Reading time: 3 minutes
Hey you, can you smell autumn coming?
The mountain is slowly changing its colours, and the rain is arriving to nourish the soil after a long summer. We’re lighting the stove and making our space cosy and warm.
It’s beautiful to watch the season change. We still go for cold dips in the sea, but we’re also enjoying longer walks in the forest, which feels like an orange dreamland.
Two Recipes from our chef donya
For this month’s blog, we asked Donya, one of our beloved chefs, to share two of her favourite recipes for the season. They’re perfect for a Sunday dinner with friends and family.
Who doesn’t love a good, heartwarming soup and a great dip to scoop up with fresh bread on a fall day? So grab your knives and come along…
Carrot, Coconut & Lavender Soup
A cosy bowl for a cold evening: sweet carrots, creamy coconut and a whisper of lavender.
INGREDIENTS
- 900 g carrots
- 400 g coconut milk
- 3 g dried lavender
- 300 ml water (for the lavender tea)
- 1 small onion
- 2 cloves of confit garlic
- Juice of ½ lemon
- Olive oil and salt
To serve: gluten-free crackers, a little lavender, toasted coconut flakes and a drizzle of olive oil
Method
- Make a lavender tea with the lavender and 300 ml water. Set it aside to brew for 30 minutes.
- Fry the onion and garlic in olive oil, then add the carrots and fry until they start to soften.
- Add the coconut milk and the lavender tea. Let it cook until all the carrots are soft.
- Blend everything with the lemon juice until you reach your desired consistency. Season with salt.
- Serve topped with toasted coconut flakes, a few lavender buds, a drizzle of olive oil and crackers on the side.
Muhammara
Makes about 560 g. A smoky roasted red pepper and walnut dip that disappears fast.
Serve it with warm pita and watch everyone gather around the bowl.
INGREDIENTS
- 335 g red bell peppers
- 1 clove garlic, unpeeled
- 50 g green olives
- 50 g toasted walnuts, plus extra for garnish
- 18 g extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 180 g tomato paste
- 45 g breadcrumbs
- 40 g lemon juice
- 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses (add more if you like it sweeter)
- 3 g paprika
- 4 g light chilli powder
- 1 tsp sumac
- 5 g salt
- 2 g coriander seed
- 2 g black peppercorns
- 1 g fennel seed
Method
- Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F).
- Brush the peppers with a little of the olive oil and place them in an oven-safe pan or cast-iron skillet. Add the unpeeled garlic clove to the pan. Roast for about 30 minutes, turning the peppers once or twice.
- Transfer the peppers to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap for a few minutes. The steam makes them easy to peel. Once cool enough to handle, peel them, remove the seeds and slice into strips. Squeeze the soft garlic out of its skin.
- Toast the fennel, coriander seed and peppercorns in a dry pan until fragrant, then grind them.
- In a food processor, blend the peppers with the roasted garlic, olives, walnuts, tomato paste, breadcrumbs, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, ground spices, paprika, chili powder, sumac, salt and most of the remaining olive oil until you have a smooth paste. Taste and add more pomegranate molasses if you’d like it sweeter.
- Transfer to a serving bowl. You can cover and refrigerate it, but bring it to room temperature before serving.
- Top with a drizzle of olive oil, a few walnuts and fresh parsley. Serve with pita bread or pita chips.
Love from the mountains.
Pelion Homes
The post Autumn in Pelion: Two Cozy Recipes from Our Kitchen appeared first on Pelion Villas | Pelion Homes Greece.