What does Autumn bring to the table?
A season that shifts my eating habits, daily patterns & prompts a desire to be clad in knits. Plates that comfort & a colour palette that nods to the landscape where harvests brag of golds, russet and rosy cheeked greens. Grubby roots & muddy boots are de rigueur across these weeks of waning skies & leaves underfoot, as we trudge through Autumn in all her splendid glory.
Autumn forever charms the pants off me, both indoors & out. The gentle fury of skies rolling ominously overhead, bursts of soft sunshine & brightly coloured harvests. Fields shorn to a rough stubble & rolls of hay dotting the landscape. Indoors, meal offerings straddle this shift in temperatures, the hearty comfort of midwinter not yet sought but a sidestep from the chilled offerings of summer very much in demand.
I have forever loved figs. Mashed into biscuits, devoured in their rawest form straight from a tree & poked in amongst plump chicken thighs and vinegar and honey within a casserole pan. A once tiny fig tree, pushed into the ground of a sheltered corner of our courtyard in years recent, gifts us meagre fruits as summer slips into this next season. Baked with creamy goats cheese & bound with parma ham, a bed of leaves licked with oil & balsamic is all that’s needed beneath. Salads served warm are abundant across Autumn, where roasted squashes & halloumi stingingly hot from the pan meet a pile of dressed leaves. Still warm spuds doused with vinaigrette & turned through poached salmon, flaked with a fork and topped with a softly poached egg, delight across any sitting of a day. A myriad of roasted colourful vegetables, rosemary & sea salt croutons tucked amongst their warmth and topped with creamy burrata offset any chill of an evening. So too tail end beef fillet, flash fried in a puddle of soy & tamarind and kecap manis, that sits well within a bowl of stir fried veg where spinach & seeds of sesame, fragrant coriander & mild red chilli are all turned through upon serving, adding further interest to a dish already punching well above it’s weight.
For all that is good & great about the summer table, Autumn cranks it up a notch in my eyes. Pans swimming with ochre waters & rich burgundy sauces, left to do their own thing in the confines of a gentle oven make a friend of all. Lentils shift into position on the pantry shelf, oats know their worth. Mornings are licked with shadow & darkness falls like a stage curtain after the final act, catching us off guard with the early hour & encouraging dishes that sooth and cajole as we acclimatise. A show of hands please for all those who fuss over Autumns’ arrival much like an overdue and very welcome house guest.
I turned off paid subscriptions across the summer, largely due to not being able to keep any commitment to posting here frequently, but these will resume in October. The recipe below is just one reminder of the benefits a paid subscription entitles my community here to. Aside from access to my back catalogue of articles and newsletters, I’m also launching my weekly digital kitchen clinics in October, that shine a light on cooking and the dinner table. With an emphasis on discussions around diminished confidence, lack of knowledge or apathy in the kitchen, these sessions will include tried and much leaned on recipe ideas, menu suggestions, Q & A’s, quick wins for the weekday table, seasonal dishes and demonstrations from yours truly. Worthy of a subscription I’d wager.
If these clinics sound of interest, please drop me a note in the comments below or send me a direct message via the chat facility in the Substack app.
Since skies are damp & the threat of rain persists, today’s recipe is one to counter such weather with.
Tender Roast Salmon & Warm Black Bean Salad
This easy supper requires a little forethought, but is simplistic in its preparation and the peppers & coriander can be prepped ahead if time is not on side.
You will need…. (Feeds 2)
Two Salmon Fillets
One can Black Beans
One large Red PepperÂ
1/2 bunch Coriander
4 tbsp dried Puy Lentils
Salt flakes (my preference is Maldon) & milled
black pepper
Generous knob of salty butter - about 25g
Vegetable Bouillon or a vegetable stock cube
A little olive oil - nothing fancy needed here
One lemon
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Begin by thoroughly rinsing the Puy lentils before placing in a pan with adequate water to cover. Add a pinch of Vegetable Bouillon or stock cube, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 25 minutes until cooked through (Or according to cooking instructions)
Whilst the lentils are cooking, pre-heat the oven to 200°C. Chop the pepper into one inch chunks, discarding the core and seeds, & drizzle with a little olive oil before dusting with salt & pepper. Finely chop the coriander and set aside.
Place the diced pepper on a baking tray & gently roast for about 20 minutes, covered loosely with foil. Season the salmon fillets with salt & pepper, dot each with three small lumps of butter and place on a baking tray uncovered. Ten minutes into the cook time for the peppers, place the salmon in the oven and cook for about 11-12 minutes. If you want some colour on the peppers, consider removing the foil for the last five minutes of their cooking time, taking care they don’t scorch.
Whilst the salmon is cooking, drain the beans from the can, rinse thoroughly and place in a small pan with plenty enough water to cover. Add a pinch of vegetable bouillon, bring to the boil and cook through for 4 -5 minutes until piping hot, or according to their cooking instructions.
Drain the cooked lentils, running beneath warm water to rid of any cooking water. Drain and rinse the black beans.Â
Mix together the beans, lentils, roasted peppers and coriander & season well - beans and lentils have a tendency to be bland without it. Zest the lemon and stir this through the lentil and bean mix. If you fancy you can squeeze the juice into this mixture too, or squeeze over the salmon once served.
Arrange on the dinner plates and sit the salmon atop. Serve immediately.
As Always.
Millsie :) x