LAMB AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH STEW

Ingredients
Serves: 6

1 tablespoon olive oil
12 lamb cutlets
750ml (1 ¼ pints) lamb or chicken stock
2 medium onions, sliced
1 large butternut squash, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices, then peeled
3 or 4 carrots, chopped
5 sticks celery, chopped
6-7 fresh sage leaves
4-5 fresh thyme sprigs
3 tablespoons pearl barley
salt and pepper

Preparation
Prep: 25 mins - Cook: 1 hour 50 mins
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (Gas 4).

Heat oil in a large heavy based pan, and fry cutlets for a couple of minutes on each side to brown. Remove the cutlets, discard the oil and add the stock to the pan. Bring to a boil, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan, and then add the rest of the stock.

Place half of the onions in a large ovenproof casserole dish. Top with one third of the butternut squash, then add half the carrots and celery, and all the sage and thyme and cutlets. Season with salt and pepper, and then sprinkle the barley over the vegetables. Repeat the layering and top with remaining butternut squash. Pour the stock over everything and cover with a lid or aluminium foil.

Cook in the preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours or until the lamb is tender, checking occasionally and adding more stock if needed. Remove the lid and increase the temperature a little. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until potatoes have browned.

SPICED APPLE AND BEETROOT SOUP

Ingredients
Serves: 4

1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
220g raw beetroot, peeled and roughly chopped
2 dessert apples, peeled, cored and cut into chunks
1 large red onion, cut into small chunks
1 tbsp mild curry powder
2 eggs
500ml vegetable stock, made with stock cubes
4 tbsp half-fat crème fraîche

Preparation method
Prep: 15 mins |Cook: 15 mins
Melt the butter and oil in a large pan and stir in the beetroot, apples and onion. Cover and cook over a medium heat, shaking the pan occasionally to prevent sticking, for 10 minutes. Stir in the curry powder and cook for a further 5 minutes over a gentle heat.

While the vegetables are frying, hard-boil the eggs in a pan of boiling water for 10 minutes, then put them into a bowl of cold water to cool. Peel them and chop roughly.

Add half the stock to the vegetables, tip into a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Pour back into the pan.

Stir the remaining stock into the purée. Season and heat gently until boiling. Ladle into bowls, swirl 1 tbsp crème fraîche into each and scatter with the chopped hard-boiled eggs.

VENISON STEAKS WITH PEARS

Ingredients
Serves: 4

4 venison steaks, about 140 g (5 oz) each
coarsely ground black pepper
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
3 tbsp port
120 ml (4 fl oz) beef stock, preferably home-made
200 g (7 oz) fresh or frozen cranberries
2 ripe but firm medium-sized pears, such as Conference or Comice
1 tbsp light muscovado sugar, or to taste
Rösti
1 small celeriac, about 350 g (11½ oz)
2 medium-sized sweet potatoes, about 400 g (14 oz) in total
2 potatoes, about 400 g (14 oz) in total
1 small swede, about 400 g (14 oz)
40 g (1½ oz) unsalted butter
salt and pepper

Preparation method
Prep: 40 mins |Cook: 35 mins
First make the rösti. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F, gas mark 6). Peel the celeriac, sweet potatoes, potatoes and swede and coarsely grate them, then squeeze out excess liquid. Place them in a large bowl, season with salt and pepper to taste and mix well.

Put half of the butter into a large ovenproof frying pan, or a round or oval baking dish or tin about 25 cm (10 in) across. Heat in the oven for 3–4 minutes or until the butter is foaming, then remove and add the grated vegetables. Press them down to make an even, compact cake. Dot with the remaining butter, then cover with foil. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 20–25 more minutes or until the top is lightly browned.

While the rösti is in the oven, pat the steaks dry, then season with coarsely ground black pepper. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan, add the steaks and fry over a moderately high heat for 3–4 minutes on each side. They will still be slightly rare in the centre. Lift out and keep warm.

Add the shallots and garlic to the pan and fry, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the port and boil, stirring well to deglaze the pan. Stir in the stock and cranberries and cook over a moderate heat for about 5 minutes or until the berries split and soften.

Meanwhile, peel and quarter the pears and remove the cores. Add to the pan and heat gently for 2–3 minutes. Add the sugar and season to taste.

Tip any meat juices that have collected around the steaks into the sauce and stir gently to mix. Turn out the rösti and cut it into wedges like a cake. Serve the rösti, steaks and pears on warmed individual plates, with the sauce spooned over and around.