Adjusting to AUTUMN
Two comforting recipes made with the last of summer’s produce.
Each year as summer fades and eases its way into autumn, i’m amazed at the natural switch that’s flicked in my brain. Fairly suddenly, salads are swapped for soup. Both are wonderful ways to enjoy plentiful vegetables. We all know which is more comforting.
despite good intentions, i rarely find time to make or bottle tomato sauce or chutney. The last of the tomatoes are instead turned into soup. This soup recipe is ideal to help use up a bounty of homegrown tomatoes, and is incredibly simple. i roast a tray of tomatoes with garlic, soak cashews while the tomatoes are roasting, then blend everything together with some vegetable stock. The result is a vibrantly coloured, creamy soup that tastes purely of full-flavoured tomatoes.
You can add spices or toppings to your heart’s content. I like to top it with spices and curry leaves tempered in hot oil (inspired by Indian tadka). A dollop of basil pesto or yoghurt, some croutons or chopped herbs would all be wonderful.
Cooler days also lend themselves to baking. I’m partial to the sweet and savoury combination of fruit and herbs, in this case blackberries, apple and sage baked into rustic oat crumble bars. The sweet, tart flavour of blackberries cuts right through the savoury notes of sage, and the overall effect is complex, a bit floral and intriguingly delicious. These crumble bars aren’t too sweet, making them a great snack or even a breakfast alongside a stiff cup of coffee.
in this recipe i use about four large sage leaves, rolled up together and sliced as finely as possible into hair-like green threads. This quantity imparts a subtle hint of sage, which works well with the blackberry and apple but could probably easily be doubled for a stronger flavour without being overwhelming.
You can safely substitute whatever berries you have available (or in the freezer). One day i plan to try a variation of this recipe with strawberries and basil, which i’m sure would be equally delicious!