There are so many vegetables at their autumn best right now, it seems daft not to make them the stars of the meal. Everything from sweetcorn to squash, mushrooms to aubergines is worthy of being the principal ingredient in our supper.
Pan-fried squash with basil
I use crook-necked courgettes for this, but any small squash with thin skin is suitable.
Serves 2 as a side dish
4 small summer squash per person
olive oil
a large handful of basil leaves
a squeeze of lemon
Wipe the squash, remove the stalks and cut the fruit in half. Warm a deep layer (about 100ml) of olive oil in a shallow pan. Season the squash and place them cut side down in the oil. When they are tender and turning gold in patches, turn over and cook the other side. Tear the basil leaves and add them. Once they have wilted, add a squeeze of lemon juice and serve, spooning the herby olive oil over.
Sautéed mushrooms with toasted polenta
If I am eating polenta as a big steaming mound then I usually prefer to use the slow-cooked method, but for toasting, the instant variety is fine. It should be clearly labelled on the packet.
Serves 4
For the polenta:
water - a litre
instant polenta - 300g
assorted mushrooms - 350g
butter - 70g
juniper berries - 6
parsley - a good handful
half a lemon
Put the water on to boil in a thick bottomed saucepan. As soon as it boils, remove from the heat, pour in the polenta, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, then put it back on the heat and stir until thick enough for the spoon to stand up. Lightly oil a bowl, scoop the polenta into it, and leave to cool. It will solidify on cooling. Wipe the mushrooms and slice or quarter them if they are large. Remember they will shrink on cooking, so don't cut them too small. Melt the butter in a shallow pan, crush the juniper berries and add them, then pile in the mushrooms.
Cook down the mushrooms for 10 minutes or so, turning them from time to time, letting them colour appetisingly. Chop the parsley and stir it in. Season with salt, coarsely ground black pepper and a little lemon juice to taste. Heat the grill or a cast-iron griddle pan. Turn the polenta out and cut it into thick slices. Brush with a little oil and grill till crisp on the outside. Place the toasted polenta on plates and pile the mushrooms on top.
Roast pumpkin, ginger and tamarind sauce
Serves 4
pumpkin - a small to medium one
a little oil or butter for basting
onions - 2 medium
groundnut oil - 2 tbs
garlic - 3 medium-sized cloves
ginger - 2 thumb-sized pieces
chillies - 4 small, hot
large (but not beefsteak) tomatoes - 5
tamarind pulp - 3 heaped tbs
water - 450ml
Set the oven at 200C/gas 6. Cut the pumpkin into wide segments, as you might a melon, then scrape out the seeds. Put the pieces in a roasting tin, then brush with groundnut oil or melted butter. Season and bake until meltingly tender, about 40-50 minutes. Peel the onions, roughly chop them, then put them in a large pot with the oil and let them cook over a moderate heat till soft and pale gold.
Peel and slice the garlic cloves and stir them into the onions. Peel the ginger, cut it into matchsticks, halve the chillies (seed them or not, depending on your heat threshold) and chop them finely. Stir them into the onions.
Chop the tomatoes, mix them with the onions and pour in the water. Leave everything to putter away on a low heat for a good 20 minutes.
Soak the tamarind in a cupful of warm water for a minute or two, then rub the mixture with your fingers and thumb. Measure off 3 tablespoons of the liquid and add to the sauce.
Add salt and black pepper to the sauce, then simmer for a further five minutes. You want a thick, textured sauce with a vibrant taste and rich colour. If necessary, let it simmer 10 or 15 minutes longer. Test the pumpkins for tenderness - they should be completely soft and, at the edges, golden brown. Serve the pumpkin with the sauce.
Grilled sweetcorn
1 large, plump corn on the cob per person
melted butter
salt and black pepper
Pull back the leaves but do not tear them off, and tug out the silky fibres. Rinse well under running water to soak the leaves. Fold the leaves back, then place the cobs on the grill and let them toast for 12 minutes or so, turning them from time to time. Eat with melted butter, salt and black pepper.
Baked finger aubergines with yoghurt and cucumber
Thin, lavender-coloured aubergines are to be found in Middle Eastern and Indian shops at this time of year.
Serves 4
finger aubergines - about 8
olive oil
for the yoghurt:
thick, natural, yoghurt - 200g
half a cucumber
a single clove of garlic
about 12 mint leaves
black onion seed - 1 tsp (optional)
To serve:
warm flat bread such as pitta
Set the oven to 200C/gas 6. Wipe the aubergines and cut them in half lengthways. Pour a thin layer of olive oil into a baking tin and place the aubergines cut side down in the oil. Bake till soft and squishy, about 40 minutes.
To make the cucumber yoghurt: wipe the cucumber and grate coarsely, place in a bowl, sprinkle lightly with salt and set aside in a colander for half an hour. Squeeze the cucumber dry in the palm of your hand, then stir it into the yoghurt. Peel and finely crush the garlic, chop the mint leaves and stir both into the cucumber and yoghurt. Toast the onion seed lightly in a non-stick pan. Transfer the yoghurt to a serving bowl and sprinkle with the onion seed.
Serve the aubergines on plates with a little of the cucumber mint yoghurt. Spread some of the baked aubergine onto a piece of the bread, spoon over a little of the yoghurt and eat.
