RECIPES
Discover the joy of food with these exclusive recipes from Melissa:
Mulled apple with ginger, cinnamon and cloves
1 litre apple juice
2 cinnamon sticks
2 fat thumbs of ginger, sliced
5 cloves
1 orange, zest peeled in strips, flesh sliced for serving
Honey or maple syrup, to taste
Put all of the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a very gentle simmer.
Maintain the gently simmer for 15 minutes then strain and serve.
Serve up each mug with a slice of orange
Beetroot soup with spiced sticky nuts
30g unsalted butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Small bunch of thyme
500g beetroot, scrubbed and roughly chopped
1 litre veg or chicken stock
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Sea salt and black pepper
For the spiced sticky nuts
20g unsalted butter
2 large handfuls of nuts, roughly chopped
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp maple syrup
To serve
Yoghurt
Fresh herbs (dill, parsley or chives)
Melt the butter in a large pan and once foaming add the onion and a pinch of salt and pepper. Fry for 10-12 minutes until soft then add the garlic and thyme, fry for another 2 minutes. Add the beetroot and stock, bring to a boil then cover with a lid and reduce to a simmer for 20-30 minutes until tender.
As the soup simmers, make the spiced sticky nuts. Melt the butter in a frying pan and once foaming add the nuts and spices. Fry for about 3 minutes until lightly golden, stirring fairly continuously, then add the maple syrup and fry for another minute or so until it forms a sticky coating for the nuts. Spread out on a plate or tray lined with parchment paper and sprinkle over flaky salt.
Once the beetroot is tender, blitz the soup until smooth then stir through the apple cider vinegar and taste for seasoning.
Serve the soup with yoghurt, herbs and the sticky nuts sprinkled on top.
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