Chestnut, bacon and cranberry loaf

Chestnut, bacon and cranberry loaf

Sweet and savoury come together in this chestnut, bacon and cranberry loaf. A delicious, seasonal cake that's perfect for those chilly autumn days.

Chestnut, bacon and cranberry loaf

Autumn has crept up on us. It's hard to explain why we are constantly surprised by the changing of the seasons, but every year we exclaim and complain how chilly and dark it's getting, as if this is the first time it's happened and the universe is pranking us. 

But this year, we aren't complaining. In a time where everything is uncertain and we're all having to adapt to a new way of living, it can be comforting to honour the season's rituals and welcome a change that is familiar. In our family, autumn heralds a period of long walks and foraging in the forest for mushrooms and chestnuts. After all, eating seasonal foods is good for your health and great for your wallet. 

Now, I'm not overly confident when it comes to mushrooms; I can't tell the difference between a mushroom that will make an omelette exquisite and one that will make my family die. So I leave the examination of fungi to the family experts and concentrate on filling my basket with chestnuts.  While my husband points out the quite frankly invisible differences between two mushrooms, I'll examine a chestnut my son has found, nod sagely and offer, with all the gravitas of an Emeritus Professor, a pearl of wisdom such as "Ah yes, this one is a little small; we'll leave it for the squirrels." Then we'll head home with our haul (some days more successful than others). I'll either roast the chestnuts and we'll snack on them in front of an afternoon movie, or I'll use them up in other recipes such as chestnut and feta burgers. 

Of course, in certain parts of the world, autumn is also cranberry season. Throughout my childhood, I associated cranberries with the holiday period; cranberry sauce was always a feature of Mum's festive table. For geographical reasons, I was unable to go foraging for cranberries, but I did have a packet of dried cranberries in my cupboard. Since I had these seasonal ingredients for cooking, I decided to combine them with bacon in this chestnut, bacon and cranberry loaf. 

If you'd prefer a vegetarian option, you can replace the bacon lardons with a large parsnip (another autumn food, although they really come into their own in mid- to late winter), thinly sliced and lightly cooked in olive oil or butter. And obviously, if you can't get fresh chestnuts, you can use the tinned variety - there's a lot less fuss involved! 

Now for another autumn ritual as the cake bakes in the oven: curling up with a good book and a cup of tea. Bliss.

Chestnut, bacon and cranberry loaf

Ingredients

225g white flour
15g baking powder
3 eggs
200g dried cranberries
200g smoked bacon lardons (or 1 parsnip)
200g cooked chestnuts
100cl oilve oil, plus 1 tsp for frying the lardons
5cl lemon juice
1 tbsp soy sauce
Salt & pepper

Directions

1) Put the dried cranberries in a small bowl and cover with hot water.

2) Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a frying pan. Add the lardons and fry on a low-medium heat, stirring occasionally. 

3) Crush the cooked chestnuts in a bowl and add the soy sauce. Mix well.

4) Heat the oven to 180°C.

5) Sift the flour into a large bowl along with the baking powder, salt and pepper. Make a well in the middle and add the three eggs and 100cl olive oil. Add the lemon juice and mix everything thoroughly with a wooden spoon. 

6) Drain the cranberries and add to the dough. Remove the bacon lardons from the pan with a slotted spoon and add them to the dough, along with the chestnut mixture. Add a little more lemon juice if the dough is too thick and dry (it should be moist and mix fairly easily). 

7) Pour the mixture into a greased cake tin and cook for about 35 minutes. You can check if it's cooked by inserting a skewer in the middle of the loaf. If the skewer is clean and dry, the loaf is cooked.