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Halloween is approaching and this month's recipes have a Halloween theme - in that they feature seasonal squash and apples! Apples go well with root vegetables and squash, making interesting soups. Having experimented with several varieties I have come to the conclusion that Bramley is the ideal apple to use, both for its sharpness and the fact that it cooks down to a purée.
SQUASH APPLE AND GINGER SOUP (Serves 6-8)
25g / 1 oz butter
1 medium-sized squash (a grey-blue skinned variety with dense orange flesh such as Crown Prince works really well), peeled, deseeded and the flesh chopped into smallish cubes
1 large or 2 medium potatoes, preferably Maris Piper or King Edward, scrubbed, peeled and cut into smallish cubes
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 large Bramley apple, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
I approx 2” piece of root ginger, peeled
l / 2 pints water
salt
freshly ground black pepper
Melt the butter in a large heavy-based saucepan. Add the onion, potato and squash with salt and pepper. Stir to coat the vegetables. Sweat the vegetables over minimum heat, stirring to prevent sticking. After a few minutes, add the water and whole piece of root ginger. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer until the vegetables are almost cooked. Add the apple and cook for a further few minutes until the apple has collapsed and the vegetables are soft. Add more liquid if necessary or boil briefly if too liquid.
Remove the ginger. Blend with a stick blender until smooth. Adjust the seasoning as necessary and serve. VARIATIONS: Using the same method and roughly the same proportions, you can make a number of soups containing apple. Beetroot and Apple Soup is the most amazing colour - cook the beetroot in advance and add, roughly chopped with the apple. Celeriac and Apple Soup works well as does Curried Parsnip and Apple - add a tablespoon or so curry paste to the onions, potatoes and parsnips and mix in well just before adding the water. A little crème fraiche can be swirled into the soup just before sprinkling with chopped chives (chopped coriander would work well with the Curried Parsnip and Apple Soup) and serving.
This next recipe makes a good lunch or supper dish.
SAUTEED APPLES BACON AND POTATO
shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
unpeeled waxy new potatoes, boiled until just tender and cut into chunks or, if very small, left whole
smoked streaky bacon rashers, cut into pieces
dessert apple chosen for sharp flavour, crisp texture and colourful skin (try Suntan, Bismarck, Ashmead’s Kernal), unpeeled, cored and cut into chunks
olive or rapeseed oil
salt
freshly milled black pepper
a few fresh sage leaves, roughly chopped
a few juniper berries, lightly crushed
Note: I have left quantities up to you as proportions will depend on personal taste and availability. As a rough guide I suggest you use roughly equal quantities of apple and potatoes with a tablespoon of oil, a medium shallot and 2 rashers of bacon per person.
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan. If the pan is too small the ingredients will steam rather than fry. Fry the shallots over medium heat until beginning to soften. Add the bacon and cook till it becomes opaque. Add the potato, apple, seasoning (not too much salt as the bacon will be salty - you can always add more if necessary before serving) juniper berries and sage, and continue to cook, stirring, until browned. Adjust seasoning as necessary and serve.
VARIATIONS: Try adding cubes of winter squash - add to the softening shallots and cook until becoming tender, stirring frequently to prevent burning, before adding the bacon. Experiment with different apple varieties - you need an apple which holds its shape when cooked.
Monica Askey
October 2018