My favourite time of year is here! Even though last week I was amongst the scantily clad in the Brockwell Park heat, this weekend confirms that winter is coming and its duffel coats for the foreseeable. We even put the heating on tonight and made hot drinks with frothy milk. We’re either entering winter or turning into old ladies.
Not that I mind. These are the days my knitting skills come in action and I get to do a bit of showing off with the scarves and jumpers I’ve spent all year making! But more on that another time.
When I think of autumn, I think of Halloween treats, bonfire night goodies and that amazing pumpkin soup Adam and I had at Gregg Wallace’s do last year (it was served inside the pumpkin it was grown in! Brilliant). I have considered trying to recreate the soup, but I don’t seem to have the ability to make reasonable portions and end up with tonnes of it which I end up wasting. But when you’re always cooking for one (saaaaad…prefer it though) you often end up with a fridge full of left over veg to use up, especially if you’ve been down to Brixton Farmers Market for your stuff. So I’m making A LOT of lamb stew. You never get sick of that when its cold and you can use up all of that gear almost rotting in the kitchen. And when you share a fridge and cupboards as teeny as mine, you can’t have a sack of taities sitting there for that long.
Potatoes (cubed – I like them to look mishaped, and with the skin on… Let’s keep this ‘rustic’ i.e lazy), carrots, leeks, onion, string beans, frozen peas. Anything goes really. I’d prefer to get my meat from the market because supermarket packs can get a bit tough when cooked, but you can’t be too picky in Brixton midweek after work in Wembley, can you. Anyway, make sure you dust the meat with plain flour before you stick it in the oily pan and after a high heat for two minutes, take it out and replace with the veg (except the peas and beans). Soften it a bit then throw in some hot chicken stock. When the veg is almost cooked, put the lamb back in with the frozen peas. And don’t forget the spoonful of mint sauce. Perhaps you didn’t need all that explaining to you but sometimes the most simple and traditional recipes can provide inspiration when the seasons change.
(Apologies for the awful photography, I’m on my Blackberry and the camera isn’t the greatest for foodie pictures!)
Autumn has already brought some nice things. Mainly new friends and new challenges, as well as lots of positivity. Maybe my duffel coat is magic.
October 12th, 2011 at 9:49 pm
Fantastic! Who doesn’t love a lamb stew?