BONFIRE NIGHT TREATS

CARROT AND GINGER SOUP

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tbsp finely grated ginger
1.5kg carrots, roughly chopped
2 litres fresh vegetable stock
Grated zest and juice ½ orange
Natural yogurt and fresh coriander leaves to serve

Method

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium-high heat and fry the onion for 10 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and 1½ tbsp of the ginger, then fry for another minute, stirring. Add the carrots, stock and orange zest. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to low and simmer for 45-50 minutes  until the carrots are tender.
Stir in the remaining ginger and the orange juice, then blend the soup until smooth using a stick blender (or whizz in a food processor or blender; see Make Ahead). Season with salt and pepper, then serve with a swirl of yogurt and a sprinkling of fresh coriander leaves.

STACKED POTATOES

Ingredients

1.3-1.5kg floury potatoes such as maris piper, peeled
50ml olive oil
3 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
Grated zest and juice 1½ lemons
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
2 fresh thyme sprigs, leaves picked

Method

Begin by thinly slicing the potatoes about 0.25cm thick. The easiest way to do this is to use a mandoline or the slicing attachment on a food processor. If you’re doing it by hand, make sure you have the radio on and a comfortable seat as it will take a while. Put the slices in a large bowl of cold water as you go.
Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Drain the potatoes and pat dry on kitchen paper. Stack the potato slices upright in lines that run the length of the oven dish. Pack them tightly together so they support each other to form long rows.
Mix the olive oil, garlic, lemon zest and juice with the dried thyme and oregano. Drizzle over the potatoes, then sprinkle with sea salt and the fresh thyme leaves.
Bake for 60-70 minutes until crisp and golden (cover with foil if they start going too brown). Test that the centres of the potato slices are soft and cooked through with a skewer before removing from the oven.

Large oven dish with high sides, about 35cm x 20cm

MUSHROOM, LEEK FILO PIE

Ingredients

50g butter
Rapeseed oil for frying and brushing
2 large onions, finely chopped
500g leeks, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
600g mixed mushrooms, finely chopped
5ml medium-dry sherry
Small bunch fresh tarragon, leaves finely chopped
100g mature cheddar, grated
1 tbsp dijon mustard
3 medium free-range eggs
8 filo pastry sheets

You’ll also need:

900g (2lb) loaf tin, lined with baking paper that overhangs the sides

Method

In a large frying pan, melt 25g of the butter and a glug of oil until the butter begins to foam. Add the onions and leeks, then fry for 10-15 minutes until softened and starting to caramelise. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate.
Melt the rest of the butter in the pan and add another glug of oil, then turn up to a medium-high heat and fry the mushrooms until softened and golden. Return the onion and leek mixture to the pan, pour in the sherry and bubble for a minute, then stir in the tarragon and plenty of seasoning. Set aside to cool completely. Stir in the cheese and mustard once cool.
Meanwhile, boil the eggs for 4-5 minutes (depending how runny you like your eggs), then remove with a slotted spoon and put in a bowl of iced water. Once cool, peel and set aside.
Heat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas 7. Layer 2 sheets of the filo lengthways in the prepared loaf tin so they overhang the ends, brushing with oil as you work, then layer 5 more filo sheets widthways, also leaving a large overhang on both sides of the tin. Continue to brush each sheet carefully with oil as you work.
Once the tin is completely lined, spoon in half the mushroom filling. Make 3 shallow indentations in the mixture with the back of a tablespoon and put a boiled egg in each one. Cover with the rest of the mushroom mixture, then fold over the overhanging filo pastry. Roughly scrunch up the remaining sheet and use it to top the pie. Brush again with oil, then bake the pie for 30 minutes until the pastry is golden and crisp. Leave the pie to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then use the overhanging strips of baking paper to lift the pie out onto a board. Serve .

TOFFEE APPLES:

Ingredients

8 small Cox’s or Granny Smith apples, stalks twisted off
400g Tate & Lyle® Golden Caster Sugar
120ml water
4 tbsp Lyle’s Golden Syrup®
50g unsalted butter

Method

You will also need 8 wooden ice-lolly sticks, a thermometer and a baking tray lined with parchment paper.

Put the apples in a large bowl, pour over boiling water to cover and then quickly pour it off. This will remove any wax coating from the apples and will help the toffee to stick. Polish dry.

Push the sticks halfway into the core of the apples at the stalk end.

Next, combine the Tate & Lyle® Golden Caster Sugar and water in a large heavy-based pan and stir constantly over a low heat with a wooden spoon for about 5 minutes until the sugar has dissolved.

Add the Lyle’s Golden Syrup® and butter and stir until melted and combined.

Bring to the boil without stirring, otherwise the sugar may crystallise, until the mixture reaches 149°-154°C (300°-310°F) or the hard-crack stage for about 15-18 minutes. If you don't have a thermometer you can check that the toffee is ready by dropping a teaspoon of the mixture into a bowl of cold water. It should harden instantly and, when removed, be brittle and easy to break. If you can still squash the toffee, continue to boil it.

Remove the pan from the heat, let the bubbles subside a little, then tilt the pan, and quickly and carefully dip the apples one at a time in the toffee, twirling them as you do, to completely cover. Let any excess drip away before placing on a baking tray to harden. If you find the toffee becomes too thick because the temperature has dropped, just heat it up again.

Once set, store the toffee apples in an airtight container in a dry place, not the fridge, and eat within 24 hours or the toffee will soften and start to liquefy.

Recipe courtesy of Lyle's Golden Syrup®