Brussels sprouts with pancetta and chestnuts
Use baby sprouts in this rather festive dish, which is just as lovely on its own or as a side dish with roast pork, baked ham or turkey.
Serves 2
200g fresh chestnuts
60ml light olive oil
50g pancetta, chopped into 1 cm pieces
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
60ml chicken stock
60ml dry white wine
1 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
400g Brussels sprouts, trimmed
Preheat the oven to 200C. Cut a small slit, without cutting into the flesh, along one side of the chestnuts. Put them on a baking tray and roast in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until the skins start to split. Remove from the oven and let it cool a little. Peel and rub off the skin and set aside.
Heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Add the pancetta, onion and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes.
Pour in the stock, wine and lemon juice and bring to the boil. Add the sprouts to the pan, cover, reduce the heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes.
Carefully turn the sprouts over and add the chestnuts to the pan. Cover and cook for a further 20 minutes, until almost all the liquid has evaporated. Serve immediately.
Chunky chickpea soup
This version of a minestrone is really a meal in its own right. It's packed with lovely winter vegetables and is a 'one-pot wonder' that will improve with age. I consider pancetta, the cured Italian bacon, to be an essential ingredient that should be on hand in every kitchen.
Serves 4
2 tbs olive oil
1 leek, thinly sliced
1 small fennel bulb, cut into small cubes
100g pancetta, cut into small cubes
1 carrot, grated
1 potato, cut into small cubes
1.5l chicken stock
400g canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
80g fresh spinach, chopped
50g parmesan cheese, finely grated
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the leek, fennel and pancetta and cook for 5 minutes over high heat, until the leek softens and the pancetta really flavours the oil. Add the carrot, potato, stock and chickpeas and bring to the boil.
Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper then add the spinach. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes, until the spinach has wilted throughout the soup.
Serve with parmesan sprinkled on top.
Next time: Add 100 g small pasta (try the little rice-shaped pastas such as risoni or orzo) instead of chickpeas and simmer until the pasta is cooked through before adding the final few ingredients. This will give you a very thick soup that you may even need a fork to eat!
Red curry of roasted autumn vegetables
Thai curry pastes are a staple in my kitchen. Shop around to find the ones you like but you will find that most of those made in Thailand are very good. It is a therapeutic and fun process to make your own curry paste but you will end up with a kitchen full of dried spices that, unless stored very well, will lose their intensity and have to be thrown out after a few months. The vegetables here are very earthy and distinctive, sweet and nutty and the parsnip has that delicious slightly bitter edge. Thai basil is more intensely anise flavoured than other varieties. It may be hard to find so try a few leaves of fresh tarragon if you can't get hold of it. It sounds odd but the flavour works.
Serves 4
4 small new potatoes (such as Nicola or chats), halved
1 large carrot, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tbs light olive oil
400g pumpkin, peeled and cut into
2-3 cm pieces
1 parsnip, peeled and cut into batons
1 Spanish onion, cut into 8 wedges
400ml coconut milk
2 tbs red curry paste
2 tbs brown sugar
2 tbs Thai fish sauce
250ml chicken stock
a handful of fresh basil leaves (preferably Thai basil)
boiled jasmine rice, to serve
Preheat the oven to 220C (425F) Gas 7. Put a baking tray in the oven for 10 minutes to heat. Put the potatoes and carrot on the hot tray in a single layer, drizzle with the oil and roast in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Add the pumpkin, parsnip and onion to the tray and roast for a further 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, put 250ml of the coconut milk in a heavy-based saucepan and cook over high heat until boiling. Add the curry paste and stir well. Let the mixture boil for 4-5 minutes, until the oil starts to separate from the milk. Add the sugar and fish sauce and stir-fry for 2 minutes, until the mixture is very dark.
Add the remaining coconut milk and chicken stock to the pan. Bring to the boil then stir in the roasted vegetables and basil leaves. Cook over a low heat for 5 minutes to heat through, then serve with boiled jasmine rice.
