In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring for five minutes, until softened. Add cabbage and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes or until cabbage is thoroughly wilted and softened. Now add apples, wine, vinegar, sugar and salt, lower the heat to low and simmer, covered, for one-and-a-half to two hours, stirring once in a while.
Stir in apple jelly, replace the cover on the pot and continue to simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes.

Ingredients for filling:
2 oz unsalted butter
1 lb sliced mixed fresh mushrooms (oyster, portobello, shiitake, button, cremini)
4 fresh garlic cloves - minced
1 small yellow onion - diced
Salt & pepper to taste
2 oz plain breadcrumbs
2 tbsp fresh chives - chopped
2 oz chardonnay white wine

Ingredients for dough:
2 oz unsalted butter - melted
5 sheets phyllo dough
1 egg

Ingredients for sauce:
8 oz low sodium chicken stock
6 oz Chardonnay white wine
1 shallot onion - sliced
8 oz heavy cream
2 tbsp mixed chopped herbs (parsley, chives, rosemary, basil, thyme)

Garnish:
4 tbsp sliced cranberries
1 tbsp unsalted butter

Preparation:
Heat medium-sized sauté pan, add butter and onions and cook for one minute. Add garlic and mushrooms and sauté for about three minutes. Deglaze pan with white wine and season with salt and pepper. Transfer mushrooms into a mixing bowl and let the mushrooms cool off. Add chives, breadcrumbs and chives and mix everything very well. Lay out a kitchen towel and place first sheet of phyllo dough on it. Brush the sheet with melted butter then place the next layer of phyllo dough and repeat the first step until the last sheet of dough is placed. Spread mushroom mixture along the longer side of the sheet - about two inches wide. Take the towel and start rolling the strudel. Transfer strudel to a greased baking sheet pan, brush with beaten egg and bake in 350 degree preheated oven for 20 minutes. Put chicken stock, Chardonnay wine and shallot into a saucepot and bring mixture to a boil on high heat. Turn the heat to medium and let the liquid reduce (cool down) to about 5 oz. Add the heavy cream and let the sauce reduce to half. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve.
Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper. Add the fresh chopped herbs. Heat cranberries with butter in a small sauté pan. To assemble strudel, pour sauce on the center of the plate, sprinkle cranberries across the sauce and place a two-inch slice of Strudel in the middle of the plate. Garnish with fresh thyme. Sautéed baby spinach or root vegetable julienne accompany this appetizer very well.

Sweet Chicken Bacon Wraps

“This is a holiday favourite at the Spiers home, ” says Barb Spiers of Beauty ‘n’ the Beach hair studio in Grand Bend (519-238-6520), who sent us this recipe.
Serves 4.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 pkg sliced bacon (not already cooked)
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tbsp chili powder

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cut chicken breasts into 1-inch cubes. Cut each bacon slice into thirds. Wrap each chicken cube with bacon and secure with a wooden toothpick. Stir brown sugar and chili powder together. Dredge wrapped chicken in mixture. Spray rimmed cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Place chicken wraps on sheet and bake for 30-35 minutes or until bacon is crispy.

Make tonight a cosy autumn evening

Recipes supplied by chef Cara Funk, Eddington’s of Exeter Casual Fine Dining 527 Main St, Exeter. (519) 235-3030.

Soup: Red lentil and apple with a hint of curry finished with a drizzle of Canadian maple syrup
Entrée: Rosemary roasted spaghetti squash with crispy fried bacon. Sautéed white asparagus tossed with shallots, and red Bartlett pear finished with fresh torn basil and aged cheddar

On a cozy evening there is nothing better then the aromas of autumn vegetables roasting, fried bacon, and fresh herbs. This a great dinner to sets the mood for comfort on those lazy evenings in. My first intention for this meal was to create a healthy vegetarian dinner; however, the suggestion of having a meal without any meat was not the most appealing to my husband. And the white asparagus scared him a bit as well. So I did what every cook knows to do when cooking for the gourmet-challenged, I added bacon and cheese. Everything tastes better when you add those two ingredients. The result was a fantastic dinner full of flavour and texture. It’s easy to prepare with restaurant appeal.
Our soup is earthy and rustic, and features red lentils, which cook faster then other varieties of legumes. It’s a nice way to warm up on an autumn evening.

Sweetly curried apple lentil soup
Serves 4 to 6.

