Carrot and Ginger Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil + more for garnish
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp fresh grated ginger
• 1 large apple
• 4 or 5 large carrots, peeled and chopped
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• pinch of nutmeg
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. In a large pot, add 1 tbsp olive oil over low-medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook for about 5 minutes until translucent. Add minced garlic and ginger and cook for another couple of minutes on low. Add chopped apple and carrots and cook for a few minutes more.

2. Add the vegetable stock, stir, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low-medium and simmer for 20 minutes, or until tender.

3. Carefully transfer this mixture into a blender (or you can use an immersion blender), add a pinch of nutmeg, and blend until smooth. You might need to do this in 2 batches depending on the size of your blender. You don’t want the soup more than halfway full or it might explode through the top. Make sure to allow steam to escape through the top of the blender lid too.

4. Add salt and pepper to taste. You can also thin the soup out a bit with more stock. Serve and garnish with freshly ground pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.

Ingredients:

· olive oil

· 1 large red onion, sliced

· 4 garlic cloves, chopped

· 2 teaspoons of ground coriander

· 1 tablespoon of chopped thyme

· 1 fennel bulb, sliced

· 1 red pepper, sliced

· 500g vine-ripened tomatoes, diced

· 300ml vegetable stock

· 125g olives

· 2 tablespoons of parsley

· crusty bread

· salt and pepper

Method:

· Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan

· Add the onion, garlic, coriander and thyme and cook over a medium heat, stirring well, for 5 minutes

· Add the fennel and red pepper and cook, stirring well, for 10 minutes

· Stir in the tomatoes, stock, salt and pepper

· Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes

· Stir in the olives and parsley and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes

· Slice the crusty bread and toast

· Serve the stew hot with the crusty bread

Autumn is the perfect time to start preserving ... with just a little time and effort, a large heavy-based pan, wooden spoon and a handful of sterilised jars you can make fantastic preserves at home.

Here's a recipe for caramelised onion chutney, one of the chutneys that we made using produce grown on our site in recent weeks to take to the fantastic Let's Eat Glasgow local food festival to give folk a taste.

If you bought some, we hope you enjoy it - once opened, keep refrigerated and try to use within 4 weeks. 

Ingredients:

· Onions

· Carrots

· Beetroot

· Potatoes

· Celery

· Vegetable stock

Method:

· Chop and cook the onions

· Add chopped carrots, beetroot, potatoes and celery

· Add the stock

· Cook for 1 hour then liquidise

Our Secretary (Jane) made this last week with a spaghetti squash we grew on site - she said it was the best ever spaghetti squash she'd tasted and Marion said the soup was amazing. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Ingredients:

· 1 large aubergine

· 2 large courgettes

· 2 red peppers, quartered

· olive oil

· 200g couscous

· 450ml vegetable stock

· 50g butter

· 2 tablespoons of chopped mixed herbs (mint, coriander, parsley)

· juice of 1 lemon

· salt and pepper

Method:

· Cut the aubergine and courgettes into 5mm thick slices and put in a large bowl with the red peppers

· Add the olive oil and salt and pepper – stir well

· Heat a ridged griddle pan until hot

· Add the vegetables, in batches, and cook for 3 – 4 minutes each side, until charred and tender

· Cook the couscous as per instructions on packet, fluff up the grains with a fork and stir int eh butter, herbs, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste

· Mix the vegetables and couscous and serve

This simple almondy cake is a great way of using up pick-your-own raspberries.

With thanks to BBC Good Food for Top 10 things to do with raspberries.

Ingredients:

· 50g butter

· 1 small onion, chopped

· 1-2 garlic cloves

· 750g courgettes, diced

· finely grated rind of 1 lemon

· 600ml of vegetable stock

· 2 – 3 tablespoons of chopped mint

· Salt and pepper

· Single cream to garnish

Method:

· Melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat

· Add the onion and cook for 5 - 6 minutes or until softened

· Stir in the courgettes and lemon rind and cook for 5 – 10 minutes

· Add the stock and mint and bring to the boil

· Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes

· Liquidise the soup until smooth

· Pour into a bowl and garnish with a swirl of cream

Apart from the hassle of peeling and deseeding the butternut squash, this soup is incredibly easy to make and delicious too!

