Autumn colour

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From The Times, obviously ignore the non vegan items e.g. the cheese......... Who said vegetables were dull? Peter Gordon reveals how to make the most of the season’s vivid flavours It’s wonderful to experiment with the vast array of exotic vegetables that is now available in the UK — bitter melon, plantain, sweet potato — but it’s even better to rediscover British heirloom varieties and use them in season. Head to a farmers’ market to see what locally sourced produce is on offer. But above all, enjoy eating your greens,

wherever they come from, not to mention your reds, oranges and purples. LINGUINE TOSSED WITH COURGETTES, PUMPKIN SEEDS AND GREEN BEANS There’s pasta, and then there’s pasta. Next time you shop for some, buy one of the artisan types. Generally, they have a more interesting texture and flavour, which enhances the finished dish. The pumpkin seeds, pepitas, can be cooked up to a week in advance. Serves 4 2 handfuls of pumpkin seeds4 tbsp extra-virgin olive

oilFlaky salt400g dried linguine1 red or green chilli, thinly sliced into rings4 banana shallots, thinly sliced1 large garlic clove, chopped200g fine green beans, topped1 large courgetteLarge handful of finely gratedParmesan or pecorino cheese Preheat the oven to 160C/325F/Gas Mark 3 and line a baking tray with baking parchment. Mix the pumpkin seeds with 1 tbsp of the oil and a few pinches of flaky salt, and bake on the lined tray for 10-15 minutes until they colour slightly, stirring once or twice to ensure even cooking. Meanwhile, cut the courgette lengthways at an angle into slices about 3mm thick. Lay the slices on top of one another and cut these lengthways into strips, again about 3mm thick. Set aside. Bring 2-3 litres of lightly salted water to the boil in a large pot. Add the linguine and cook until it’s done to your liking. I cook mine so it has the slightest bite, which will take 7-10

minutes, depending on the brand of pasta. Tip it into a colander and sit an inverted plate on top to keep it warm. Return the pot to the heat and add the remaining oil, chilli, shallots and garlic and sauté until the shallots have wilted and are beginning to colour, then add the beans and toss them in the mixture. Add 6 tbsp of hot water, cover and cook for 2 minutes. Add the courgette to the pot with another 2 tbsp of hot water, stir and sit the pasta on top. Cover again and cook for 1 more minute. Tip into a bowl, toss together with half the cheese and divide between 4 serving bowls. Serve the remaining cheese in a small dish. BEETROOT-PICKLED BEAN SPROUTS These are really good served on top of steamed new potatoes, tossed into salads, scattered on soup or mixed with coriander and spring onions as a garnish for roast salmon and other oily fish. Makes a 1-litre jar 1 large

beetroot, peeled2 cloves of garlic, chopped200ml cider vinegar (or white wine or rice vinegar)6 tbsp caster sugar350g bean sprouts, rinsed and drained12 allspice berries Either grate the beetroot or pureé it in a food processor. Place in a pot with the garlic, vinegar, sugar and 400ml water. Bring to the boil, then simmer rapidly for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, fill a heat-proof jar with boiling water and leave to sit for a minute on a folded tea towel. Tip the hot water from the jar, then place the bean sprouts and allspice in the jar, layering them. Strain the hot pickling liquid through a fine sieve, then pour as much of it as you can over the sprouts in the jar and seal while hot. Leave to cool on the tea towel, then place in the fridge. Leave for at least a day before using. BUTTERNUT SQUASH, PEANUT, PEA AND SPINACH CURRY WITH CASHEW

SALAD For this recipe, I use both green curry paste and green bird’s-eye Thai chillies, but the sweetness of the coconut milk and butternut squash will offset the heat. If you prefer your curries milder, then just add less of the spicy stuff. Serves 4-6 as a main course For the curry2 tbsp vegetable oil1 large onion, sliced1½ tbsp Thai green curry paste4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped2 handfuls of skinless, roasted peanuts, roughly chopped1 stalk of lemon grass400ml unsweetened coconut milk2 green bird’s-eye chillies, sliced600g butternut squash, peeled and cut into large chunks3 tsp Thai fish sauce (or salt to taste)2 large handfuls of fresh or frozen peas250g small-leaf spinach (or

large-leaf, roughly chopped) For the cashew saladLarge handful of toasted cashews, roughly chopped2 spring onions, slicedHandful of coriander, roughly chopped In a large pot, heat the vegetable oil and sauté the onion until it just starts to caramelise. Add the curry paste and garlic and fry for a minute, stirring often. Then add the peanuts and fry for another minute, again stirring well to stop the mixture sticking. Meanwhile, remove the base and the three hard outer layers of the lemon-grass stalk. Thinly slice the remaining stalk until it gets too woody, but reserve the woody bit. Add the coconut milk, chillies, lemon-grass slices and reserved stalk and 600ml hot water to the pan and bring to the boil. Add the butternut squash and the fish sauce, and simmer rapidly for 5-10 minutes, until the squash is almost cooked through. Add the peas and cook for a further 3 minutes, taste and adjust

the seasoning if necessary, then stir in the spinach and turn off the heat. To make the cashew salad, simply mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Divide the curry between 4 bowls, scatter a little of the salad over the top and serve with plain boiled rice. ROAST PUMPKIN STUFFED WITH WILD MUSHROOMS AND HAZELNUTS If you can’t find baby pumpkins, try using one large pumpkin. Bulk out the wild mushrooms by adding a layer of sautéed regular mushrooms in the bottom. If the pumpkin is a thick-fleshed variety, it can take hours to cook, so cook the hollowed out pumpkin with the lid set askew for an hour before stuffing. Serves 4 4 baby pumpkins, each about 500g1 garlic clove, finely chopped2 tbsp olive oil600g mixed wild mushrooms (cleaned thoroughly to remove twigs and grit)60g butter1 large white onion, diced1 leek, sliced and well rinsed if gritty2 tsp mixed

fresh herbs (thyme, oregano and young sage work best)60g hazelnuts, roasted, skinned and roughly chopped Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4. If the bases of the pumpkins aren’t level, carefully trim them. Cut the tops off the pumpkins, holding the knife (a narrow, thin blade works best) at a 45-degree angle to the work surface, and put the lids to one side. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon and discard. Mix the garlic with the olive oil and a little salt, then brush this on the inside of the pumpkins. Separate the mushrooms into two groups: large and dense in one, thin and delicate in the other. Slice the larger ones into chunks. Heat half the butter in a wide pan. When it begins to sizzle, add the onion and cook over a moderate heat, stirring often, until caramelised to a good, deep golden colour. Then add the leek and cook for 5-10 minutes, until that has just wilted. Add the chopped dense mushrooms

and cook over a moderate heat for 5-8 minutes, until they wilt, then tip into a bowl. Cook the smaller ones in the remaining butter until they wilt. Mix all the cooked mushrooms together with the herbs and hazelnuts and season well. Spoon the mixture into the hollowed-out pumpkins and put their lids back on. Place in a roasting dish, adding 1cm of hot water to the dish. Bake for about 70 minutes. Serve with a green salad.Peter H

 

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