Stokes Sauces: November Nibbles - seasonal lunches to tempt the taste buds

http://www.stokessauces.co.uk/page/sauces/traditional-condiments

Goodbye Autumn

Most of the leaves have now fallen with just a few hanging on at the end of their beautiful Autumn display.

Kitchen thoughts now turn to Winter and the glorious ingredients to enjoy on the run up to festive feasts and social entertaining.

Until then let's keep things fresh and interesting with colourful collections and tasty treats.

Take this Salade Gourmande for instance. It's attractive, seasonal and delicious.

Assorted salad leaves including frizee, spinach, lambs tails and kale are topped with cubes of feta cheese, slices of Iberico ham (or similar - crispy smoked bacon is really good this way too) and scattered pomegranate seeds for colour and crunch.

For a dressing with a difference, finely grate some Parmesan cheese into a bowl of Stokes Real Mayonnaise and add a teaspoon (or 2) of Stokes Dijon Mustard. If you want to add the texture and flavoursome 'pop' of mustard grains use Stokes Cider & Horseradish Mustard instead.

Hello Winter

Sausage & Brussels Fry

This combines sausage, potatoes and Brussels sprouts, pan-fried and finished with cider. It's very simple, tastes amazing and brings out the best in Brussels.

Here's how:

Put the sausages in the oven on a medium high heat for 20 minutes until 'just' cooked. Meanwhile, peel and cut potatoes into 2 cm cubes, boil them for 7 or 8 minutes, drain and set them aside.

Heat half oil, half butter in a pan and fry the potatoes to brown them. Trim and halve your sprouts and add them to the potatoes, reduce the heat and cook for 5 minutes of so.

Add your 'just cooked' sausages with 1 tsp of thyme leaves and 1 tbsp of Stokes Cider & Horseradish Mustard. Turn the heat up and pour in 125 ml of dry English cider. Let it boil and reduce then - enjoy.

Pot Roast Chicken

Great to eat, easy to prepare - and just one pan to clean.

http://www.stokessauces.co.uk/page/sauces/ketchup-and-sauces

To serve with Stokes Cranberry Sauce, click here

Here's how:

Heat the oven to 160°C/Gas mark 3.

In a heatproof casserole dish, gently fry 6 rashers of smoked bacon (cut up), 2 grated garlic cloves and 2 sliced leeks for 8 minutes.

Add 1 tsp of thyme leaves, 2 sticks of chopped celery, 2 apples (cored and sliced) and an assortment of trimmed, chopped root vegetables - carrot, parsnip and celeriac. Stir in 2 tbsp of Stokes Brown Sauce and 1 tbsp of Stokes Classic English Mustard.

Add a 2 to 2.25 kg chicken and 400 ml of chicken stock. With its lid on, pop it in the oven for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the lid, baste the bird and put it back into the oven uncovered for 30 minutes.

Remove the bird and set aside, lift out the vegetables with a slotted spoon, put the dish on a high heat to boil and reduce the stock. I like to add a squeeze of lime juice and a good shake or two of Stokes Tomato Ketchup for a sweet tomatoey depth. You could add Stokes Original BBQ Sauce for smokiness or our Chipotle Ketchup for the smoky heat of the chipotle chillis.

Warm Smoked Mackerel Salad

Here's how:

Heat the oven to 200°C/Gas mark 6.

Place the mackerel fillets on one half of a sheet of foil in a baking tray. Fold the other half over, turning in the corners to form a pouch. It will only take ten minutes to warm the fish through and release its smoky oils.

For a wonderful dressing, mix 1 tsp of Stokes Dijon Mustard with 1 tsp of runny honey and 1 tbsp of cider vinegar. Beat all three to a paste then slowly drizzle in 4 tbsp of British rapeseed oil beating continually to make an emulsion.