Ingredients:

• 1 butternut squash, about 1kg, peeled and deseeded
• 2 tbsps olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 onions, diced
• 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
• 2 mild red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
• 850ml hot vegetable stock
• 4 tbsps creme fraiche, plus more to serve

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 200C / 180C / Gas 6. Cut the squash into large cubes, toss in a large roasting tin with half the olive oil. Roast for 30 mins, turning once during cooking, until golden and soft.
2. While the squash cooks, melt the butter with the remaining oil in a large saucepan, then add the onions, garlic and three-quarters of the chilli. Cover and cook on a very low heat for 15-20 mins until the onions are completely soft.
3. Tip the squash into the pan, add the stock and the creme fraiche, then whizz with a stick blender until smooth. Season to taste.
4. Serve the soup in bowls with swirls of creme fraiche and a scattering of the remaining chopped chilli.

Sterilise a 510ml glass jar by washing in warm soapy water, rinsing then heating in a moderate oven for 5 minutes.

Method:

· Trim and wipe beetroot, leaving the skin on

· Wrap altogether in a foil parcel

· Place on a tray and bake for 3 hours (the beetroot should be tender when pierced)

· Remove, peel and slice thinly

· Peel and slice the shallots

· Layer the beetroot and shallots in the jar

· Place the vinegar, berries and salt in a small saucepan

· Bring to a simmering boil then pour into the jar

· Seal the jar immediately

Inspired by a previous New Covent Garden Soup of the Month, this recipe works really well - hope you enjoy!

Serves 6

1 large onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
About 1kg pumpkin flesh sliced (about 3mm thick)
3 large carrots, peeled and sliced, about 3mm thick
4 medium sage leaves, torn into rough strips - I also added freshly picked rosemary and thyme
1.5l water (or your stock of choice)
1 tbsp cream cheese (optional)
80g Stilton, cut into chunks
Black pepper 
Olive oil 

Click on this link for cooking instructions.

These were firm favourites at our Family Fun Day in August 2012. Thanks to Sadie at The Walking Theatre Company for forwarding them ...

WWII Carrot Jam recipe
1 litre of grated or chopped carrots
3 cups of sugar
a jar of honey
3 sliced lemons

1. Add all the ingredients into a saucepan, and simmer slowly at a gentle heat. It is recommended that you stir the ingredients constantly, especially at the earlier stages of the cooking.
2. After about 20 minutes, the carrots should eventually begin to soften, and the jam will become thick.
3. To test jam is ready, place a spoonful on a chilled saucer, if it wrinkles when you push it, it is ready.
4. Store in jars

WWII Carrot Fudge
150ml condensed milk
100g sugar
25g golden syrup
75g butter
225g grated carrots

Stir all the time that the mixture is being heated. Use a large heavy pan.
Dissolve the sugar and syrup in the milk and add the grated carrots and any flavouring *. Boil vigorously, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the sugar thermometer shows the temperature to be 240°F or 115°C. Or if like me you donÂ’t have such a thingÂ…Â…once it starts to “bond” together, change colour and start to smell toffee-ish! Take care not to splash the mixture which is very hot. But a sticky cooker is inevitable. Take off the heat. Stir in the butter a little at a time. Then pour the mixture into a greased 8? / 20cm square tin to cool. Cut into small squares when cold and store in an airtight tin. Or roll into balls and dip in icing sugar.

* Flavourings:
50g melted plain chocolate OR 1 tsp cocoa powder OR 1 tsp instant coffee powder OR 1 tbsp orange juice OR 2 drops vanilla essence

This soup uses lots of in season / locally available ingredients and tastes amazing - thanks to Pret A Manger for inspiration to give it a go!

Ingredients:

Small onion (chopped), 3 medium leeks (washed and sliced), 3 celery sticks (washed and sliced), oil or butter, 2 garlic cloves (crushed), 2 small potatoes (peeled and cubed), approx 250g kale (washed and shredded), approx 1 litre of veg stock, sage leaves (washed), thyme (washed), parsley (washed and chopped), nutmeg (grated) and seasoning to taste

Method:

Heat a little oil or butter in a soup pan, add onion, leeks, celery, garlic and potatoes. Gently saute for about 10 minutes, then add the veg stock, sage, thyme and nutmeg, bring to the boil and then simmer for about 15 minutes. Add the kale and parsley and cook for another 10 minutes. Allow to cool slightly and blend until smooth. Season to taste and enjoy.

Great loaf on its own or with soft cheese. Great for picnics - make the night before.

