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Autumn recipes from Team CG - Vol. 2

As promised, we're back with more recipes that we love to make and sometimes share at Team CG.  First up is Mel from Design who's Sticky Spiced Ginger & Apple cake made it into the office for all of us to enjoy.  

Mel, Design

Pre-heat oven to 160c, then before you put the cake in, drop the temp to 140c.

Line a loaf tin with butter, baking paper on the base and the sides. Making sure it sits just higher / 2cm above the edge of the tin.

INGREDIENTS

  • 70g Fresh ginger root (peel first-then weigh)
  • 2 Granny or Pink Lady apples grated. Washed & skin on!
  • 115 grams Muscovado sugar
  • 55g brown butter: (start with a 250g block, set in fridge and then weigh out 55g, re-melt on a low heat. Keep the rest for using in other dishes in the week)
  • 55g olive oil
  • 120g Black Treacle
  • 40g Honey (pick a clear non floral honey)
  • 119g Boiling water (boil a greater amount and re-weigh to make sure its accurate.
  • 1 tsp Bicarb
  • 190g Malted seeded bread flour (or plain cake flour for a more even crumb – but I like a bit more texture!)
  • ½ tsp Ground Cinnamon
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1 Egg

FIRST

Measure and whisk together all dry ingredients in 1 bowl, except for the bicarb. Weigh brown butter, melt on a low heat in saucepan and sit aside to cool so room temp & ready to use. Do not boil.  Measure bicarb and sit to the side ready.  Peel the ginger with a teaspoon, then weigh to get 70g. Now slice thinly and roughly dice.  Put ginger & sugar in blender and blend until the ginger splits, water releases and it breaks down and it turns into a smooth paste.

NEXT

Add olive oil & melted cooled brown butter and pulse then blend again till smooth and homogenised and add this wet mix to the other empty mixing bowl

THEN

Wash, grate and stir in grated apple, and stir in the treacle and honey.  Boil the water, re-measure in a jug and drop the bicarb in, as soon as it dissolves and fizzes up, pour swiftly without delay into the wet mix and whisk to distribute and combine.

FINALLY

Mix in egg to evenly distributed.  Making a well in the centre of the bowl with the dry ingredients, add the wet mix slowly in 3 parts, fold/mix till all is just combined. Always mix in 1 direction to avoid lumps. Starting in the centre and moving out to the walls of the bowl and back into the centre, turning the bowl with your other hand as you go. It is important to not over mix.

BAKE

Pour the cake mix into the pre-lined loaf tin and place on the middle tray, in the pre-heated oven that you have just lowered to 140 degrees.  Bake for 1 hour -1 hr 15, turning up the oven to 150 at 50 mins mark. Make sure you test with a skewer, before letting cool completely in the tin at room temperature.  Serve warm or room temp with vanilla custard! Or Greek yoghurt. And, top tip, store in an airtight container at room temp, don’t keep in the fridge!

 

Also from the lovely Mel, from Australia, is this Smoked Haddock with potato and bacon recipe from Nigel Slater. 

When I first arrived to London I cycled to Billingsgate fish market and by accident ended up coming home with some smoked haddock.  I’d never cooked with it before - so went for a search & discovered this Nigel Slater recipe. It’s a deliciously simple dish, with minimal ingredients, all equally as important as each other. And! utterly delicious for a Smokey take on a home-made (not deep fried) British fish and chips. 

INGREDIENTS

  • Unsmoked streaky bacon 100g
  • Rapeseed oil 3 tbsp
  • Potatoes 400g, medium-sized
  • Smoked haddock fillets 500g
  • Double cream 500ml
  • Bay leaves 2
  • Peppercorns 6
  • Curly parsley 2 tbsp, finely chopped

FIRST

Cut the bacon into pieces roughly the size of a postage stamp. Warm the oil in a non-stick frying pan and add the bacon pieces, letting them colour lightly.