Next time: Prawns, pumpkin and basil make a great flavour combination. Add 20 large raw, deveined prawns to the curry with the roasted pumpkin and basil leaves and cook over low heat for 5 minutes until the prawns are pink, curly and cooked through.
Roasted carrots with barley risotto
Barley is a wonderful ingredient - it's so earthy and unprocessed and I like to throw it into all sort of things, such as lamb stews and soups. I've used it here to make a dish much like a risotto, but without all the stirring! Despite seeming an odd couple, miso and parmesan do work well together and give the barley an intensely savoury flavour that's perfect with sweet carrots.
Serves 4
2 tbs light olive oil
12 baby carrots, ends trimmed
2 tbs butter
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 garlic cloves, unpeeled and cut in half
500ml chicken stock
1 tbs light soy sauce
220g barley
1 tbs butter
3 heaped tbs finely grated parmesan cheese
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat the oil in a frying pan until very hot. Add the carrots and cook for 8-10 minutes, turning every 2 minutes, until golden. If your pan isn't big enough you may need to do this in batches. Add the butter, thyme and garlic to the pan with 125ml water and season with sea salt and black pepper. Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes, turning often, until the carrots are tender.
Meanwhile, to make the barley risotto, put the stock and soy sauce in a saucepan with 1 litre water and bring to the boil. Add the barley and cook for 45-50 minutes, stirring often, until the barley is soft but not breaking up. Stir in the butter and parmesan. Serve the carrots on top of the barley.
Next time: The carrots could be served hot on a bed of couscous or, left to cool and tossed in a salad with beetroot, toasted pine nuts and a soft cheese.
Swiss chard and white bean minestrone
Minestrone is a delicious Italian vegetable soup that can be fancy and complex or laid back and unpretentious, like this recipe. The soup is beefed up here by serving ladles of the hot minestrone over thick and garlicky toasted ciabatta to mop up all the goodness.
Serves 4
2 tbs butter
1 onion, chopped
1 small bunch of Swiss chard (about 350g), finely chopped
1l vegetable stock
400g canned cannellini beans, drained but not rinsed and roughly mashed
4 thick slices of ciabatta
2 garlic cloves, halved
extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
finely grated parmesan cheese, to serve
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 4-5 minutes to soften. Add the Swiss chard and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often, until softened. Add the stock and beans and gently bring to the boil. Season with sea salt and black pepper.
Toast the ciabatta until golden on both sides. Rub the bread with the cut side of the garlic, then place each one in a serving bowl. Drizzle each piece of bread with olive oil and ladle over the soup. Sprinkle the parmesan on top and serve immediately.
Next time: It's easy to turn this into a satisfying pasta meal. Simply leave out the stock and add 400g cooked pasta shapes to the pan when you add the beans, season well with sea salt and black pepper and stir in some finely grated parmesan cheese for extra flavour.
Smoky sausage and bean casserole
The Italians use a mixture of onions, carrots and celery sautéed in olive oil as the base for many classic soups and casseroles. This holy trinity of veggies is known as a soffritto and it's right at home here in a hearty stew with sausages and beans.
Serves 4
1 tbs light olive oil
12 chipolata sausages
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 leek, thinly sliced
1 carrot, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
400g can chopped tomatoes
1 tsp Spanish smoked paprika
2 tbs maple syrup
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
400g canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
toasted sourdough bread, to serve
Heat the oil in a heavy-based casserole or saucepan over high heat. Add the sausages in two batches and cook them for 4-5 minutes, turning often until cooked and an even brown all over. Remove from the casserole and set aside.
Add the garlic, leek, carrot and celery and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the tomatoes, paprika, maple syrup, thyme, beans and 500ml water and return the sausages to the pan.
Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 40-45 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
Put a slice of toasted sourdough bread on each serving plate, spoon the casserole over the top and serve.
Next time: Try replacing the sausages with 500g pork neck fillet cut into 2-3 cm pieces. Cook the pork in batches for 4-5 minutes each batch, turning often so each piece is evenly browned.
Return all the pork to the pan, as you would the sausages, and simmer for 45-50 minutes until the pork is tender.