INGREDIENTS

75g Butter

200g Courgettes (weighed topped and tailed)

225g Self Raising Flour

1/4tsp Salt

1/4tsp Cayenne Powder

1/2tsp Mustard Powder

125g Extra Mature Cheese grated

3 Large Eggs

4tbsp Milk

Preheat the oven to 180c / 160c Fan / Gas 4. Line a 2lb loaf tin with baking paper. Melt the butter and leave to cool - don't allow to solidify. Grate the courgettes and set aside. Sift the flour,salt, cayenne powder and mustard powder into abowl. Stir in the cheese. Lightly beat the eggs, milk and melted butter together with a fork. Add to the flour along with the courgettesand stir until just evenly mixed. Put the mixture in the loaf tin and level the top. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the top springs back when lightly pressed. Cool on a wire rack.

Per serving: Calories 219 Carbs 18g Sugar 1g Fat 13.2g Sat Fat 7.4g Salt 0.6g

From BBC Good Food

A bowlful of sweet and spicy comfort to warm you up after you've put the garden to bed for the winter.

Serves 4:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, finely diced

1 large sweet potato, diced

1 tbsp plain flour

700ml vegetable stock

125g sweetcorn kernels

1 red pepper, finely diced

1 red chilli, finely diced

4 spring onions, finely diced

4 tbsp double cream

1 tsp parsley, finely chopped

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

Heat the olive oil in a pan, add the onion and sweet potato, then sweat for five minutes without colouring.

Add the flour and cook, stirring continuously, for one minute.

Add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil.

Cover and simmer for 15 minutes / until tender.

Blend until smooth.

Return to the pan and add the sweetcorn, red pepper, chilli and spring onions, cover and simmer gently for five minutes to soften the vegetables.

Add the cream and parsley, then season to taste and serve.

(recipe based on New Covent Garden Food Co: Soup for All Seasons)

Mix green (unripe) and red tomatoes for the perfect sour-sweet chutney. This will make a couple of jam jars' worth.

• 900g tomatoes, mixed green and red
• 350g onions
• 90g raisins
• 250g light muscovado sugar
• 1 medium sized, hot red chilli
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp yellow mustard seeds
• 300ml white wine vinegar

Halve the tomatoes. Put the green fruit together with the peeled and roughly chopped onions, into a large stainless- steel or enamelled pan with the raisins, sugar, chilli, salt, mustard seeds and vinegar. Bring to the boil, turn down the heat and leave to simmer for an hour, giving the occasional stir to reduce the risk of the chutney sticking. After about 25 minutes cooking, add the ripe tomatoes and continue to simmer. Then spoon into sterilized jars and seal.

Thanks to Nigel Slater for this green tomato recipe.

This delicious gooseberry crumble is ideal with a fruit juice after a long hard day in the garden.

Ingredients:

· 180g butter, softened

· 90g golden caster sugar

· 90g light muscovado sugar

· 2 eggs

· 80g ground almonds

· 150g self-raising flour

· 2-3 drops vanilla extract

· 350g gooseberries

For the crumble:

· 110g plain flour

· 80g butter

· 2 tbsp caster sugar

Method:

Preheat the oven to 175C/gas mark 3

Line the base of a 20cm round tin with baking parchment

To make the crumble topping, blitz the flour and the butter to crumbs in a food processor

Add the caster sugar and mix lightly

Remove the mixer bowl from the stand and add a few drops of water

Shake the bowl a little so that some of the crumbs stick together like small pebbles

To make the cake, beat the butter and sugars in a food mixer for 8 – 10 minutes until pale and fluffy

Beat the eggs gently then gradually introduce them to the mixture with the beater on slow

Fold in the ground almonds and flour then add the drops of vanilla extract

Transfer the mixture to the tin and smooth it flat

Scatter the gooseberries on top, pressing them down a little

Scatter the crumble mixture loosely over the gooseberries

Bake for 60 – 75 minutes, checking for doneness with a skewer

The skewer should come out damp from the gooseberries but without any raw cake mixture attached

Leave to cool in the tin, then remove, and set aside

By Nigel Slater

Serve this vividly coloured chutney with cheeses and cold meats - great to give as a gift, too.

Ingredients

• 1½ kg raw beetroot, trimmed, peeled and diced (wear gloves!)
• 3 onions , chopped
• 3 eating apples , peeled and grated
• zest and juice 3 oranges
• 2 tbsp white or yellow mustard seeds
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 tbsp ground cloves
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 700ml red wine vinegar
• 700g golden granulated sugar

Method

In a preserving pan or your largest saucepan, mix together all the ingredients well. Bring to a gentle simmer, then cook for 1 hr, stirring occasionally, until the chutney is thick and the beetroot tender.

