Autumn is here and, with the lazy, hazy days of summer well behind us we are challenged with cooling temperatures and, for most of us, a fairly heavy work schedule, be it at home looking after the family, studying in school or college, or out at work. Our diet needs to reflect this change if it is to continue to contribute to our health and wellbeing and Autumn brings us its own riches of vegetables, fruits and nuts in order to help us do just that. I think it is also important, particularly at busy times of the year, to maintain that sybaritic element of the Spanish Sunday lunch whereby the whole family can relax and feel a little pampered.

This month I have chosen, as a starter, stuffed artichokes. This delicate vegetable is pleasing to the most exacting of palates while being rich in iron, calcium and vitamins A, B and C.
For the main course, there is Castilian lamb stew, whose accompanying ingredients help eliminate any natural toxins there may be in the meat, while giving it additional flavour and a melt in the mouth texture. Sweet is naughty but not nasty! The autumn apple fortifies the nervous system while the added wine gently encourages a relaxing siesta! In order that the chef can also be free to enjoy both the meal and the ambience, the starter and sweet can be prepared well in advance and the main course is microwaved, freeing him/her from the kitchen as much as possible.

For that after-lunch digestive, why not try one of Autumn's liqueurs: Frangelico is a hazelnut liqueur of monastic origin, Nocello evokes the nutty tastes of the forest and for those who prefer a bitter sweet touch, Granpomier provides just that with its green apple liqueur.

Have a wonderful lunch.

Carmen.

STUFFED ARTICHOKES (serves 6)

Ingredients

• 12 artichokes
• 1 tin of tuna
• 100 grammes of cooked ham
• 100 grammes of cheese
• 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise
• lemon juice
• salt

Peel the artichokes, cutting off the stems and hard leaves.
Wash them and cook for 25 minutes in salted boiling water and a little of the lemon juice.
Drain off water.
Mix the tuna with the mayonnaise.
When the artichokes are cold, open them and separate out the leaves.
Mix the ham (cut into long thin strips) with the chopped cheese and the tuna sauce.
Fill the artichokes with the mixture and serve cold.

CASTILIAN STEWED LAMB (serves 6)

Ingredients

• 1 kilo of shoulder of lamb cut into small pieces
• 1 onion
• 1 pepper
• 1 carrot
• 2 ripe tomatoes
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 3 peppercorns
• 3 sprigs of parsley
• half a tablespoon of paprika
• a dash of cumin
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• salt

Peel and finely chop the onion
Take out the pips from the pepper and cut it into fine strips.
Scrape the carrot, peel the garlic and chop the parsley.
Half the tomatoes and scrape them.
Put the oil, pepper, carrot, onion, tomatoes and bay leaf into a casserole dish.
Salt the lamb and add it to the dish, stirring in all the ingredients.
Cover and microwave on a high heat for three minutes.
Re-stir and add more salt, to taste.
Cover and continue to cook at half heat for a further 20 minutes, stirring again after ten minutes.
In the meantime, mash together the garlic, peppercorns, cumin, parsley and paprika.
Add two tablespoons of water, mix well and add to the stew.
Mix all the ingredients together, cover and cook on full heat for two minutes.
Leave to stand for five minutes and then serve.

STUFFED APPLES IN RED WINE (serves 6)

Ingredients

• 6 large apples
• 25 grammes of sultanas
• 300ml of red wine
• 100 grammes of sugar
• juice of a lemon and the peel of half a lemon
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 100ml of whipped cream
• 30 grammes of chopped almonds

Heat the sugar, wine, cinnamon, lemon peel and lemon juice together for 5 minutes.
Add the peeled and cored apples to the mixture.
Boil them for 8 minutes, turning them from time to time to obtain an even colour.
Take the apples off the heat and transfer them to a covered dish.
Douse them with the accompanying sauce and add the finely chopped sultanas.
Leave them to marinate in the fridge for 24 hours.
When you are about to serve, strain off the juice in order to retrieve the sultanas.
Mix the sultanas and almonds with the whipped cream and fill the apples with the mixture.
Pour the juice into the base of the dish and serve.