The autumn arrives quietly, bringing the makings of the richest feasts. Cookery writer Nigel Slater tells how best to enjoy autumn's mellow fruitfulness.
by Nigel Slater
The autumn arrives quietly, bringing the makings of the richest feasts. Cookery writer Nigel Slater tells how best to enjoy autumn's mellow fruitfulness.
Wonderful though summer is, with its lazy afternoons and strawberries and cream, I have to admit to being almost relieved when the days start to shorten. As soon as I spot the first fat pumpkin at the farmers' market I feel I can get down to some proper cooking.
Autumn heralds the start of the serious cooking season, with its wealth of onion, garlic and potato recipes. In my house there will be baked and roasted vegetables and plenty of meat roasts too - not just ribs of beef and loins of pork but more economical alternatives such as fillets of lamb, a lean joint that roasts sweetly and cooks quickly.
As a rule I tend not to mess around with larger joints of meat, keeping to straightforward treatments with their traditional accompaniments, but treating each one as a special occasion and giving it the respect it deserves. If I had had one watchword for meat-eating this season it is 'provenance'. Knowing exactly where your meat comes from is essential for a cook's peace of mind.
On the vegetable front there are several alternatives to the Sunday roast. I love a baked pumpkin, either stuffed with rice and spices (think sweet cinnamon, hot chillies and mysterious cumin) or cut into thick slices and served with a chunky tomato sauce.
A baked aubergine is good thing for the veggie eater too, especially with a Middle Eastern-inspired sauce of onions, tomato, cumin, ground coriander and garlic. (Scatter freshly cut coriander leaf over as you serve.) Another good veggie dish is to boil the biggest onions you can find until tender, then roast them with a dusting of butter and grated parmesan.
The surprising star of the autumn is the tomato. So often thought of as a summer vegetable (or more technically a fruit) it actually improves as the summer goes on, so that by the time the evenings draw in, the tomatoes have a most intense flavour. I like to bake them in a shallow dish with olive oil, a little thinly sliced garlic and a covering of cream. The tomato juices, garlic and cream work together to make a splendid, if impromptu, sauce.
This is also a great time to make the most of the oily fish such as sardines and mackerel. They are superb on the grill cooked until their skin is burnished with gold and dark brown. I serve them with a contemporary salad of couscous to which I have added cinnamon, fresh coriander, toasted almonds and lots of parsley and lemon juice. You might like to stir in some dried fruit, too, such as chopped apricots or golden sultanas.
Best news of all is that mussels are back in the best of health. To my mind they are the all-time cheap fish supper, needing nothing other than some really good bread and a glass of cider to turn them into a first-class meal. This year I have been steaming them with cider instead of white wine and adding bacon and thyme to the pot. Weird though that may sound, the bacon and mussels are an excellent combination.
Away from the meat counter and the fish slab I turn to the bean family at this time of year. Particularly popular in our house are bean casseroles. I start them with beans I have soaked overnight in cold water, boiled until tender, then drained and added to rich mixtures of softened onions, garlic, red wine and stock flavoured with bay, mushrooms or tomatoes and let them cook very slowly in the oven. Another way is to bake cannellini, flageolet or the little white haricots under a blanket of silky sauce with a crust of breadcrumbs and farmhouse cheese.
Having had a rather laid-back time with puddings over the summer, serving up bowls of fruit, simple fools and the occasional summer compôte it's now time to start putting proper puddings in the oven once again. I cannot wait for the damsons to appear so I can have endless purple crumbles and I cannot get through the autumn without a carrot cake or two. I update the topping by using mascarpone instead of cream cheese and flavouring it with orange flower water, giving the cake a slightly eastern air.
I've always a pie man. Apple of course, but also late plums, blackberries and pear served with huge mounds of crème fraîche. This season the classic pie recipes have been getting an update with flavoured pastries containing speckles of grated orange zest, cinnamon and ground hazelnuts, making them the very essence of autumn.
In truth, there is not a time of year to enjoy cooking more than this one. Warm flavours and the spicy scents of baking, sweet fruits and hearty food make autumn a very happy time in the kitchen.
Make the most of autumn’s rich harvest with these recipes from Nigel Slater: