Spiced Apple Crumble

This apple crumble combines buttery, sweet crumble topping with soft, spiced apples for the perfect Autumnal pudding. Always a hit in my family, we have had a glut of beautiful fresh apples straight from the tree in the garden and this crumble is a wonderful way to do them justice.

Ingredients:

3lb apples
2 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp ginger
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ground cloves
12 oz flour
6 oz butter - I use dairy free
12 oz dark brown sugar
boiling water

Method:

Peel, core and chop the apples into bite sized pieces. Place in a large pan over a medium heat with the spices and enough water to cover the bottom layer of apples. Stew the apples until soft but still holding their shape then spoon the mixture into an oven safe dish.

Pop the butter and flour into a large bowl and rub together until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Add in the sugar and rub in gently, allowing some lumps to remain. Sprinkle over the apple mixture and spread out to form an even layer.

Preheat your oven to 160C and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the top is crisp and brown. Serve immediately either on its own or with ice cream.

When you make this, please take a picture and tag me using #diaryofadefectivehousewife.

ENJOY!

Asian Inspired Spiced Courgette Soup

Ideal for the current weather where its either bucketing with rain but weirdly warm or sunny but freezing; this soup is light, flavoursome and warming. The combination of spices gives an aromatic flavour while the freshness of the courgette helps to lift the dish. Incredibly easy, this soup takes less than an hour to make and tastes fantastic.

Ingredients:
4 medium courgettes
2 onions
1 bag fresh spinach
1 bag small potatoes - roughly equivalent to the courgette
3 tbsp grated ginger
3 tbsp grated garlic
3 tbsp lemon grass
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sesame oil
salt and pepper to taste

Method: 
In a large pan, gently saute diced onions over a medium heat. Roughly chop the vegetables (this soup is blended so no need to worry about making it pretty!) and add the potatoes to the pan to fry for a couple of minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and lemon grass and enough hot water to cover the potatoes. Boil until the potatoes are almost tender then add the courgettes and spinach.

Once everything is soft, take off the heat and blend; either using a stick blender or a food processor; until everything is smooth. Add the sesame oil and salt and pepper to taste before serving with a slice or five home made bread.

When you make this, please take a picture and tag me using #diaryofadefectivehousewife