Top 5 ways with pumpkins

Don't waste your Halloween pumpkins! More than just a scary face, these big and beautiful winter squashes can be cooked in all sorts of ways for a delicious supper.

5 ways with pumpkin

1. Pumpkin Pilaf Heat 2 tbsp oil and 2 tbsp butter in a saucepan with lid. Add 1 onion, 3 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp each of cumin, fennel and black onion seeds, and cook for 3 mins. Add 400g basmati rice, cook for 2 mins. Add 400g diced pumpkin and 800ml chicken stock, bring to boil, then simmer. Cook without stirring for 10 mins until liquid is absorbed, turn off heat, stand for 5 mins.

2. Broccoli, pumpkin & pine nut tart Mix 700g sliced pumpkin, 1 sliced red onion, 2 sprigs thyme and 2 tbsp olive oil in a roasting tin. Roast for 15 mins at 200°C. Add 200g Tenderstem broccoli (in 4cm pieces) and garlic to tin, mix and roast for 5 mins. Roll out puff pastry, place on baking tray. Place cooked mixture on top, sprinkle with pine nuts and dot with crème fraîche. Bake for 20 mins.

3. Shallot, red pepper and pumpkin soup Place 4 quartered, deseeded red peppers skin side up on a baking sheet and roast at 200°C for 25 mins, until the skins char. Cool, peel off skins, reserve flesh. In a pan melt 30g butter with 1 tbsp rapeseed oil. Add 6 shallots, 750g diced pumpkin and 1 red chilli, season, then sweat vegetables for 5-10 mins. Add 4 garlic cloves, sprig of thyme, 1.2l veg stock and simmer for 15 mins. Add red peppers and simmer for 5 mins. Blend.

4. Pennoni regati, butternut squash and pumpkin seeds Peel and dice a small squash. Season and sauté for 5 mins in 1 tbsp olive oil. Peel and add 20 small shallots. Cook and drain 300g pasta. Toast 50g pumpkin seeds. Mix a quarter of the cooked squash with 1 chilli and 6 tbsp water. Cook until it just starts to break down. Add a knob of butter, sprig of chopped rosemary and remaining squash and shallots. Mix in pasta. Add Parmesan to serve.

5. Baked pumpkin with a rosemary, chilli and orange topping Roast 12 shallots in olive oil and butter at 200°C for 15 mins. Add 1kg diced pumpkin, roast another 15 mins. Heat 4 tbsp olive oil with 3 cloves of garlic. Add 1 red chilli, 1 tbsp rosemary, 2 tbsp parsley and zest of 1 orange, stirring. Add 120g breadcrumbs, cook for 1 min. Spread breadcrumb mix over the squash and shallots mixture and return to the oven at 180°C for 30 mins.

Courtesy of www.ukshallot.com, www.loveradish.co.uk and www.tenderstem.co.uk.

Save £20 at Gousto!

It’s 6.30pm, you’re on the bus, and dreaming of getting home to a healthy dinner. Trouble is, a detour to buy fresh parsley/tahini/black eyed beans is out of the question. Wouldn’t it be great if all the ingredients could be magically waiting at home for you? 

Friends James Carter and Timo Schmidt thought so — which is why they set up Gousto for people committed to home-cooking, but lacking the time to shop for ingredients.

It’s a temptingly simple solution. Go online, choose from a ‘Couple Box’ and a ‘Family Box’, select the recipes that appeal to you, and they’ll deliver (for free) the necessary portions of the local, fresh, organic ingredients you need — along with easy-to-follow recipe cards.

Gousto’s recipes are developed by a team of professional chefs, cover all cuisines and styles, and are tested by friends and families first. Every week, the selection is updated to make sure there’re plenty of new recipes for you — recent dishes include chicken in mascarpone/chilli/lemon zest sauce and rice, and honey-roasted beetroot with warm bulgar wheat and beans. And, since the assumption is you’re busy, most dishes take no more than half an hour to prepare and cook.

Fancy giving it a go?