Carrot and lentil soup
You'll need to use a variety of lentils here that will soften to a mush when cooked for a short time. French green lentils, or puy, will not work. Orange or red varieties are what's needed and they also help to create the rich autumnal colour. The taste of this soup belies the simplicity of its ingredients. Carrots can be very sweet and lentils are nutty and wholesome, so they make a perfect pair. For a simple twist on this great recipe, try adding a couple of tablespoons of good-quality curry powder to the onions at the early stage of cooking.
Serves 4
3 tsp butter
1 red onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 tsp sun-dried tomato purée
500g carrots, grated
250g red lentils, rinsed and drained
1.5l chicken stock
125ml natural yoghurt
a handful of fresh coriander leaves, chopped
Heat the butter in a heavy-based saucepan over high heat. When the butter is sizzling, add the onion and garlic and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring often. Add the sun-dried tomato purée and stir-fry for one minute. Add the carrots, lentils and stock to the pan and bring to the boil.
Cook at a rapid simmer for 40 minutes, until the lentils are soft. Spoon the soup, in batches, into a food processor or blender and process until smooth.
Return the soup to a clean saucepan and cook over a low heat for a few minutes, until heated through.Serve with dollops of yoghurt and the coriander sprinkled on top.
Spicy red vegetable soup
The colour of this fiery red soup is matched by a pleasing chilli kick, which can be adjusted according to your palate - just add extra chillies as required. Don't be put off by the cooking time - use it as an opportunity to do a few chores.
Serves 4
60ml light olive oil
1 tbs soft brown sugar
1 red pepper, chopped
1kg roma or plum tomatoes, quartered
1 red onion
1 large red chilli, deseeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
250ml vegetable or chicken stock
4 slices of rye bread
50g soft goats' cheese
Preheat the oven to 180C (350F) Gas 4. Put the olive oil, sugar, pepper, tomatoes, onion, chilli and garlic in a roasting tin, toss everything together and cook in the preheated oven for 2 hours, stirring often, until the vegetables are really soft and starting to turn brown.
Remove the vegetables from the oven. Put the stock in a saucepan and stir in the vegetables. Spoon the mixture, in batches, into a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Return the soup to a clean saucepan and cook over a low heat for a few minutes until heated through.
Toast the rye bread and, while it's still warm, spread on the cheese. Float the toast on the soup to serve.
Sage pork chops with kale colcannon
Easy to prepare, these sage-crumbed pork chops are served here with Irish-style colcannon. This is comfort food at its best - a creamy mashed potato with cooked cabbage. My colcannon recipe uses kale, a close relative of the cabbage. You may also see the trendy black variety, known as cavalo nero, popping its head up in all the cool eateries. Kale is a true cold weather vegetable that actually relies on frost to enhance its flavour. So as the weather gets colder, the kale gets better, making it the perfect choice for late autumn.
Serves 4
60g plain flour
3 eggs
2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
4-6 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
100g fresh breadcrumbs
100g parmesan cheese, finely grated
4 pork chops
60ml vegetable oil
For the kale colcannon:
500g curly kale
2 tbs butter
2 rashers of bacon, thinly sliced
6-8 spring onions, thinly sliced
4 large potatoes, quartered
125g butter, cut into cubes
Put the plain flour on a flat plate. Mix the eggs and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl and, in a separate bowl, combine the sage, breadcrumbs and parmesan. Press a pork chop into the flour, coating the meat evenly, then dip it in the egg mixture, then press firmly to coat in the crumb mix. Repeat this process with all 4 pork chops. Transfer them to a plate and refrigerate until needed.
To make the colcannon, cook the kale in a large saucepan of boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain well, chop finely and set aside.
Put the butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the bacon turns golden. Add the spring onions and cook for a further 2 minutes. Stir in the kale and remove the pan from the heat.