NEXT

Cut the potatoes, without peeling them, into 1cm thick slices then cut each slice into short pieces, like tiny chips. Tip into the pan with the bacon and fry for about 15 minutes until golden and cooked right through.

THEN

Meanwhile put the smoked haddock into a pan with the cream, a couple of bay leaves and 6 black peppercorns. Bring almost to the boil, then turn down and simmer for 5 minutes. Put the lid on and leave to infuse for 15 minutes or so while the potatoes finish cooking.

FINALLY

Divide the potatoes and bacon between two warm plates, lift the haddock out of the cream and place a fillet on each plate. Stir the chopped parsley into the cream, then spoon over the fish and serve.

Chloe, Accounts

Ixta Belfrage's Prawn Lasagne with Habanero oil is an Autumn winner in our house and so delicious too.

INGREDIENTS

  • 250g Fresh lasagne sheets
  • 130g Double Cream, plus 1 tablespoon to serve
  • 100g Parmesan finely grated 
  • 10g Fresh chives
  • 6 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1/2 Onion finely chopped
  • 5 Cloves of garlic crushed
  • 200g Sweet, ripe cherry tomatoes
  • 1 tbs Salt
  • 500g Raw peeled king prawns, finely chopped to mince consistency
  • 1 dried habanero chilli (or chilli flakes if you prefer less heat)
  • 80g tomato puree
  • 2 tsp White miso paste
  • 50 Twists of freshly ground black pepper
  • 100g White wine
  • 500g fish, shellfish or chicken stock
  • For the oil....
  • 120g Olive oil
  • 2 tsp Tomato puree
  • 1/2 tsp Chipotle flakes
  • 1 Dried habanero chilli, no seeds, finely chopped
  • 1/2 tsp Sweet paprika
  • 1/4 tsp Fine salt

FIRST

For the ragù, put 4 tablespoons of the oil into a large sauté pan on a medium heat with the onion, garlic, cherry tomatoes and fine salt. Fry, stirring often, for 8–10 minutes or until the onions are soft and golden and the tomatoes have broken down.  Increase the heat to high, add the chopped prawns and fry for another 8 minutes, stirring every now and then, until the prawn mince has taken on some colour.  If you don’t have a food processor, very finely chop all the vegetables and prawns by hand.

NEXT

Add the habanero (or chilli flakes), tomato purée/paste, miso and plenty of pepper. Continue to fry for 3 minutes, stirring every now and then. Turn the heat down if the mixture starts to catch or burn.

Pour over the wine and let it bubble away for 30 seconds. Add the stock (or water) and the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently for about 18–20 minutes. Remove the habanero, squeezing it into the sauce first if you like heat.

Meanwhile, put all the ingredients for the habanero oil into a small saucepan and place on a medium heat. Mix well and heat until gently bubbling, about 1½ minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside. Once cool, transfer to a clean jar (you’ll only need a couple of tablespoons for this recipe).

Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/220°C.

THEN

To assemble the lasagne, cover the bottom of a small baking dish with lasagne sheets, about 20 x 20cm or a similar size, then spread over a fifth of the ragù. Follow with a fifth each of the cream, Parmesan and chives. Continue layering in the same way until you’ve used up all the ingredients. Drizzle over ½ tablespoon of the habanero oil, cover tightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

FINALLY

Increase the oven heat to 230°C fan/250°C, remove the foil and bake for another 12 minutes, or until the edges are crisp and the pasta is cooked through.

Leave to cool for 10 minutes. Finish with the remaining 1 tablespoon of cream and a good drizzle of the habanero oil, and serve.

Nicola, Design

Nicola has nominated this Chorizo and Chickpea stew by Nigella Lawson as it's the perfect blend of sweet and sour, much like our palette.

