Autumn Eats with Neets

I love autumn, from the colour of the trees and my yearly new big Zara scarf (they do the best ones) to stews and all the delicious earthy vegetables. It’s my favourite season and I thought I’d share some of the best fruit and veg that are around at the moment and some things you can do with them…

Squash
Let’s start with squash, not just butternut squash, but all the beautiful different shapes, colours and flavours you can get this time of year. We have a great shop called Better Food in Bristol, that always has an amazing selection of all the different varieties. They’ve also have produced this handy guide (so I didn’t have to) which has all the info you need on how to best enjoy each variety.
I LOVE roast squash, it’s the easiest veg to use. I rarely even peel it, unless it has a very thick skin. I just chop it up, splash over a bit of olive oil and a pinch of cumin, cinnamon and salt and pepper. It’s great with a roast – I often just chuck it around the meat so it takes on all the delicious flavours of that too. Also don’t forget the seeds – with many squash varieties, you can roast those up and they are great to use on salads.

Pumpkin Pie
As Halloween is approaching, another favourite in our house is pumpkin pie. This recipe from the Guardian a good few years ago is always a goodie, put the rum in it and toast some pecans to pop on top too. I often make individual ones too in muffins cases.

Apples
We have buckets and buckets of apples from my family’s farm at the moment. There are lots of apple crumbles, chutneys and lots chopped up and bagged in the freezer, for use later as they last really well. This recipe for spiced apple chutney is an absolute winner.

Sloes
They are ripe for picking at the moment, my mum’s Sloe Gin recipe is banging, see my other blog for that >

Cavolo Nero
The king of cabbage (well it’s Kale really), it has a really lovely rich and tangy flavour and is packed with vitamins, so it’s super good for you, as well as delicious. If you boil or steam it, keep the water for sauces or gravy. It’s also really good in salads, simply with bacon and parmesan, or stir-fried up with garlic and toasted hazelnuts. For something a bit different, why not give this recipe for Kale Crackling a go?

Slow Cookers
Obviously, not a vegetable, but it’s also slow cooker season. I love mine – so easy to pop ingredients in before work and come home to a gorgeous smelling house and dinner ready, with very little effort. The key is to not to put too much extra liquid in, as it doesn’t evaporate like it does in a saucepan on the hob. I love a brisket chilli con carne, I cook it for about 10 hours whilst I’m at work, job done. What you can make is endless from casseroles to soups, Andy in our office even makes cakes in his! Take a look at Taste.com for some inspiration >