Easy recipes from Apple Tree

Category: Uncategorised

Mushroom, Leek and Wild Garlic Soup

This is a quick and delicious soup which is best if you have some wild garlic, but if it is out of season or you aren’t a forager, a crushed clove of regular garlic and some parsely will do. Here is enough for four generous servings.

  • 2-3 leeks depending on size, washed and chopped
  • butter or olive oil (vegan)

Sweat the leeks for 5 minutes in a pan. Add

  • 250g chestnut musgrooms, chopped
  • 250g white mushrooms, chopped
  • pinch of dried thyme or leaves from a sprig of fresh thyme
  • (1 clove of garlic, crushed and chopped if you are not using wild garlic)

Cook away for another 5-10 minutes until soft. Add

  • 1 L vegetable stock
  • Generous handful of wild garlic leaves, chopped

Simmer for 5-10 minutes. If you weren’t using wild garlic and would like some green vibes in the soup, a small bunch of parsely leaves chopped can be added towards the end of the cooking. Allow to cool slightly then zap with a stick blender to the level of smoothness you like. Add up to half a tub of creme fraiche (or vegan cream) depending how creamy you like it. Adjust the seasoning, warm up and serve.

Karahi Chicken Curry

Next time I’ll take a photo before the family tucks in. Authentic and simple. This serves 4 if you include rice, naans and a vegetable side. You can use any cut of chicken, bone in our out, but I prefer boneless thighs for flavour and convenience.

  • 1 onion, sliced and chopped
  • glug of oil

Gently fry the onion until transluscent. Add

  • 1 crushed garlic clove
  • 1 tbs grated fresh ginger

Cook for another minute. Add

  • 4-6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, chopped into bite sized chunks

Cook away until coloured. Add

  • 2-3 tomatoes, chopped.

Cook for a few minutes. Add

  • 1 green pepper, halved and seeds removed
  • 0.5 tsp chilli flakes
  • 0.25 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1.5tsp garam masala or chaat masala
  • 1.5 tsp cumin powder

Stir in and cook for a few more minutes. Add

  • 1 cup /250ml boiling water

Stir, cover and cook for 30 minutes. Add

  • 2-3 tbs chopped coriander
  • salt to taste

Cook for another ten minutes. At this point it is ready. If you like thicker sauce, you can add a bit of cornflour to thicken to your preferred consistency.

Crumble-topped Fish Pie

This is from Mary Berry. You can use any combo of white fish, or a combo including salmon or smoked fish. I like to add prawns and hard-boiled egg too. Here’s how to make a very generous pie for two. Firstly make your sauce base:

  • 25g butter
  • 25g plain flour

Melt the butter in a sucepan and stir in the flour. Heat a bit more then add

  • 250ml milk

Heat and stir until the milk thickens to a sauce. Add

  • 2 tbs mayonnaise
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp chopped dill
  • 1 tsp chopped chives or parseley
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • 25g cheddar cheese grated

Mix well. If you have raw fish in your mix :

  • 250g fish pieces

Add to the sauce and continue cooking for a couple of minutes. If it is cooked fish then go straight on without needing to cook the raw fish in the sauce. Add:

  • Handful of cooked prawns
  • season with salt and pepper

Now put

  • 2 hard-boiled eggs, quartered

in a pie dish, and then pour over the fish and sauce mix. Now make the topping:

  • 100g fresh breadcrumbs
  • 50g butter, melted
  • 30g porrige oats
  • 1 tsp chopped chives or parsley
  • 1 tsp chopped dill
  • 25g cheddar cheese grated

Mix in a bowl until it looks even and crumbly. Sprinkle over the pie mix to make a crumbly topping. Bake in a pre-heated oven 180C Fan/200C conventional for about 25 minutes until it is bubbling and crispy brown on top (like the picture). Serve with a green veg.

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