Put the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and cook for 20 minutes, until soft when pierced with a skewer but not breaking apart. Drain the potatoes well and return them to the pan. Add the butter and mash well. Beat with a wooden spoon until smooth. Stir the kale mixture into the potatoes, cover and keep warm while cooking the pork.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. When hot, add the pork chops and cook for 6-7 minutes, so they gently sizzle in the oil and a golden crust forms. Turn over the pork chops and cook for 5 minutes on the other side. Serve with a generous portion of the kale colcannon.
Egg, bacon and spinach pie
Autumn is a great time for pies. Typically the weather is fickle and with a pie you have the option of serving a slice with creamy mash if it's chilly or with a salad of late- season tomatoes and a tangy dressing if the days are still warm.
Pies are also as good outdoors as they are indoors. They transport well for picnics and leftovers will sit happily in the fridge for a couple of days so you can enjoy them as a snack or late supper.
Serves 6
500g fresh spinach
1 tbs butter
3 rashers rindless streaky bacon, cut into thin strips
1 onion, finely chopped
6 eggs, lightly beaten
50g parmesan cheese, finely grated
1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 tbs cold water
shortcrust pastry:
250g plain flour
150g butter, cut into small cubes
1 egg yolk
a loose-based tart tin, 20 cm diameter,
lightly greased
Put the flour and butter into the bowl of a food processor and put the bowl into the freezer for 15 minutes. Lightly beat the egg yolk with 2 tablespoons water and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Process the butter and flour until the mixture looks like ground almonds, then add the egg yolk mixture and process for just a few seconds to combine.
Tip the mixture into a bowl and use your hands to bring the dough together to form a large ball. It should be a bit crumbly. Wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180C (350F) Gas 4. Wash the spinach and, leaving some of the water on the leaves, cook it in a large non-stick frying pan over high heat for 2 minutes, until wilted and emerald green in colour. You may need to cook the spinach in batches. Transfer it to a colander and drain well. When cool enough to handle, use your hands to squeeze out as much moisture as possible from the spinach and place it in a large bowl.
Heat the butter in the frying pan over high heat and, when sizzling, add the bacon and onion. Cook for 5 minutes until golden. Spoon the mixture into the bowl with the spinach. Add the eggs and parmesan and season well with sea salt and black pepper. Stir to combine.
Put the greased tart tin on a baking tray. Cut about two-thirds from the ball of dough and roll it out between two layers of greaseproof paper. Line the bottom of the tart tin with the pastry. Spoon the spinach mixture on top of the pastry base.
Roll the remaining pastry into a circle slightly larger than the tart tin and place this on top of the pie, allowing any excess pastry to hang over the edge. Gently press down around the edges to seal. Brush the egg and water mixture over the pie and cook in the preheated oven for 1 hour until golden brown. Let the pie cool for 10-15 minutes before cutting into wedges to serve.
Pumpkin and gorgonzola risotto
Roasted pumpkin is a favourite of mine - in my native Australia, pumpkin soup is almost a national dish. Here it retains its deep flavour and unique texture as it's roasted separately, then added to a basic risotto.
Serves 4
500g pumpkin, peeled and cubed
1 tsp light olive oil
1l vegetable stock
2 tbs butter
1 leek, halved lengthways and thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, chopped
330g risotto rice
50g gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
Preheat the oven to 180C. Put the pumpkin on a baking tray, drizzle with the olive oil and roast in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
Put the stock in a saucepan and heat until gently simmering. Melt the butter in a saucepan over high heat and add the leek and garlic. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring often, until the leeks have softened but not browned. Add the rice to the leeks and stir for 1 minute, until the rice is well coated with oil. Add 125ml of the hot stock to the rice and cook, stirring constantly, until the rice has absorbed most of the liquid.
Repeat this process until all the stock has been used, this will take about 20-25 minutes. The rice should be soft but still have a slight bite to the centre. Add the roasted pumpkin pieces. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the gorgonzola and serve immediately.
· Kitchen Seasons by Ross Dobson is published by Ryland, Peters and Small (£19.99). To order a copy for £18.99 with free UK postage and packing go to observer.co.uk/bookshop or call 0870 836 0885
· Watch Ross Dobson's recipe in action here
