Midweek Meals: Bring the harvest home with these classic autumn recipes

The cold evenings are creeping in... warm up with recipes for in-season potato, squash, pumpkins, apples and blackberries

Some of our autumn recipe selections.

Leek & Potato Soup

recipe by:Ciara McDonnell

An easy meal - with locally-sourceable ingredients.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 30 mins

Total Time

 40 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Irish

Ingredients

• 50g butter

• 4 potatoes, peeled and chopped

• 2 onions, sliced

• 4 leeks, washed well and sliced

• 750ml vegetable stock

• 250ml milk

• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Melt the butter and stir in the vegetables. Turn the heat down to low, clamp on a lid and sweat for ten minutes until the vegetables have softened. Add the vegetable stock and bring to a simmer. Bubble gently for fifteen minutes.

2. Stir in the milk and cook for five more minutes. Once cooled slightly blend with an immersion blender or in a jug blender until super smooth. To get ultra-silky soup, blend for at least five minutes - much longer than you may think. Season to taste, with salt and pepper.

Smokey Beef Stew

recipe by:Caitriona Redmond 

This recipe champions frozen and store cupboard ingredients - sometimes preparing fresh from scratch can be too much of a challenge when you are tired or tight on time.

Servings

5

Preparation Time

 5 mins

Cooking Time

 6 hours 0 mins

Total Time

 6 hours 5 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 500g stewing beef

• 100g frozen chopped onions

• 200g frozen chopped carrots

• 100g frozen chopped turnip/swede

• 1 tin chickpeas, drained

• 1 tbsp dried garlic

• 2 tbsp tomato purée

• 150ml beef stock (made from stock cube)

• 1 tsp oregano

• 1.5 tsp smoked paprika

Method

1. Combine all the ingredients in a slow cooker/crockpot/heavy casserole dish. Stir well so that the herbs and spices coat the meat and vegetables.

2. If cooking in the slow cooker/crockpot, put the lid on and cook on high for 6 hours.

3. If cooking in a heavy casserole dish in the oven, add a further 400ml of hot water to the pot. Put the lid on and cook at 160°C/ gas mark 3 for 3 hours.

4. The dish is ready when the meat is tender. Serve with rice or mash and eat with a spoon.

Butternut squash mac and cheese

recipe by:Ciara McDonnell

Butternut squash is the essential ingredient in this silky smooth mac and cheese

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 5 mins

Cooking Time

 25 mins

Total Time

 30 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 1 butternut squash, cubed

• 350ml milk

• Salt and pepper

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• Grating of nutmeg

• 450g macaroni or small pasta shells

• 100g strong Cheddar, grated

• 50g Parmesan or Grana Padano, grated

• 50g mascarpone (optional)

• For the breadcrumbs (otional): 

• 100g breadcrumbs

• 2tbsp butter

Method

1. Place the butternut squash, milk and 150ml water into a saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Stir in the garlic, nutmeg and salt and pepper. 

2. After 15-20 minutes, pierce the squash with a knife. If there is no resistance, turn off the heat and leave to cool slightly while you cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. 

3. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of pasta water. 

4. Using a stick blender, purée the butternut squash in its cooking liquid. Stir in the pasta and cheeses, stirring until the cheeses are melted and the sauce has come together. Taste, adding more seasoning if needed. If the sauce is too thick, add a little pasta water to thin it out. 

5. Melt the butter in a small frying pan and stir the breadcrumbs in foaming butter until golden and crispy. Scatter on top of the mac and cheese just before serving. 

Persian pumpkin and chickpea curry

recipe by:Atul Kochhar

"This is my vegan version of an Iranian classic,” says Atul Kochhar. He calls it “a rich dish with the walnuts, pomegranate flavourings and a hint of cinnamon”.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 25 mins

Total Time

 35 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Indian

Ingredients

• ½ large pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into bite-sized cubes, about 400g prepared weight

• Sunflower oil

• Ground cinnamon

• 75g walnut halves

• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 1 onion, chopped

• 7cm piece of cinnamon bark

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• 1 tsp ground turmeric

• 2 x 400g cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

• 100ml pomegranate juice

• 75g pomegranate molasses

• ½ tsp salt

• ¼ tsp ground black pepper

• Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste, or a pinch of ground nutmeg

• 1 unwaxed orange, zested

• About 500ml water, as needed

• Maple syrup, optional

• 80g pomegranate seeds

• Salt and ground black pepper

• Chopped flat-leaf parsley or coriander, to garnish

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/Fan 200°C/Gas 7. Put the pumpkin cubes on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Drizzle with sunflower oil and lightly dust with ground cinnamon, then shake the tray so all the cubes are well coated. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender and the tip of a knife slides through easily.

