Rain or shine, there is nothing like a warm, homemade meal to brighten spirits (and impress your dinner guests). October is here and on these gloomy days, coming home to a hot meal is just what you need. As the leaves change colour and the sun sets sooner, use these two autumn-inspired recipes to embrace the natural change of the seasons – carrot and lentil soup, and chicken and chorizo stew.
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Carrot and Lentil Soup
Ingredients
(Serves 4)
- 3 tbsp of butter
- 1 red onion
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 500g carrots
- 250g red lentils
- 1.5l chicken stock
- 125ml crème fraiche
- Fresh coriander leaves
Method
- Begin by melting the butter in a heavy saucepan on high heat.
- Finely chop the red onion and garlic. When butter begins to bubble, add the onion and garlic. Cook for five minutes until the onion and garlic softens and browns.
- Next, rinse and drain the red lentils and grate the carrots. Pour all of the chicken stock into a pot, adding the lentils, carrots, onion and garlic and bring to a boil.
- Allow the dish to simmer for 40 minutes until the lentils are soft. Afterwards, remove from heat and blend the soup. Once smooth, return to a low heat and serve with a dollop of crème fraiche.
- Sprinkle the soup with finely chopped coriander leaves.
- Season to taste and serve.
Chicken and Chorizo Stew
Ingredients
(Serves 8)
- 10 medium chicken thighs with skin on
- Olive oil for cooking
- 1 large onion, finely diced
- 2 carrots, finely chopped
- 2 sticks of celery, finely chopped
- 280g of cooking chorizo, sliced
- 375ml of red wine
- 400ml of chicken stock
- 1 tbsp of Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp of caster sugar
- 1 can of butter beans
- Fresh curly parsley, roughly chopped
Method
- Start by preheating the oven to 150C and prepare the chicken thighs, removing any excess skin underneath the thigh.
- Next, place a heavy-bottomed pot onto the hob on medium heat. Add 20ml of olive oil to coat the bottom of the pot.
- Next, you want to cook off the chicken thighs, browning on all sides and once finished, remove them from the pot.
- Remove some of the excess oil from the pot and bring the remaining oil to the heat again. Cook off the vegetables for three minutes until translucent and soft.
- Add in the chorizo and cook for another five minutes.
- After, add the red wine to the pot and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and add the chicken thighs, chicken stock, mustard and sugar. Give the pot a good stir and place in the oven for two hours.
- The stew will become quite oily, so skim the top occasionally during cooking.
- Finally, add the beans and return the pot to the oven for 20 more minutes.
- Once cooked, taste and season the dish. When ready to serve, garnish with the chopped parsley. Finally, enjoy.