While the chutney is cooking, prepare your jars by running through a short hot wash in your dishwasher. Or wash thoroughly by hand, then put in a hot oven to sterilise for 10-15 mins. Once the chutney is ready, let it settle for 10 mins, then carefully spoon into the jars and seal while still hot.

You can eat it straight away but it will be even better after a month. Will keep for up to 6 months in a cool dark place. Once opened, refrigerate and eat within 2 months.

From BBC Good Food

Halloumi cheese is a great ingredient for the barbeque because it holds its texture and shape when cooked. The cheese is naturally quite salty so the lime is a perfect partner for it. This recipe will make four kebabs.

Ingredients for the marinade:
4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
juice of two limes
4 tablespoons of chopped fresh coriander
2 fresh red chillis, finely chopped (vary this to suit your taste)

Ingredients for the kebabs:
500g/1lb 1 oz halloumi, cut into cubes
1 red pepper, cut into cubes
1 yellow pepper, cut into cubes
8 small mushrooms
8 shallots, peeled or 2 small red onions, peeled and quartered

Method:
First make the marinade by mixing all of the ingredients together.
Next put all of the kebab ingredients into a large bowl.
Pour over the marinade and stir well to mix.
Cover and put in the fridge for at least an hour. It will taste even better if you leave it overnight.
When you are ready to cook the kebabs, thread the vegetables on to 4 skewers, alternating between halloumi, peppers, mushrooms and shallots or onions.
Cook the kebabs over the barbeque, brushing them with the remaining marinade as they cook.

From Everyday Vegetarian Recipes

Elderflower champagne is a clear, sparkling drink that is mildly alcoholic. It is easy to prepare and only takes two weeks to mature. As the name suggests, one of the primary ingredients are the white flowers of the Elder tree. These trees are quite common in the UK, and if there aren't any in your garden, they are often found around car parks, squares, schools and other open spaces. Make sure that you get the right tree though! The trees themselves are coarse and shrubby, with large flat heads of creamy white flowers in early summer and clusters of reddish-purple berries in the autumn.

Ingredients

This makes about 10 litres of elderflower champagne:

• 4 large heads of elder flowers - make sure that they are fully open, preferably facing the Sun
• 1kg of sugar
• 2 lemons
• 4 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
• 10 litres of cold water

Equipment/Utensils

• A ten-litre vessel - a large plastic bucket is ideal. Ensure that it is well washed out and preferably sterilised.
• Strong bottles - these need to withstand the pressure of the carbon dioxide gas produced. Two-litre plastic drinks bottles work, but old screw-cap glass bottles work better and don't let as much gas escape.
• A large jug - about two litres in capacity.
• A small jug - ideally, this should hold about 750ml and is to act as a bailer.
• A lemon-squeezer
• A funnel
• A potato-peeler
• A tablespoon
• A sieve
• A strainer

Method

1. Wash the lemons and use the potato-peeler to peel the lemon rind off as thinly as possible. Remove any insects, leaves or other unwanted objects from the elder flowers.
2. Squeeze the lemons and put the juice into the ten-litre vessel along with the lemon rind and flowers.
3. Add the sugar and the wine vinegar. Be careful not to crush the flower heads too much with the sugar.
4. Pour on the water. Put a lid or cover over the top of the vessel and leave to stand for 24 hours. Stir gently every six hours.
5. Sterilise the bottles either using sterilising chemical tablets or boiling water. If you use chemical tablets, rinse the bottles afterwards so that the chemicals don't kill the yeast in the champagne mixture.
6. Take the lid off the vessel and remove any large flower heads or bits of rind.
7. Use the small jug to bail some of the mixture through the sieve and into the large jug. When the large jug becomes full, place the funnel in the top of a bottle. Pour the mixture through the strainer into the funnel.
8. Once all the bottles are full, put the caps (or corks) on firmly and place somewhere not too warm or too cold. A garage shelf is ideal.

After two weeks the champagne is ready for drinking. However, the taste does improve with time and can be left for up to two years. It is probably best to leave it for six months to a year to mature, as this means the full taste will have developed, yet without any fizz escaping. (That's assuming the caps have been done up properly.) Try to make as much as possible during the months of June and early July as this is when the flowers will be at their best. Typically, 20 litres should provide ample supply for a year's worth of drinking for a family of four.

From BBC website