2. Meanwhile, heat a frying pan, ideally non-stick, over a medium-high heat. Add the walnuts and toast, stirring often, until lightly browned. Leave to cool, then transfer to a food processor and process until finely ground. Set aside.

3. Heat two tablespoons sunflower oil in a large saucepan over a medium-high heat. Add the garlic and onion and fry, stirring often, until the onions start to soften. Add the cinnamon bark and continue frying, stirring, until the onions are light brown. Stir in the cumin, turmeric and half a teaspoon ground cinnamon, and stir together for 30 seconds. Add the chickpeas, pomegranate juice, pomegranate molasses, salt, pepper and a good grating of nutmeg. Increase the heat and bring to the boil, stirring.

4. Add the pumpkin cubes and ground walnuts and return the mixture to the boil, stirring until the stew thickens. Add the orange zest and stir in just enough water to get the thickness you like. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary, and if you think it’s too sour add maple syrup to taste. Stir in the pomegranate seeds and garnish with parsley before serving.
   
   Curry Everyday by Atul Kochhar is published by Bloomsbury Absolute, priced £26. Photography by Mike Cooper. Available now.

Apple and Wild Blackberry Crumble with Hazelnuts and Irish Whiskey Cream

recipe by:Colm O'Gorman

If you want to skip the whiskey, substitute that for a teaspoon of vanilla essence to make a classic Chantilly cream.

Servings

6

Preparation Time

 30 mins

Cooking Time

 30 mins

Total Time

 60 mins

Course

 Dessert

Ingredients

• For the filling:

• 1kg cooking apples

• 50g butter

• 50g soft brown sugar

• 250g fresh blackberries

• For the crumble:

• 120g plain flour

• 120g soft brown sugar

• 90g butter

• ½ tsp ground cinnamon

• a pinch of fresh ground nutmeg

• 100g roasted hazelnuts

• To serve:

• 500ml fresh cream

• 1 tsp caster sugar

• 1 tbsp Irish whiskey

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 175 Celsius.

2. Wash the blackberries to remove any debris. As ripe blackberries are very tender and burst easily, I do this by putting them in a large bowl and adding lots of cold water. Swirl the berries around in the water and you will see any little bits of debris rise to the surface. Drain off the water and repeat, rinsing the berries this way a few times until the water is clean. Finally, drain off the water and set the berries aside while you prepare the apples.

3. Peel and core the apples, cutting them into wedges about two centimetres thick. Heat a large heavy based frying pan over a high heat, and when it is good and hot, toss in the butter. When the butter melts fully and starts to foam, add the apples and the brown sugar.

4. Reduce the heat to medium and stir the pan to coat the apples fully as the sugar melts into the butter and makes a soft caramel. This will only take about two minutes. Do not leave the apples on for too long as they will cook too much for this stage and become very soft. I like my apples to have some bite in a crumble, so I pan roast them like this for no more than two minutes. Remember they still have another thirty minutes in the oven to go.

5. Layer the apples in a deep baking dish, pouring over any caramel left in the pan. Scatter the blackberries evenly across the top of the apples and set aside while you make the crumble topping.

6. Put the butter, sugar, flour, and spice for the crumble into a food processor. Blitz until everything is well combined and you get a clumpy cookie dough like mixture.

7. Chop or crush the hazelnuts. I do this by putting the nuts on a chopping broad and lightly crushing them with a rolling pin. Break them up into rough pieces, keeping at least half of the nuts in halves or quarters for the best texture and flavour. Add the nuts to the crumble and mix them through using your fingers.

8. Layer the crumble over the fruit, pop the baking tray in the oven and bake for thirty minutes or until the crumble is toasted and nicely golden on top. When it is done, remove it from the oven and set aside to cool just a little while you prepare the cream.

9. Pour the cream into a large mixing bowl along with the sugar and the whiskey, or vanilla essence if you prefer. Beat the cream until you get smooth, gentle peaks. Serve the crumble warm with a generous dollop of cream.