the flours, mixed spice and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl. Grate ¾ of the apple into the bowl and toss into the flour mixture.
Add the melted syrup mixture, eggs and ¾ of the ginger pieces, beat well to combine. Turn the mixture into the prepared tin, spreading into the corners.
Using a potato peeler to thinly slice the remaining apple, scatter the slices and the remaining ginger over the top of the gingerbread and press down lightly into the mixture using a the back of a spoon.
Bake at bout 160 to 170/gas 3 for about 1 hour until just firm and slightly springy to touch.
Leave to cool in the tin, then turn out onto a wire rack and drizzle the ginger syrup over the sponge.

Gingerbread will keep for a week in an airtight container and is best stored for a few days before eating to allow the flavours to develop.

My intentions for every article are to share some curry recipes and as usual I overrun the space allocation! So here’s just a quick taster of my basic curry sauce below. One useful tip is to have a ginger and garlic paste available, I make my own from simply peeling and equal quantities of fresh ginger and garlic, blitzed in a blender or pestle and mortar with just enough water to make a smooth paste. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge or freeze as individual ice cube sizes. It’s such a handy thing to have at the ready for curries and stir fries etc. Chilli paste can be made in a similar way.

Tandoori chicken or vegetables are a favourite with this sauce, simply marinate whatever you’re using, be it chicken or vegetables, with tandoori masala spices, a squeeze of lemon juice and natural yoghurt. Fry in a little oil and add the base sauce.

BASE CURRY SAUCE

As this is a slow process, when the weather permits, I will use the Cobb cooker for this one and other curries, the added bonus is that the boat doesn’t smell of curry for days!

4 or 5 onions, depending on size, roughly chopped
100ml rapeseed oil, add a little more to the pan if needed
1carrot (about 60g) roughly chopped
½ each of red and green pepper, roughly chopped
1 tin tomatoes, or 3tbsp tomato pureé with water
3 tbsp ginger and garlic paste (see above)
1tbsp each of garam masala, ground cumin, ground coriander, paprika
½ tbsp ground fenugreek (optional, don’t worry if you don’t have it)
2 tsp ground turmeric

Place the prepared onion in a large pan, add the salt and oil. Stir well and add the remaining vegetables, the ginger and garlic paste and enough water just to cover. Simmer very gently for about 45 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and the liquid reduced. Add the remaining ingredients and a little more water if required, give a good stir, cover and continue to simmer for about 30 minutes. Skim off any surplus oil from the top if you like, save for frying when making your choice of curry. Allow to cool slightly and blend to a smooth consistency, if too thick add a little water or stock. Can be used immediately, stored in the fridge for a few days or frozen.

I hope you enjoy trying some of these recipes out, have a wonderful Autumn season and we’ll catch up again in December. In the meantime, do look back on previous articles for other recipes, or follow me on my Facebook page Canal Cuisine. You can either contact me through my page or by email.