How to redeem your £20 coupon

1. Visit www.gousto.co.uk
2. Select your box
3. Enter your code SIMPLE20 at checkout to save £20
4. Select your recipes

Get into whisky

Alwynne Gwilt aka ‘Miss Whisky’ has a simple goal – to turn the ‘armchair & slippers’ image of whisky on its head.  

What tips can you give us about buying whisky for friends in the run-up to Christmas?

All the whisky outlets will be doing tastings, so go along and try some. At the Scotch Malt Whisky Society in London, Edinburgh and Leith you can buy tickets to events where you can sample interesting single cask whisky. Don’t assume that just because it’s old it’s good – it comes down to what you personally enjoy. And when buying for friends, think about what they already drink. If they enjoy red wine, sherry or port, they’ll probably prefer a whisky that’s had a sherry maturation. If they already drink bourbon, then they might like to try a Scotch whisky which has been finished in a bourbon cask. Just go into a specialist shop and have a chat. There are no ‘wrong’ questions!

You can read the rest of our interview with Alwynne in issue 16 of The Simple Things, which is on sale now.

Diwali dinner idea: pumpkin coconut curry

Pumpkin coconut curry with split peas, chickpeas & leek This light, sunshine-hued curry promises not to make your eyes water – just your mouth…

Serves 4-6 2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, roughly chopped

1 leek, roughly chopped

1 litre vegetable stock

1 can coconut milk

230g kabocha squash/pumpkin

65g yellow split peas

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

2¹/₂ tsp curry powder

1 tsp cumin seeds

¹/₈ tsp allspice

¹/₈ tsp nutmeg, freshly grated

¹/₈ tsp red pepper flakes

65g kale, chopped small

1. Add onion, garlic, leek and olive oil to a frying pan over medium heat.  Sauté for 5-10 mins or until it starts to brown. Add vegetable stock, kabocha or pumpkin, split peas and salt. Bring mixture to a boil, then simmer and cover for 20-25 mins.

2. Once pumpkin and split peas are tender, add chickpeas, all spices and kale. Stew for 10-15 mins until well combined and tasty. Top with shredded coconut or natural yoghurt.

Find more yummy ideas in issue 16 of The Simple Things, which is on sale now.

Seed to Stove: Autumn roots

Introducing… Seed 2 Stove: Autumn roots.

In the first of a new series for the magazine, keen allotmenteer Lia Leendertz cooks up her colourful autumn crop.

"My allotment sits at the top of a hill in north Bristol. Much of the time my two kids are climbing the apple trees and demanding drinks or snacks, but not now. Autumn is a gentle, quiet time to be here. They’re in school and the mad tsunami of summer bounty is behind me. My autumn crops sit and wait until I’m ready for them. What a change. I can think and tend and decide what to cook, rather than the allotment dictating.

It’s a time for reordering summer growth and chaos. Grass edges that have crept into beds can be sliced into satisfying sharpness with a spade, and new areas of the plot must be conquered, the white couch grass roots slowly disentangled from the earth and thrown straight onto a little smoky fire. Some things will need planting soon too: new fruit bushes must be ordered, as well as garlic and broad beans – promises of flavours to come."

In season this month "Beetroots and carrots are pretty malleable and dependable crops. I sow direct into the soil every few weeks from early summer to late summer, picking the babies earlier in the year but leaving some to get big for autumnal roasts and pickles. You can, of course, sow carrots and beetroots that look just like the ones in the shops, but where’s the fun in that? It’s precisely as easy to sow and grow white and yellow beetroots, candy striped ones, yellow, black and white carrots as it is the usual suspects, and this year I really went for it. They make for a pleasingly colourful and unusual autumn crop.

At this stage of the game they’ve toughened up a little, so we’re not really in salad territory here. These roots are best when slowly cooked and dressed with spices to bring out their inherent sweetness and complexity. Suits me."

Try something new There’s a world of unusual colours and varieties to try. The future is not necessarily orange for the humble carrot.

1. White Belgian "I’ll let you into a secret – these huge, heavy fellows were once commonly grown on small farms to be used as animal feed. But don’t let that put you off! They’re deliciously tender and mild, and look great pickled in jars with their orange friends."

2. Spanish Black "This year I also sowed some of these striking black carrots. They were around long before the orange sort, and are popular across Asia and the Middle East. Roast, don’t boil them as you’ll lose the colour (and taste)."

