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The Earth Heart Kitchen has been pretty productive over the spring into summer months but it’s been lovely to slow down a little at the arrival of autumn and have an opportunity for a bit more rest before the next busy season at the end of the year. It’s true, I have already made a batch of mincemeat but I’m very much enjoying the gentle shift of the season as we approach Samhain and the darker months. It’s a real season of reward; so much work has been done, so much energy spent in generating outcomes, yet here we arrive at a time of stillness whilst still benefitting from the abundant fruits of those efforts. We posted about Apple Day back in August (it came really early this year!) and I still had homemade apple spread on my toast this morning. As I write, Nik is preparing the spare demijohn for the job of racking off the cider and on this rather soft and gentle drizzly day, we’ll be enjoying my latest seasonal creation for a teatime treat; Pumpkin Spice Flapjacks! This time last year, I made mini ‘pumpkin’ pies with our homegrown squash. They were really tasty and we enjoyed them very much… but they were quite a lot of work (filling all the mini pie cases carefully with pastry, blind baking, making the filling, pressing out all the little lids) and actually they weren’t great sellers. Maybe pumpkin pie is just a little too exotic for a Welsh valley?!
Pumpkin Spice FLapjacksIngredients:
Method:
Next time I make this, I’ll be sure to have some pumpkin seeds in stock as I think they’d make a lovely topping, scattered onto the surface before baking, possibly even with a maple syrup glaze. I didn’t have any this time though and so I’d say that’s an entirely optional extra! However you make it, we hope you enjoy this little autumnal treat as much as we did!
Incidentally, the last recipe I posted back in February, Squash and Celeriac Soup, also used our homegrown squash, the fabulous Uchiki Kuri. If you fancy something a little more savoury, check it out! Xx
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To be honest, when Nik first presented me with celeriac, I had no idea what to do with the strange, alien root. I'd never really encountered it before. I might even have avoided it once or twice, but I've warmed up to it now and this soup has been a part of that process. So, if you're as baffled as I was by the poor old knobbly celeriac, this recipe might just be for you! To make this soup as a filling and generous meal for two (depending on your appetite) or a side for more (depending upon what you're serving it with) you'll need a small squash and a couple of small celeriac, a baby leek, a cup of red lentils, a lemon, some olive oil and plenty of fresh ground black pepper and sea salt. That's it. Making the Soup...
To do this, I halve and deseed the squash and chop the peeled celeriac into fairly small, bite size chunks. The halves of squash act as handy bowls to submerge the chopped leek in the oil and help prevent it burning whilst the flesh absorbs all the flavour. Additionally, once the flesh is scooped out, the skins are delicious either sliced and re-roasted to make a sort of plant jerky or stuffed and served with rice and salad. Why throw that delicacy away!? Anyway, I digress... However you're preparing the veg, drizzle it in a little olive oil and season it with salt and pepper before popping it in a good, hot oven. While the veg is roasting, you can be boiling and skimming the lentils, and knocking up a batch of wholesome rolls to go with the soup (sorry, I'm showing off now). It'll take 30 to 40 minutes to roast the squash and celeriac at full temperature, depending on your oven. When the veg is tender, scoop the squash flesh and leek pieces out (do let them cool a bit first!) and stir them into the lentils with the celeriac chunks and a little more salt and pepper. Let them simmer on low for half an hour or so whilst you prepare the kale by slicing it and gently coating it in more olive oil and a good grind of sea salt. These like to be spread thinly on a baking tray and roasted at about 180°c for 15 to 20 minutes. If you've got a fan oven, it'll go much quicker, I used to crouch by my fan oven, sprung and ready to dive at the critical moment between 'crisp' and 'cremated'! It's good if you can time this for the serving of the soup but if you make them in advance, they might need a little re-crisp (exercising the same caution) just before service.
Serve with a big smile and warm, fresh crusty bread. Oh, and a spoon. You'll probably need one of those. Having said that, slurping it straight from the bowl would be pretty indulgent and I'd highly approve. Go for it!
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