Smoky Squash Soup
* 4 pounds squash or pumpkin, seeded, cut into 1" chunks and peeled
* 1 tbsp olive oil
* 6 x slices smoky bacon, chopped
* 1 x medium onion
* Water or stock, as needed
* 1 cup cream or milk
* salt and pepper
* pinch nutmeg
* About 2 Tbsp crème fraiche or sour cream (optional)
* About 2 Tbsp chopped chives (optional)
Directions:
Smoky Squash Soup
1. Heat the oven to 400ºF/200ºC. Toss the squash chunks with the oil in a roasting pan, and bake until very soft, about an hour. Fry the bacon in a soup pot, remove to paper towel to drain, then crumble and set aside. In the same pot, with a spoonful of the bacon fat left in, gently sauté the onion until translucent.
2. When the squash chunks are cooked, add them to the pot with a little water or stock. Purée with a hand-held blender, adding more water if needed to make a thick soup. Stir in the cream, heat gently, taste, and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Ladle the soup into bowls. Put a dollop of sour cream in each, sprinkle with the bacon and chives, grind over a little black pepper, and serve.
White Beans with Aromatics and Crème Fraîche
* 12 ounces white beans, soaked overnight in cold water, rinsed and drained
* 1 x sprig thyme
* 1 x bay leaf
* 1 x garlic clove
* 1/2 onion
* A generous spoonful of crème fraîche
* salt and pepper to season
Directions:
1. Put the beans in a large saucepan with plenty of head room. Add in the thyme, bay leaf, garlic, and onion. Cover with water, slap on a lid, bring to a simmer and cook gently until tender, 40 minutes. Drain the beans, plucking out the aromatics. Stir in crème fraîche (just enough to hold them together), and season with salt and pepper. Serve.
Pork Roast with Rosemary, Quatre-Epices and Honey
* 3 lb. boned pork roast
* salt and pepper to season
* 1 tbsp olive oil
* 3 to 4 Tbsps chopped fresh rosemary
* 2 tbsp quatre-epices (cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and pepper)
* 1/3 cup honey, warmed until runny if necessary
* 1/2 cup water or cider
Directions:
1. Bring the meat to room temperature, about an hour. Heat the oven to 400ºF/200ºC. Season the meat well all over with salt and pepper. Rub with the olive oil. Mix together the rosemary and spices and roll the meat in it to coat evenly. Set the meat in a roasting pan, fat side up. Drizzle over the honey. Pour about 1/4 cup/60 ml water into the bottom of the pan and place in the oven. Roast the pork for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350°F/180°C and continue roasting until done, about 40 minutes more, adding another 1/4 cup/60 ml water during cooking, if needed.
2. Remove the pork from the oven and carve in thin slices, while keeping the juices warm. Fan the meat onto a platter. Taste the juices and fix the seasonings. Pour over the meat, and serve.
Greco-Norman Apples
* 2 tbsp Calvados (optional)
* 2 to 3 Tbsp dark raisins
* 6 x small firm apples, such as Granny Smith
* 2 tsp butter
* 1 tsp sugar
* A sprinkling of cinnamon
* 4 heaping Tbsps fresh goat cheese
* 2 to 3 Tbsps pine nuts, toasted
* 2 to 3 Tbsps honey, warmed to runny consistency if necessary
Directions:
Greco-Norman Apples
1. Heat the oven to 425ºF/220ºC. Pour the Calvados over the raisins in a small bowl and set aside to plump. Halve the apples and remove the cores with a melon-baller. Poke the skin side all over with a needle or the tip or a very sharp knife. Take a sliver off the bottom so they’ll sit flat, if you like. Put them skin-side down in a baking dish.
2. Poke 1/2 teaspoon of butter into the well in each apple, then sprinkle over the sugar and cinnamon. Bake until the apples are soft, but still intact, 15 minutes. Remove. Drain the raisins. Nudge two apple halves beside each other on each of six serving plates. Put a generous spoonful of cheese alongside each. Scatter over the pine nuts and raisins. Drizzle over the honey and serve.
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