3. Jaune Obtuse du Doubs "A French heirloom. That makes these carrots sound almost too special to eat, but eat them you must as they’ve got a great, strong, sweet taste and look brilliant grated in a salad."

Join Lia Leendertz and photographer Kirstie Young every other month for seasonal recipes and growing tips in The Simple Things magazine.

Don't miss: National Craft Bakers' Week

National Craft Bakers’ Week 7-13th October 2013 Bakers from across the country are coming together this October to tempt people into their bakeries to support National Craft Bakers’ Week. A range of fabulous bread, cakes and pies will be available for people to try and buy, with promotions and events taking place around the country during the week.

National Craft Bakers’ Week is organised on behalf of hundreds of craft bakers across the UK who form a key part of the British high street. It aims to encourage support for bakeries from local communities and highlight the variety of produce made by these skilled craftspeople every day. The campaign is supported by TV baking stars Tom and Henry Herbert, the Fabulous Baker Brothers, who run Hobbs House Bakery in the Cotswolds at Chipping Sodbury. Tom and Henry are passionate about getting the public to support craft bakers: “There is rightly a great feeling of pride about British food at the moment and National Craft Bakers’ Week is a great way to remind everyone that bakers are very much part of this story,” says Henry. “Baking is a real skill and one that we need to celebrate and support. It can take years to learn the craft as there are so many techniques to master, from traditional bread making and caring for a sour dough culture through to icing cakes. So please show some love for your local baker by visiting them this October – it will be worth it!”

National Craft Bakers’ Week supports the Teenage Cancer Trust and bakers will be fundraising on behalf of the charity. For more, visit www.craftbakersweek.co.uk.

£20 off at Hello Fresh

We've teamed up with Hello Fresh to provide you with an exclusive offer on a delivery of fresh ingredients and recipes.

As a The Simple Things reader just enter the code ST20 to claim a tasty £20 to spend on your first box across all Hello Fresh boxes.

To Claim the Offer

• Visit www.hellofresh.co.uk/ST20
• Choose your box
• Select your number of meals and portions
• Hello Fresh will send you your first box full of fresh ingredients, £20 off.

Hello Fresh deliver recipes that can be prepared in 30 minutes or less, with all the required fresh ingredients in the exact quantities, direct to your door.

'We source the highest quality, freshest ingredients the UK has to offer and bring it all to you direct from the very best independent suppliers.' Patrick Drake, Head Chef.

Our Fishmonger – James Knight of Mayfair For royally appointed James Knight fresh is best and when it comes to fish or seafood you can be sure that you’re tucking in to the most sought after produce in the UK. With HM Queen and HRH Prince of Wales as two of his most loyal customers, you’ll be dining like royalty every week. All the fish we source is coastal fresh, line-caught and free from any artificial preservatives, for which reason we recommend you eat it first, within three days of your delivery.

Our Butcher – Tom Hixson Tom Hixson is certainly a man that knows his meat. A third generation butcher based in Smithfield’s market for more than 30 years, Tom is part of a family tradition that works to provide the highest quality meat available. All the meat we supply you is ethically reared. His beef, veal, lamb and poultry is the most sought after, owing to the finest standards and quite simply procuring the finest produce they can.

www.hellofresh.co.uk/ST20

The Simple Things Etsy Pages

Discovering and curating our favourite things through NEW Etsy Pages.

Nesting curated by The Simple Things on Etsy

Above: our favourite ways to NEST…

When Etsy asked us to be one of the first UK Partners selected to curate our finds through Etsy Pages we were thrilled. At The Simple Things we constantly use Etsy to source talented designer-makers to showcase in the pages of our magazine.

You can now follow our inspiration boards via Etsy Pages. Use them for gift ideas and trend-watching or as a starting point to make your own discoveries. Just click and you're taken directly to the item and seller featured!

Here's a look at some of our Etsy Pages. We will be constantly updating so be sure to visit regularly…

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Simple Style curated by The Simple Things on Etsy

Above: our favourite ways to SIMPLE STYLE

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Thinking curated by The Simple Things on Etsy

Above: our favourite ways to THINK

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Notes on orchard fruit

Raw or cooked, dried or jammed? Here's how best to eat the season's fruit harvest.