2 tbsp olive oil
1 large red onion chopped
4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
3 stalks of celery chopped
4 small to medium carrots chopped
3 royal gala apples chopped
1 cup red lentils rinsed
1 sprig rosemary chopped
2 tbsp curry powder
3 cups chicken stock (homemade is best, store-bought low-sodium stock will do)
3 cups water
2 tbsp maple syrup

Cook onions in olive oil until soft. Add garlic, celery, carrots, apple and lentils. Add rosemary, curry powder and cook until vegetables are soft. Add stock and water and simmer until lentils become soft and falling apart, about 30-40 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Puree until smooth in texture. Serve with a drizzle of maple syrup.

Rosemary roasted squash

Take two medium-sized spaghetti squash and cut each in half lengthwise, removing the seeds. Season each half with rosemary, salt and pepper and olive oil. Place on baking sheet and roast in a 400-degree oven skin side up, for 20-25 minutes.

Sautéed white asparagus with pears and shallots

Slice one shallot and three pears and put in frying pan with eight trimmed asparagus spears and 2 tbsp olive oil. Cook until asparagus is tender yet still crispy. Finish by adding hand torn basil leaves and sliced aged cheddar. (I used four-year cheddar).

Fried bacon

(Note: start the bacon in cold frying pan.) Cut six strips of bacon into three pieces each and cook on medium heat.

Plate the squash and asparagus, and top squash with bacon.

Enjoy fall’s bounty with James Eddington

Recipes supplied by James Eddington, Eddington’s of Exeter Casual Fine Dining 527 Main St, Exeter. (519) 235-3030

Fall arrives and nature’s growth comes to an end. Squash, turnips, beets, etc. lend themselves to soups and salads flavoured with the last of our summer’s herbs. Surplus ripe tomatoes are turned into canned or frozen salsas and sauce.
This month, the first real frost brings an unconscious desire for heartier meals. A cook’s thoughts turn to stews with a fresh loaf of warm bread. Harvested root vegetables simmer in a rich, meat-filled broth to provide comfort and to ease the chill of a cool fall night.
Enjoy the local harvest; we are truly blessed to live in an area full of the riches that our farmers and fields have to offer. Spend some time in the kitchen this season melding the deep rich flavors of the fall.

Butternut squash soup

Recipe by James Eddington

Butternut squash soup
Serves four.

1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
2 lbs. butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1” chunks
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1 clove garlic
3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
2 cans (14 oz. each) vegetable broth

In large sauté pan, heat olive oil, then add squash, onion and garlic. Sauté over medium high heat for 15 minutes or until squash is tender. Add allspice; cook two minutes longer.
Stir in vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Cover; reduce heat to medium low. Cook 15 minutes, or until squash is soft.
In batches, place mixture in bowl of food processor; blend until smooth.
Place in saucepan and keep warm, or reheat as needed.
To serve, ladle warm soup into bowls. Top with one tablespoon spiced cream and a sprinkling of pumpkin seeds.
This will make app. four servings. Multiply recipe for larger quantities.

Spiced cream

Recipe by James Eddington

Spiced cream
Serves four.

1/2 cup light sour cream
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 1/2 teaspoons real maple syrup
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
(A Shot of Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum wouldn’t hurt)
Combine light sour cream, allspice, maple syrup and cardamom in bowl; mix well.
Cover and chill in refrigerator until ready to use.

Pumpkin seeds

Recipe by James Eddington

Pumpkin seeds
Serves four.

1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

For the pumpkin seeds, heat olive oil in small sauté pan for one minute. Add pumpkin seeds and garlic salt; sauté over medium heat for three minutes or until seeds are toasted and fragrant.

Apple- and Walnut-Stuffed Pork Loin

Recipe by James Eddington

Apple- and Walnut-Stuffed Pork Loin
Serves eight.

5 tablespoons butter
2 apple - peeled, cored and chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, diced
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 1/2 cups water
2 cups dry bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Preheat oven to 325° F (165° C).
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the apple, onion, celery, and walnuts, and cook five minutes, until vegetables are tender. Mix in the applesauce, water, and breadcrumbs. Cook and stir until the breadcrumbs have absorbed the liquid. Season with cinnamon, kosher salt, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger.
Unroll the pork roast, and place in a baking dish. Spoon the stuffing mixture over the roast. Arrange any excess stuffing around the roast. Roll the roast so that the fatty side is on top, and tie with kitchen twine.
Bake 45 to 50 minutes in the preheated oven, to an internal temperature of 160° F (70° C). Unroll the pork roast, and place in a baking dish. Spoon the stuffing mixture over the roast. Arrange any excess stuffing around the roast. Roll the roast so that the fatty side is on top, and tie with kitchen twine.
Bake 45 to 50 minutes in the preheated oven, to an internal temperature of 160° F (70° C). Let rest for five minutes, then slice and serve.

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