Foodie Lass In Season Autumn and Winter
In Season is a wonderful concept for a cookery book, adapted to use natural produce which is truly ‘in season’ during Autumn and Winter, and produced by respected experts in the field – the team at Food and Travel magazine, with recipes by Linda Tubby, photography by Angela Dukes and text by Clarrisa Hyman.
They have embraced the many of the core values of this highly-respected magazine in their first cookery book: where food comes from, how it is grown and why eating in season has a great importance for the quality and taste of the food.
This cookery book highlights seasonal foods from Autumn and Winter. It provides the readers with a vast array of delicious recipes to choose from, whether it is a warming soup, a robust casserole or a scrumptious after-dinner pudding. Each recipe contains a variety of herbs and spices, with origins from as far apart as France, Thailand and Egypt.
Each chapter focuses on a seasonal ingredient with wonderful bite-sized items of information expertly written by Clarissa Hyman. I particularly enjoyed the ‘Wit and Wisdom’ section which provides the reader with interesting backstories to all the different foods.
Here are a few recipe examples:
Lentils With Rainbow Chard & Tomatoes
This can be made in advance- chard added at last minute.
Thai Butternut Squash Curry
Ideal for a mid-week dinner.
Roast Chicken with Walnut & Pomegranate Dressing
Middle Eastern Flavours run through the warm salad.
I have chosen to highlight an onion recipe from the book – onions are always on our food shopping list. They are a mainstay of many recipes.
Onion, Chickpea & Bacon Soup
Serves 4-6
6tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (plus extra for drizzling)
250g smoked lardons
3 large onions
24 small onions or shallots, peeled and broken into lobes
1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
4 garlic cloves chopped and crushed with a little salt
4 large tomatoes skinned, cored deseeded, and roughly chopped
2tsp tomato puree
2-3 Thyme sprigs
500 ml vegetable stock
1 x 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
50g dried risoni (rice-shaped pasta)
½ savoy cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
Heat 1tbsp oil in a large pan and fry the lardons until golden. Transfer to a plate and add the rest of the oil to the pan.
Fry the chopped onions and small onions or shallots, red pepper and garlic over a medium heat for 10 minutes until lightly golden. Add the tomatoes and tomato puree, increase the heat and cook for 2 minutes, then add the thyme, stock and 750ml cold water and season with freshly ground black pepper.
Add the chickpeas and lardons and cook for 15 minutes. Add the risoni, season with sea salt to taste and cook for just a few minutes until wilted. Spoon over some extra virgin oil to serve.
This is such a super versatile recipe but you can use substitutes, such as tinned pulses or tinned tomatoes.
Quick fact – To chop an onion without tears, first put it in the freezer for about 15 minutes (with thanks from text by Clarissa Hymans).
Onion, Chickpea & Bacon Soup
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil plus extra for drizzling
- 250 g smoked lardons
- 3 large onions
- 24 small onions or shallots peeled and broken into lobes
- 1 red pepper deseeded and chopped
- 4 garlic cloves chopped and crushed with a little salt
- 4 large tomatoes skinned cored deseeded, and roughly chopped
- 2 tsp tomato puree
- 2-3 Thyme sprigs
- 500 ml vegetable stock
- 1 x 400g can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 50 g dried risoni rice-shaped pasta
- ½ savoy cabbage cored and thinly sliced
Instructions
- Heat 1tbsp oil in a large pan and fry the lardons until golden. Transfer to a plate and add the rest of the oil to the pan.
- Fry the chopped onions and small onions or shallots, red pepper and garlic over a medium heat for 10 minutes until lightly golden. Add the tomatoes and tomato puree, increase the heat and cook for 2 minutes, then add the thyme, stock and 750ml cold water and season with freshly ground black pepper.
- Add the chickpeas and lardons and cook for 15 minutes. Add the risoni, season with sea salt to taste and cook for just a few minutes until wilted. Spoon over some extra virgin oil to serve.
In Season – Autumn & Winter is available from all the usual book outlets. Published by Food and Travel Magazine.