A nice cup of chai

Tea or coffee? Hmm, tricky. If only you could cram the benefits of both hot beverages into one mug – the perkiness of tea mixed with the warmth of a cinnamon latte. Well, you can! It’s called chai.

An Indian pick-me-up made with strong black tea (usually Assam), milk (buffalo, if you seek total authenticity), sugar and spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and pepper, chai converts pretty much everyone who encounters it – be they riding a train in West Bengal or nursing a hangover at a boutique festival.

Careful, though – often chai is the first step on a longer path to “finding oneself”. Yoga comes next. In certain extreme cases, people have even been known to purchase books by Deepak Chopra.

Like any ritualised refreshment that’s been around for hundreds of years, chai comes in numerous subtly different modes according to region and vendor. Over here you can buy ready-made teabags from just about anywhere, although enthusiasts swear brewing your own is worth the effort. Just sip from a traditional earthenware cup and try to remember where you put your backpack…

* Or to be specific, since “chai” is the generic word for tea in several countries, “masala chai”

Moroccan feast

Scatter the cushions and get on the floor for a zesty, aromatic supper that’s made for sharing. Food stylist and photographer Chantelle Grady produces exclusive recipes and sumptuous photography for a ten page feature in the magazine this month. Try her spiced coffee and almond fekka recipe tonight.

SPICED COFFEE

Your cafetiére won't know what's hit it when you concoct this warming, perky after-dinner brew .

Serves 4-6

3 whole cloves

5 cardamom pods

¹/₂ tsp black peppercorns

25g espresso beans, ground

¹/₂ tsp ground cinnamon

¹/₂ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

¹/₂ tsp ground ginger

1 litre boiling water

Warm milk, if desired

Sugar, if desired

1. Place cloves, cardamom pods and black peppercorns in a mortar and pestle. Grind until cardamom pods split open, and remove papery shell. Grind seeds and cloves into a fine powder.

2. Transfer to a bowl. Add the ground coffee, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger and mix to combine.

3. Transfer coffee mixture into a cafetière, add boiling water and steep for 5 mins. To serve, add sugar and warm milk if desired.

ALMOND FEKKAS

These crisp, just-sweet-enough little dainties are Morocco's answer to biscotti.

Makes about 40 biscuits

85g raisins

145g unsalted butter, melted

220g caster sugar

3 eggs, plus 1 egg lightly beaten

2 tbsp orange-blossom water

¹/₂ tsp almond extract

320g plain flour

1 tbsp baking powder

¹/₄ tsp salt

1 tbsp aniseed

1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

160g whole almonds, toasted, roughly chopped

1. Preheat oven to 180˚C (160˚ fan), gas 4, 350˚F. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

2. Place raisins in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Allow to soak for 10 mins, and then drain and set aside.

3. Place the butter, sugar, 3 eggs, orange-blossom water and almond extract in a large bowl and stir to combine. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and stir until all ingredients come together. Add the aniseed, sesame seeds, almonds and raisins and mix to evenly distribute. Cover and chill in refrigerator for 1 hour.

4. Turn dough out onto prepared baking sheet and divide into 2 balls. Moisten hands with water and form 2 loaves about 5cm in width, allowing space between each loaf. Brush with egg wash and bake in oven for 30 mins, or until golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

5. Once cool, use a serrated knife to cut into 1cm slices and lay out on 2 baking trays lined with baking paper. Bake for a further 8 mins, flip slices over and bake for another 8 mins, or until golden on both sides. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Serve with spiced coffee.

Enjoy!

Inspired by...ice cream!

You'll never met someone who didn't like ice cream, celebrate your love for this summertime treat with our favourite recipes and ice cream inspired accessories from around the web.

Top row (left to right): Wheel thrown ice cream bowls JD Wolfe Pottery, strawberry and mint froyo, mint chocolate ice cream print Painter Peeps

Bottom row (left to right): Roasted strawberry and coconut lollies, personalised ice cream pots Randomalia Designs

Find out more about everyone's favourite summer treat from our ice cream expert inside issue 13.

