Chicken and sweet corn chowder
Ingredients
300g frozen sweetcorn; 400ml home-made chicken stock; 40g butter; one small onion, peeled and finely chopped; one small carrot, peeled and finely diced; one tablespoon of flour; 600ml of milk; salt and freshly ground black pepper; 100g cheddar cheese, grated; 150 to 200g cooked chicken, chopped, and two to three tablespoons of cream.
Method
Put the sweetcorn in a saucepan with the stock. Cover, bring to the boil, then reduce to simmer for 10 minutes. Puree and set aside.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat. Add the onion and carrot and sauté gently for 10 minutes until softened. Stir in the flour and continue to cook for a couple of minutes. Gradually whisk in the milk and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for three to four minutes, stirring all the time. Add in the cheese, corn mixture, cream and seasoning. Serve in warmed soup bowls with crusty bread.
Roasted squash, spinach, and goats cheese tartlets
Ingredients
250g prepared butternut squash; one tablespoon of olive oil; salt and freshly ground black pepper; 225g spinach, washed and large stalks removed; 150g goats cheese; two large eggs; 200ml double cream; 40g farmhouse cheese, finely grated.
For the oatmeal pastry: 175g plain flour; 175g oatmeal; three quarters a teaspoon of salt; 75g butter; 75g lard or white vegetable shortening, cut into pieces and two tablespoons of chilled water, cut into pieces.
Method
For the oatmeal pastry put the flour, oatmeal, and salt into a food processor or mixing bowl, add the butter and lard and work together until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the water with a kitchen knife, or process briefly, until the mixture comes together into a ball. Knead briefly on a lightly floured surface until smooth.
Divide the pastry into six even-sized pieces. Roll each piece out on a lightly floured surface and roll out into approximately 15cm discs. Use to line six lightly buttered 10cm tartlet tins that are three cm deep. Chill for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to gas mark 6, 200ºC (400ºF ). Cut the prepared butternut squash into two and a half cm sized pieces. Place in a roasting tin with the olive oil and some salt and pepper and toss together. Spread out in a layer and roast for 20 minutes or until just tender.
Line the tartlet cases with squares of crumpled greaseproof paper and a thin layer of baking beans and bake blind for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and return to the oven for a further five to six minutes until crisp and biscuit-coloured. Meanwhile, heat a large pan over a medium-high heat, add the spinach and cook for two to three minutes until it has wilted down into the base of the pan. Tip into a colander and gently press out the excess liquid. Season. Break the goats cheese into small pieces.
Remove the tartlet cases from the oven and lower the oven temperature to gas mark 5, 190ºC (375ºF ). Arrange the pieces of roasted butternut squash, spinach, and crumbled goats cheese in the tartlet cases. Beat the eggs and cream together in a jug with 25g of the grated cheese and some seasoning. Pour into each tartlet case and sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes until set and lightly golden.
