Ludlow Lifestyle Nov - Dec 2021

Dinner is served
Tasty recipes from Amanda Owen
Wild Mushroom Soup with
Wood Sorrel & Hazelnut Pesto
Prep time 10 minutes
Cooking time 35 minutes
Serves 4
2 tbsp Yorkshire rapeseed oil, plus extra for
garnish
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 large clove garlic, crushed or grated
450g wild mushrooms, such as yellow
chanterelle, roughly chopped
50ml Madeira or sweet sherry
850ml hot vegetable stock
3 sprigs fresh thyme
200ml double cream
1 tsp mushroom powder
Salt and black pepper
Pesto
25g chopped toasted hazelnuts
1 small bunch wood sorrel
2 tbsp olive oil
10g Parmesan
Garnish
Handful of wild mushrooms
Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add
the onion and garlic and fry gently for 5
minutes, until softened but not coloured.
Next, add the mushrooms and fry on a
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medium heat for 8 minutes, until they are
golden.
Pour the Madeira over the mushrooms and
cook on a high heat for about a minute until
the alcohol evaporates.
Lower the heat and pour in the hot stock,
then add the sprigs of thyme. Bring to the
boil then cover and simmer gently for 20
minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat, blitz with
a hand blender or in a liquidizer until the
soup is smooth. Return the soup to a clean
pan, stir in the cream and sprinkle over the
mushroom powder, then season the soup
and gently reheat over a low heat.
Meanwhile, place the pesto ingredients into
a small food processor and blitz for a few
seconds until combined. Add extra oil if the
pesto is a little thick and season to taste.
For the mushroom garnish, drizzle some
oil in a small frying pan and gently fry the
remaining mushrooms for a couple of
minutes until golden.
To serve, ladle the soup into warm bowls,
scatter over the whole fried mushrooms,
and top with a spoonful of pesto.
Tip
Try serving with homemade spelt bread.
Moroccan Lamb Tagine with
Jewelled Couscous
Prep time 15 minutes
Cooking time 1 hour 15 minutes
Serves 4
Tagine
2 tbsp olive oil
600g lamb shoulder, diced
1 large onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tbsp hot smoked paprika
40g tomato purée
400g can cherry tomatoes
1 cinnamon stick
50g dried apricots, chopped
2 large pieces orange peel
285ml lamb stock
1 small bunch coriander, chopped
Jewelled couscous
200g couscous
200ml hot vegetable stock
1 red onion, chopped
100g pomegranate seeds
1 small bunch mint, leaves roughly chopped
1 small bunch coriander, chopped
3 spring onions
20g almonds, toasted
Salt and black pepper
Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/ gas 4.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large
heatproof casserole dish, then add the
lamb and sear and brown on all sides for
about 5 minutes. Remove the lamb from
the casserole dish with a slotted spoon and
set aside.
Return the casserole dish to the heat and
add the remaining oil. When hot, add the
onion and fry gently for approximately 8
minutes until golden. Add the garlic and fry
for a further minute.
Sprinkle over the ground spices and stir
in the tomato purée then fry for a further
minute. Return the meat and any juices
to the pan with the remaining Tagine
ingredients (except the fresh coriander),
bring to the boil then cover with a lid and
transfer to the middle shelf of the oven.
Cook for 1 hour, or until the meat is tender.
Meanwhile, while the Tagine cooks, put the
couscous into a bowl and pour over the
hot vegetable stock. Cover the bowl tightly
with cling film and set aside for 10 minutes
until the couscous has absorbed the liquid.
Season the couscous, then stir through
the remaining ingredients, saving a few
almonds and herbs to garnish.
To serve the Tagine, remove the cinnamon
stick and check seasoning, then sprinkle
over the chopped coriander. Serve in warm
bowls with the jewelled couscous.
Tip
This recipe can also be cooked slowly in a
Tagine over a barbecue.