 

 

 INGREDIENTS (for 4) 

  • 2 tablespoons Olive oil
  • 50 grams Spaghettini or vermicelli (torn into 3cm lengths)
  • 500 grams Bulgur wheat
  • 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons Maldon sea salt flakes or 1 teaspoon pouring salt
  • 2 Bay leaves
  • 350 grams Chorizo (cut into coins and then halved)
  • 4 tablespoons Amontillado sherry
  • 100 grams Soft dried apricots (snipped into pieces with scissors) - optional
  • 2 x 400 grams Cans chickpeas or mixed beans (rinsed and drained in a sieve)
  • 2 x 400 grams Cans cherry tomatoes (plus 1 1/2 cans water)
  • Maldon sea salt flakes (to taste)
  • Pepper (to taste)
  • Fresh coriander to serve - optional

FIRST

Warm the olive oil in a tick-bottomed pan on a medium heat.  Fry the pasta bits in the oil for a minute, stirring, until they look like slightly scorched straws.  Then add the bulgur wheat and stir for another minute or two.

NEXT

Stir in the cinnamon and the salt, and then pour 1 litre/4 cups of water into the pan. Add the bay leaves, and bring to a boil, then turn down to the lowest heat, add a lid, and leave for 15 minutes, until all the water has been absorbed.

THEN

Put another thick-bottomed saucepan on a medium heat, add the chorizo pieces and fry until the orange oil runs out. Then add the sherry and let it bubble away. Add the apricots (if using), along with the chickpeas (or beans) and canned tomatoes, and half fill each empty tomato can with water and swill it out into the pan. Put on a high heat to bubble for about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

FINALLY

Serve with the bulgur wheat and, if there’s any to hand, some chopped coriander.

Carolyn, Sales

This is my go to for a quick and tasty meal, Anna Jones's Dhal with crispy sweet potato and quick coconut chutney.  

 

INGREDIENTS

Foe the sweet potatoes - 

  • 2 Sweet potatoes, skins on, washed and roughly chopped into 1.5cm cubes
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon Fennel seeds
  • Olive oil

For the dhal - 

  • 2 Cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
  • a thumb-size piece of Fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1 Green chilli, finely chopped
  • 1 Red onion, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
  • 1 teaspoon Coriander seeds
  • 1 teaspoon ground Turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
  • 200g Red lentils
  • 1 × 400ml Tin of coconut milk
  • 400ml Vegetable stock
  • 2 large handfuls of Spinach
  • a bunch of Fresh coriander, roughly chopped, stalks and all
  • Juice of 1 lemon

For the coconut chutney - 

  • 50g unsweetened Desiccated coconut
  • 1 teaspoon Black mustard seeds
  • 10 Curry leaves
  • a little Vegetable or coconut oil
  • a thumb sized piece of Fresh ginger, grated
  • 1 Red chilli, finely chopped

FIRST

Preheat your oven to 220°C/fan 200°C/gas 7.  Pour 150ml of boiling water over the coconut and leave to soak. Put your sweet potatoes on a roasting tray and add a good pinch of salt and pepper, the cumin and fennel seeds and a drizzle of olive oil.

NEXT

Roast in the oven for 20–25 minutes, until soft and sweet in the middle and crispy brown on the outside.

THEN

In a large saucepan, sizzle the garlic, ginger, chilli and red onion in a little oil for about 10 minutes, until soft and sweet. Grind the cumin and coriander seeds in a pestle and mortar, then add to the pan with the other spices and cook for a couple of minutes to toast and release the oils. Add the lentils, coconut milk and stock to the pan and bring to a simmer, then turn the heat down and bubble away for 25–30 minutes.  While that is cooking make your chutney. Drain the coconut and put it into a bowl. Fry the mustard seeds and curry leaves in a little oil until they begin to crackle, then pour the mixture over the coconut. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in the ginger and chilli and give it a good mix.

FINALLY

To finish your dhal, take it off the heat, then stir in the spinach and allow it to wilt a little, stirring in half the chopped coriander and the lemon juice too. Pile into bowls and top with the crispy sweet potatoes, spoonful's of the coconut chutney and the remaining coriander.

We hope you've enjoyed some of our recipes and would love to hear your favourites.  Comment below...

 

 

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