Ooh, The Cheek Of It.

The slow change from vivid green to red, yellow, orange. And then how quickly the trees become bare and the glorious colours give way to brown and grey sludgy streets.In the seemingly few hours of daylight we have over the winter months we celebrate the warmth of the fireside. Scarves, gloves, hats and thick woolen jumpers wrapped around us keep us cosy when we venture outside, often leaving and returning home in the dark.I welcome the smells from the slow cooker more than any dog's wagging tail as a greeting. And here we are, only at the gentle tip of the cold months, yet it feels like it's the time for stews. Meat falling from bones into rich and thick broths, individual flavours combining like the instruments in an orchestra to create one symphony.A cast-iron pan with a lid in a very low oven does just as well as a slow cooker, and if you're happy leaving the oven on all day it's the perfect way to cook. However, you may not fancy chopping and browning chunks of meat while drinking your morning coffee and wondering why you have to ask the children twenty times to put a sock on. I have neither the time nor inclination, getting out of a warm bed is tragedy enough. In which case these are best done the night before, or on a weekend when you have a more leisurely start to the day.Of course white potatoes work just as well as the purple ones, which may be a little tricky to find; crushed Anyas would be a real treat. Whatever you use, nothing quite beats the deliciousness of all those juices soaked up by the buttery potatoes. This really is one of those meals that feels like you're back home in the warmth of the family.Tarragon adds a little last of the summer sparkle to the flavours, hinting with its warm aniseed at the comfort to come. If you don't have any, a good handful of chopped parsley running through would be just as nice.Ingredients500g ox cheek, cut into chunks1 onion, roughly choppedA thumb of ginger, chopped1tbsp oregano1tbsp flour1/2 a bulb of garlic1 red pepper, chopped2tbsp tomato purée500ml beef stockLarge pinch of dried mushroomsSalt and pepperPotatoes to serve, cooked and crushed with butter, spring onion and some shredded tarragon.MethodHeat a heavy sauté pan with some oil and sear the beef well until browned. Try not to smoke out the kitchen and set of the smoke alarms in a panicked succession as I did. And sear the meat in batches to avoid boiling rather than caramelising it.Add the flour and stir well, coating all the meat. This will help thicken the sauce. Add to the slow cooker or casserole. Deglaze the sauté pan with a little water or wine and add the juices along with the remaining ingredients.Cook on high for four hours or low for eight hours in the slow cooker, or eight hours in a very low oven. (140c. Gas mark 1) Serve with the potatoes and perhaps some broccoli or garlic green beans.

Lamb and Rosemary Stuffed Squash

The evening light fades so quickly in September. It feels like only last week that the sun was setting late after nine o'clock and our nights were short with dawn flooding the bedroom around four.Now, it seems barely seven and candles are being lit and quilts thrown on the sofa. But for me, this is a time of great happiness. It's hygge time. Time to get roasting, stuffing and braising. There still will be salad on our table most nights though, no one comes between me and lettuce. Not even nature.I found these beautiful gem squash, fitting their name perfectly, at Crystal Palace Food Market on the weekend, among other great fruits of the season. A giant spaghetti squash, heavy as a medicine ball,  striped yellow and green courgettes, firm and skinny, ready for dicing and sautéing quickly with some garlic and olive oil. There were thick, short cucumbers, perfect for a salad, tasty and thick skinned unlike the watery green sticks of the supermarket.The colours of the season are reflected in the stalls. The oranges, browns and deep greens mirror the leaves on and off the trees. Black kale, red chard stalks and the inky purple of beetroot look like a Spanish still life and those evenings, warm inside against the soon to be here misty, haunted nights seem to be a comforting pleasure against the dark.I stuffed the squash with cubes of lamb chop. Cook the lamb first to render the fat and give some colour to the meat. Then let it cool a little and shred it from the bone. And if you don't have mushroom ketchup, use Worcestershire sauce. Be sure to have a gentle hand with the seasoning, those bottles pack a punch, and if you want chilli heat rather than warmth, add another chilli, or a sprinkle of chilli flakes.Ingredients6 gem squash, tops cut off and seeds scooped out6 smallish lamb chops1/2 a red onion, finely diced1 fat clove of garlic, finely sliced2 sprigs-worth of rosemary leaves, well chopped2tbsp pearl barley (I used toasted barley for extra nutiness)2tbsp mushroom ketchup1 red chilli, choppedA small handful of hazelnuts, choppedMethodHeat the oven to high and prepare the filling.Sear the chops all over and add the onion, garlic and chilli to the pan. Turn the heat down and continue cooking until the onion is soft and translucent.Add the barley and rosemary and a fairly large splash of water. Let that reduce away for a few minutes then add the mushroom ketchup.Remove the lamb, let it cool a little so you can then take the meat from the bones and finely chop it.Mix back into the pan and stuff each squash to the top. Sprinkle over the nuts and put the lids back on.Roast in the oven for 35-40 minutes, until the squash are soft.Serve straight from the dish.