Janis' cake in the house: Pistachio raspberry loaf

Photographer, design buff and native Vancouverite Janis Nicolay shares the recipe for her favourite loaf cake to keep in her home over the summer. Bake and enjoy.

Pistachio Raspberry Loaf - makes one 3.5 x 8 inch loaf

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened 3/4 cup sugar 2 teaspoons orange zest 2 eggs 2 cups all purpose flour 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 cup milk 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries 3/4 cup chopped pistachios Icing: 1 1/4 cups icing sugar, sifted 2-3 tablespoons orange juice

Preheat oven to 350f/180c. Line a loaf tin with parchment paper and set aside. In a medium bowl, beat the orange zest, butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and beat well. Sift the flour and baking powder over the butter mixture, then add the milk, and fold through. Fold in the pistachios and raspberries, making sure not to over mix. Pour mixture into tin and bake for about 55-60 minutes, or until a skewer, inserted in centre, comes out clean. Allow to cool for a few minutes, before turning out onto to a cooling rack. To make icing, sift icing sugar into a medium bowl. Add orange juice and stir until smooth. Pour over cooled loaf.

You can see more from Janis and her home town of Vancouver inside issue 12, and don't forget to visit her on her blog Pinecone Camp for more beautiful design, bakes, DIY and travel.

The perfect summer lunch: Gazpacho

Honour the tomato with this cold Spanish soup. Top with croutons and Serrano ham for a perfect lunch.

Serves 6 6 large tomatoes 2 red peppers, deseeded and chopped 2 yellow peppers, deseeded and chopped 1 small cucumber, peeled and chopped 3 spring onions, chopped 1 large garlic clove 1 tbsp sherry vinegar, or a splash to suit your taste A splash garlic olive oil 1 tbsp good olive oil 1 tsp sugar 1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1. Put the tomatoes into a bowl of boiling water with small crosses cut into them to help the skins to peel off. Remove the skins, wait until the tomatoes are cool and chop finely. 2. Chop everything up, removing the green part of the spring onion and deseeding the cucumber. If you have a blender or food processor, add all of the vegetables and blitz. Otherwise just carry on chopping until a paste-like consistency is reached. 3. Add the oils, sugar, sherry and paprika and taste. Add additional seasoning if it needs it. Serve toppings in separate bowls so people can help themselves.

Strawberry, pineapple and mint frozen yoghurt

We've arguably found the most summery recipe for frozen yoghurt in existence, so if the weather lets us down we can always enjoy summer in a bowl.

Serves: 4 (makes 1 litre) Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 5 minutes

You’ll need: 450g strawberries 1 tbsp lemon juice 130g caster sugar 250g whole milk, unset yoghurt 2 tbsps of freshly chopped mint and four extra sprigs for decoration 1 fresh pineapple

What to do: Slice the strawberries into small pieces and place them with the lemon juice and sugar in a saucepan and warm gently, mixing well with a wooden spoon.

Mash the strawberries with the back of a wooden spoon as the sugar dissolves and the mixture warms.

Set the cooked strawberries aside to cool, covered.

Mix together the yoghurt and mint in a bowl and then add the strawberries.

Spoon the yoghurt mixture into four individual serving glasses, moulds or plastic ice-lolly moulds and freeze for at least three hours, or overnight.

When ready to serve, take the serving glasses or moulds out of the freezer. Dip into warm water to unmould the yoghurt on a plate. Serve with finely chopped fresh pineapple and decorate with fresh mint.

*This recipe was taken from Sweet Eve, visit their website for more recipes.

Win your own SousVide Supreme Demi with The Simple Things

As seen in our July issue of The Simple Things we're giving you a chance to win a SousVide Supreme Demi worth £450.

Sous vide cooking is a tried and tested method in restaurants since the 70s, popular with the likes of Raymond Blanc and Heston Blumenthal. French for 'under vacuum' food is 'poached' in a bag to lock in flavour and nutrients. Once a way of cooking reserved for the professionals, you can now give it a whirl in your own kitchen with the SousVide Supreme Demi water oven. This is not weird science but an easy, low energy and controlled way of cooking any meat, fish or veg (and even sauces, cakes, and infused vodkas!).

