Monthly Archives: October 2012

Baked Apples

17 Wednesday Oct 2012

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I think I’ll always love baked apples because they remind me of my childhood. My mum is a good cook but a self-confessed terrible baker and as a result, these were the only pudding i remember having with any frequency at home. Baking is a bit like Marmite i always think, you either love it, or you hate it. If you’re a little bit anally retentive (like me) chances are you’ll love it, all that weighing and measuring and the knowledge that if you stick to the plan, you’ll end up with something great every time is very reassuring. If, on the other hand you’re a little more slapdash in the kitchen (like both my mother and my boyfriend) then chances are you’ll hate it. They both find it far too rigid and precise and simply don’t have the patience. No matter which category you fall into however, you’ll love these. There’s something so comforting about their simplicity and the fact that they’re healthy is a huge bonus as most of the sweetness comes from the dried fruit. They’re also something you can so easily change according to your mood and what’s knocking around in the cupboard. Swap the raisins for dates, the sugar for honey, add some rosewater, some chopped almonds and if you’re feeling decadent, replace the yoghurt with cream – whatever takes your fancy. I would like to point out that the rum is my own addition, my brother and i weren’t routinely fed boozy apples in an attempt to shut us up in the evenings! If you’re making these for children then simply leave the rum out and add either a splash of fruit juice or water if the mixture looks too dry.

Baked Apples with Greek Yoghurt

  • 2 baking apples (such as Bramley)
  • 100g raisins
  • 1 dessertspoonful brown sugar
  • pinch of cinnamon
  • good slug of rum
  • Greek yoghurt to serve (I used a 170g tub of 2% fat total greek yoghurt)

Pre-heat the oven to 170C, then core the apples but leave the skins on as they’re what hold the apples together whilst they cook. You may have to core the apples more than once as they’re so big, you probably won’t get it all in one go. Don’t worry if you think you’ve taken a bit much out, it just means you have a bigger space to fill with the raisin mix.

If you want to stop the apples from bursting out of their skins then score a line horizontally around the middle of the apple. If you forget, don’t worry, they’ll still be delicious and i have to admit to actually quite liking them when they’re a little wonky looking.

Place the apples onto a baking tray lined with baking paper, this is really just to stop them sticking.

In a bowl, toss together the raisins, cinnamon, brown sugar and just enough rum to plump your raisins up a bit (or more if you want it!) and mix it all together so everything’s covered.

Now all that’s left to do is fill the apples with the raisin filling, pack in as much as you can as this is where all the flavour is. Make sure you do this once the apples are already on the tray or they’ll be a pain to transfer over.

Pop the apples into your preheated oven for about 20 minutes until the skins are shrinking and the apples are bubbling, you want them soft enough that you can eat them with a spoon.

Using a fish slice, or something similar, transfer your apples to a plate, taking as much of the sticky sauce with you as you can.

Top with greek yoghurt and a drizzle of honey if you fancy it, and eat while it’s still warm.

Courgette, Cavalo Nero and Butter Bean Soup

10 Wednesday Oct 2012

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Am I the only one who’s oddly glad that autumn is here? After a truly bizarre summer of chopping and changing weather it’s been impossible to know what to wear, let alone cook. You’d walk towards the tube in a summer dress, basking in the suns warmth, only to get off the other end to be greeted by freezing grey skies and rain. It was like travelling through a portal into another world, and it was bloody frustrating. Autumn on the other hand, seems to be behaving itself. The bright crisp days are beautiful and i’m quite happy to don my jacket and my scarf knowing that i’ll be needing it all day, not just for half an hour here and there. Another thing that I will never complain about is autumn food as to me that means soups. As the cooler weather rolls in salads are just not quite cutting the mustard any more and soup is more than happy to take it’s place as the quick and healthy thing you end up having for more meals than you’d care to admit. This is where this little number comes in. I won’t lie, this soup mainly came into existence as i rummaged throught the slightly barren fridge and found not much more than some Cavalo Nero (tuscan black cabbage) and a couple of courgettes. Handily there were some butter beans and onions in the cupboard to tie everything together and hey presto, lunch was sorted. Luckily for me, the end result was just what i was after, warm, comforting and quick. Perfect for curling up with in the evening (or any other time of day for that matter). Another bonus? It’s cheap to make and packed full of iron and protein, sounds pretty good to me.

Courgette, Cavalo Nero and Butter Bean Soup

  • 1 finely diced red onion
  • 2 decent sized garlic cloves, finely sliced
  • 1 tsp chill flakes (optional)
  • 2 medium courgettes
  • 2 tins of butter beans
  • 1 bunch of cavalo nero, hard middle vein removed from each leaf
  • 1 litre of chicken (or vegetable) stock
  • 1 tsp dried oregano or thyme
  • Olive oil and Parmesan to finish

Gently fry the onion and garlic over a low heat until soft but not coloured. Cut the courgettes in half and slice finely into half moons and add to the pan. Drain and rinse the butter beans and add to the pan. Add the chilli flakes and give everything a good stir.

Add your stock and oregano/thyme and simmer for a couple of minutes until everything’s soft whilst you chop your cavalo nero into inch long sections.

Add your cavalo nero and simmer until it’s just soft.

Now is the time you need to taste and season the soup, you will need a fair amount of salt and pepper as the beans and courgettes really need it. You can either leave it chunky like this or you can blend it, i blended about 3/4 of it, just leaving a few little chunks. If you do blend it, wait for it to cool a little before you do so. Then ladle into bowls and finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a grating of parmesan.