Recipes perfect for autumnal evenings

Fancy something different for dinner? Here are some recipes to try.
BiryaniBiryani
Biryani

Shallot and Chicken Biryani

Simple to prepare and pop in the oven for a one pan supper!

Serves: 4

RisottoRisotto
Risotto

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 90 minutes

Ingredients

200g basmati rice

CrumbleCrumble
Crumble

400g chicken breast or thigh

meat cut into small pieces

4 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tbsp ginger, grated

Salt and pepper

1 tbsp rapeseed oil

2 large echalion shallots, chopped

1 tbsp cumin

1 tbsp nigella seeds

1 tbsp Madras spice paste

12 curry leaves

400ml chicken stock

200g spinach

100g paneer, chopped

Coriander, chopped

Red chilli, sliced

Yoghurt

Method

Cover the rice in water, give it a stir, strain it and cover with water again.

Mix the chicken in a bowl with the garlic, ginger and a pinch of salt, cover and put in the fridge for an hour if you have time.

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Heat the oil in a pan that has a lid and can go in the oven. Fry the chicken for 5 minutes until starting to brown and then remove to a plate.

Add the shallots, cumin and nigella seeds to the hot pan, and cook for 5 mins until starting to soften. Stir in the curry paste, then cook for 1 min more. Return the chicken to the pan.

Preheat the oven to 180⁰c.

Drain the rice, washing it with clean water, add it to the pan along with the curry leaves, then pour over the stock and bring to the boil.

Add the spinach to the pan and put the lid on for a few minutes until it has wilted. Stir in the paneer and some seasoning. Cover the pan with foil, then put the lid on top.

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Cook in the oven for 20 mins, then leave to stand, covered, for 10 mins.

Serve with the coriander, chillies and yogurt on the side.

Recipe: ukshallot.comBeetroot Risotto with Cream Cheese

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

30g butter

2 tbsp olive oil

1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped


2 garlic cloves, crushed

400g cooked beetroot, chopped

Leaves from 2 sprigs of fresh thyme

250g risotto rice

125ml white wine

900ml chicken stock


110g parmesan, grated


Salt and freshly ground black pepper


Cream cheese (We love Paysan Breton)

Method

Put the butter and olive oil to a large saucepan and heat over a medium heat until the butter has melted.

Add red onion and garlic and cook gently until the onion has softened but not coloured.

Now add the chopped beetroot and thyme leaves to the pan and stir to combine.

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Add the rice to the pan and stir to coat and allow the colour of the beetroot to spread throughout the ingredients. Continue stirring for another 2 minutes until the rice begins to look translucent.

Pour the white wine into the pan and allow to bubble while stirring continuously.

Add a ladleful of chicken stock and stir until all the liquid has been absorbed.

Continue adding the chicken stock bit by bit, allowing the liquid to absorb each time while stirring constantly.

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Cook the rice until the grains are tender but still have a little bite. It will take at least 20 minutes.

Season well with salt and pepper to your taste.

Once the rice is cooked, grate in the parmesan and stir through to create a creamy consistency.

Serve immediately topped with small dollops of cream cheese.

Recipe: Diana Henry www.lovebeetroot.co.ukZespri SunGold and Pear Crumble

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A heart-warming winter dessert with a tropical twist that will have all the family

smiling.

Serves: 4-6

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 40-45 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

4 pears, peeled and cored

1tbsp dark brown sugar

Juice of ½ lemon

½ tsp ground ginger

½ tsp ground cinnamon

3 Zespri SunGold kiwis, peeled

200g plain flour

100g caster sugar

100g chilled butter, cubed

Optional: Mixed nuts and seeds

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C.

Roughly chop the pears and add to a saucepan with the dark brown sugar, lemon juice, ground ginger and ground cinnamon. Add a splash of water to the pan and heat gently.

Over a low heat, heat the mixture until it starts to bubble, the sugar has dissolved, and the pears have softened. If needed add a splash of water to make sure the mixture does not burn.

Roughly chop the Zespri SunGold kiwis and add to the pan, stirring to coat them in all the sticky sugary mix.

Take off the heat and pour into a baking dish.

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Make the crumble topping: In a mixing bowl, combine the flour and caster sugar. Add the cubed butter and using the tips of your fingers, rub the butter through the flour mix to form a breadcrumb like consistency. Be careful not to overwork it or the crumble will become heavy.

If using, roughly chop a selection of mixed nuts and seeds and stir through the crumble mix.

Spoon the crumble mix onto the top of the baking dish and bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes until golden brown and bubbling.

Serve warm with ice cream, cream or custard.