Are you ready to start experimenting, because we're giving you the chance to win your very own SousVide - click here to enter now!

Share some strawberry margaritas

The sun has truly come out from hiding this week, and we cannot think of a better way to celebrate than sharing this recipe for a fruity strawberry and lime margarita. Cheers!

Serves 6 300g fresh or frozen strawberries 2 tbsp honey 240ml tequila Half a bunch of mint leaves

1. Fuse the honey, tequila and strawberries in a blender – add a little ice if using fresh, or a splash of water if using frozen. 2. Garnish with chopped mint and strawberry slices.

This recipe was taken from Issue 08 of The Simple Things, download it now.

Remember to always enjoy alcohol responsibly.

One perfect cheese

Ann-Marie Dyas from The Fine Cheese C0 shows us her perfect cheese.

Make your own cinnamon and caramel sauce

You may have spotted Ashley Fryer from Peach Trees and Bumblebees inside this month's Issue of The Simple Things, Ashley has now kindly joined us on the blog to share one of her favourite recipes! Take it away Ashley...

This gorgeous sauce is delicious warm and served over ice cream! I like to make it as a gift to take to dinner parties. It’s lovely given in a large jar with a big bow! Also excellent in banana splits and sundaes.

Indgredients

200g butter 140g soft brown sugar 397g can condensed milk 397g can caramel 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Put the butter, sugar, condensed milk, caramel and cinnamon in a pan. Heat on low until the butter melts – but make sure you don’t boil the sauce. Ensure the sugar has melted and stir until smooth and glossy. The trick is to keep the heat low and stir it constantly. If the worst happens and the sauce burns, you can always sieve it. Remove from the heat and whisk until very smooth. Pour into sterilised jars and allow to cool before sealing.

The story of the first Foodie Bugle

Silvana De Soissons shares the journey of The Foodie Bugle from top website to print magazine.

In creating the very first print edition of The Foodie Bugle I decided to contact a number of food and drink writers, bloggers, producers, artists and farmers whom we had featured in the last two years, since the website at www.thefoodiebugle.com was created.

Many readers had contacted me in the past to say they wanted a print edition of all the features, reviews, articles, photos, interviews and essays we publish online, and so I decided to kick-start a collaborative project to bring this idea to light.

I was amazed at what a generous and kind community existed out there, really talented people offering their work to be part of this new venture. From photographers like Alyson Fennell, Lisa Barber, Tif Hunter, Pascale Cumberbatch, Sarah Maingot and Jason Ingram, to illustrators like Anna Koska, Beatrice Caillat and Annabel Lee, we were able to publish a really wide range of original and unique food and drink photographs and art work. This made all our articles about food and drink producers, writers, retailers and growers come to life and grab the attention, all printed in Britain, on organic, uncoated paper to make the magazine feel tactile and earthy.

Elisabeth Luard, an award winning food writer, unbeknownst to many of her readers, is also a very accomplished watercolour painter. About a year ago I went to visit her at her beautiful farmhouse in deepest, wildest West Wales, and she showed me the collection of paintings she had made for her new book, “A Cook’s Year in a Welsh Farmhouse”. From wildflowers to berries, produce from her vegetable garden, foraged mushrooms and fresh ingredients sourced from local markets and towns, Elisabeth spends a little time painting Mother Nature and all her bounty almost every day. She then uploads the images onto her Twitter stream and chats about her finds with her followers.

I thought it would be really interesting for our readers to enjoy her paintings on paper, and so I approached her to find out if she would allow me. She accepted, and so we went ahead. The results were really lovely, and many readers have commented on how pleased they were to see the paintings. Several readers have bought two copies: one to keep and one to tear out all the artwork and glue it to the wall.

You can purchase a copy of The Foodie Bugle from the website here: http://thefoodiebugle.com/shop    Follow us on Twitter: @TheFoodieBugle

Want a chance to win a copy of the first ever The Foodie Bugle? Tell us in which year The Foodie Bugle was created in the comments below and we'll pick a winner at random!