Apple juice

For as long as I can remember autumn has pretty much been synonymous with apples. Every year we went down to the countryside to pick the apples and then spend a good evening or two making apple juice. And I'm not talking about a couple of kilos of apples and a couple of bottles of juice. I'm talking about a massive cartload of apples and litres and litres of juice - it was enough to last us the whole year. And bearing in mind that we drank apple juice all the time and it was 5 of us, we made a lot of juice. I went to the countryside yesterday and had the chance to pick some apples, nothing compared to the amounts we do back in Estonia, but still a decent quantity to help to fill out the pantry.

Making juice today at home was miles apart from doing that in Estonia - instead of the crushing machine and the juice press I used my small juicer. And I have to admit that when I was finally done with the juice my kitchen looked like a battlefield - splashes of apple juice on the counter and cupboards and incredibly sticky everywhere else. But the smell of fresh apple juice made it so worth the mess. 

I can honestly say that making apple juice is a bit of a hassle, but it is so worth it. Store bought juices have never even come close to the real home made ones and I am so glad that I got myself together and made some. In all honesty, in a couple of days time I might go through the hassle once more, so I'd have a nice supply for when my friends and family come to visit or when I just feel like treating myself to something that reminds me of Estonia. 

Ingredients

- 4.5 l freshly pressed apple juice

- 100 g sugar

- Sterilised glass bottles / jars

Directions

First put the apples through the juicer until you have a good 4.5 litres of apple juice. Then strain the juice through a muslin cloth to remove all the tiny bits. 

Place everything into a large pot and bring up to 85C. Skim the foam and let it simmer for 15 minutes or so. Then add the sugar. If you want yours sweeter add more than that, but I prefer mine quite sour (and to quote my mum - you can always buy the sugary syrup "apple juice" from the shops). Stir until the sugar has dissolved completely. 

Then pour the juice into the bottles / jars and close the caps whilst the juice is still hot. Let it cool down and label it. Enjoy immediately or put away for the cold winter months to come. To serve, dilute it with water and for added twist serve with lemon and orange slices. 

Gnocchi with chicken & courgette sauce

When I made this beauty for dinner last night it didn't cross my mind that I might jinx the beautiful weather we've been having over the past couple of days - it still felt like summer. But this morning when I woke up the autumn has finally arrived with it's grey sky and rain. So in hindsight I'm actually quite happy that I've got three more portions of this lovely and filling pasta left to eat over the next couple of days. I've put two portions of it in the freezer and will let you know whether it turns out alright or not.

I decided to make this because for the couple of days before, all I could think about was that I really-really want something with courgette in it. I probably spent a good couple of hours trying to find that something that just popped out and made me rush to the store. However as I did not manage to find that something special I decided to experiment and I had no idea how it would turn out. And oh my did it turn out well, even if I do say so myself.

It's easy and quite quick to make and I love that the portion sizes are really generous. It's really filling and warming, but at the same time no too heavy. I was really surprised that I did not have to add any water or chicken stock as the courgettes helped to keep it liquid enough throughout the whole process. This is definitely something that I'll make again over the coming months to keep the grey and cold from getting to me.

Ingredients
(Serves 4)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 500g courgette, cubed
- 380g chicken breast, cubed
- 1 can chopped tomatoes
- Parmesan cheese
- 500g gnocchi
- Fresh basil
- Salt
- Pepper
- Mixed italian herbs

Directions
Heat the oil in a thick bottomed pot and fry the onion and garlic for around 10 minutes until soft and fragrant. Add the chicken and fry until seared on all sides. Then add the courgette and fry for another 5 minutes unit it starts to soften. Then add the chopped tomatoes and season with salt, pepper and mixed herbs. Bring to simmer and place the lid on the pot and simmer for 30 minutes or so.

Then add some torn basil, a bit of parmesan cheese and the gnocchi and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Place on a plate and serve immediately with some basil, fresh pepper and parmesan.

Inspired by the BBC Good Food recipe "Tomato & Courgette stew"