Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall reveals his top gourmet recipes for an autumn feast

TV COOK Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is on a mission to get you eating more vegetables.

In this autumn recipe collection, the River Cottage chef has chosen 15 tasty, nutritious veg dishes – cheaper than meat or fish and so leaving you spare cash for other treats like going down the pub for beers.

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Hugh, who hopes to win over even the most committed meat eater, said: “Vegetables are now the major force in my kitchen. They are my first port of call when tummies are rumbling. And I’ve taught myself a fair bit about how to make veg taste great, without too much kitchen faff.

“Now I want to share what I’ve learned, so I’ve packed these pages with easy, appetising recipes that will take your cooking and enjoyment of veg to a whole new level.

“I’ve gone out of my way to dream up veg-only dishes as gratifying as any Sunday roast or meaty curry.

“Here are my some of my latest – bowlfuls, panfuls and platters of gorgeous, glorious veg-based fare, full of flavour and substance, that will assuage the heartiest appetites.”

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Parsnip, sprout and chestnut hotpot with cider

(Serves 4)

A STEAMING bowl of this hotpot is exactly what I want on a bleak, grey day. I wouldn’t normally cook Brussels sprouts for this long but combined with all the other tender earthy veg, some nutty pearl barley and delicious cooking liquor, it works a treat.

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YOU NEED:

• 100g pearl barley
• 250g shallots or baby onions
• 300g Brussel sprouts
• 400g parsnips
• 2 tbsp rapeseed or olive oil
• 150g cooked, peeled chestnuts
• 150ml medium-dry cider
• 2 bay leaves, torn
• Springs of thyme
• 750ml hot veg stock
• Sea salt and black pepper
• Extra virgin olive-oil

METHOD: Put the pearl barley or spelt into a bowl, cover with cold water and leave to soak while you prepare the veg.

Peel the shallots or onions and, if they are larger than a walnut, cut them in half. Trim stalk ends of Brussels sprouts and remove any dirty or damaged outer leaves. Peel and trim parsnips and cut them into 2–3cm chunks.

Place a large, wide, flameproof casserole dish over a medium heat and add the oil. When it’s hot, add the shallots, Brussels sprouts, parsnips, chestnuts and some salt and pepper. Fry for 15 minutes or more, stirring occasionally, so that you get some golden-brown colour on the veg. This really adds to the flavour of the dish.

Drain the pearl barley or spelt in a sieve and rinse it well under the cold tap. When the veg is nicely coloured, add the cider to the dish and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze it, until the liquor has reduced to almost nothing. Add the rinsed pearl barley or spelt, throw in the bay and thyme then pour in the hot stock.

Stir well, bring to a simmer then turn the heat down low and cover the pan. Let the stew simmer for 35

40 minutes, until the barley or spelt is tender – spelt will cook a little more quickly. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
Spoon into warmed bowls and top with a trickle of extra-virgin oil. Serve with greens, such as chopped kale.

SWAPS: Add celeriac, potato or carrots – or any combination of these – in place of the parsnips. Use red or brown onions, roughly chopped, as an alternative to the shallots.
If you don’t have any cider, white wine works just as well.

Baked big mushrooms with dressed puy lentils

(Serves 4)

HOT, juicy baked mushrooms are delicious topped with puy lentils and a piquant, lemony dressing.

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YOU NEED:

• 8-12 large open-cap mushrooms (2-3 per person)
• Olive oil for brushing
• Sea salt and black pepper

For the lentil salsa:

• 75g puy lentils
• 1 small garlic clove, chopped
• 1 small shallot, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp capers, chopped
• 2 tbsp parsley, chives or chervil, chopped
• ½ tsp English mustard
• Finely grated zest and juice of ½ lemon
• 50ml extra virgin olive oil

METHOD: Preheat the oven to 190C/Fan 170C/Gas 5. Remove and discard the stalks from the mushrooms then place them gill side up on a large baking tray (one with an edge, to hold the juices).

Pour a little olive oil into a small bowl and brush over each mushroom lightly. Season with salt and pepper then bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until dark, tender and juicy.

Meanwhile, put the lentils into a saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Lower the heat a little and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until tender but still with some bite. Drain the lentils and return them to the hot pan. Immediately add all the other salsa ingredients, as well as some salt and pepper, and stir well.

The cooked mushrooms will have released lots of juice in the oven. Don’t discard it – pour most of this into a jug.

Transfer the mushrooms to a warmed serving platter and spoon the dressed lentils on top of them.

Trickle the reserved mushroom cooking juice over the lentil-topped mushrooms, then serve. Eat with crushed potatoes.

SWAPS: Spoon the lentil salsa on to barbecued or griddled veg, such as thickly sliced fennel or courgettes, or quartered lettuces, rather than big mushrooms.

Aubergine and tomato gratin

(Serves 4)

SERVE this hearty bake with a green salad on the side.

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YOU NEED: 

• 2 fairly large aubergines (about 700g in total), trimmed
• 4 tbsp olive oil, plus a little extra to finish
• Small bunch of basil leaves (25g), roughly torn
• 4-5 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked from the stems
• About 30g flaked almonds
• Sea salt and black pepper

For the tomato sauce:

• 2 x 400g tins of tomatoes
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• 75g cashew nuts
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 bay leaves
• A pinch of sugar

METHOD: To make the sauce – which you can do ahead – put the tomatoes into a medium saucepan. If you’re using whole plum tomatoes, crush them in your hands as you add them, removing any stalky end bits.

Add the garlic, cashews, oil, bay leaves and a little salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, stirring regularly.

Remove the bay leaves. Add the sugar and blitz to a purée, using a stick blender or jug blender. Stir in about 50ml water to thin the purée to the texture of lightly whipped cream. Taste and adjust the seasoning. If making ahead, cool then refrigerate and reheat gently before using.

Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/Gas 4. Cut the aubergines lengthways into 5mm thick slices. Heat up a griddle pan, or barbecue, or preheat your grill.

Measure 4tbsp olive oil into a small bowl and use to brush the aubergine slices on both sides. Griddle or grill the aubergine slices, in batches if necessary, for 2-3 minutes each side, until tender and marked with brown patches or grill stripes, seasoning with salt and pepper as you go.

Layer one third of the aubergine slices over the base of an oven dish (about two-litre capacity). Scatter over one third of the basil and thyme leaves. Dollop one-third of the tomato sauce over the top and carefully spread it out over the aubergines. Repeat until you have used up all the aubergines, herbs and sauce. Scatter over the flaked almonds and add a final trickle of oil.

Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes, until bubbling and lightly coloured on top. Let it stand for 10-15 minutes before serving.

SWAPS: Use grilled slices of courgette or roasted slices of squash in place of the aubergine.

Sweet potato, pineapple and red pepper pot

(Serves 3-4)

WITH something of a Caribbean feel, this has a delicious sweet-sour quality. The roasted pineapple is particularly tasty. All the fruit, veg and seasonings are roasted together, then a portion of them is blitzed to make a thick, spicy sauce.

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YOU NEED:

• 2 medium-large red peppers (about 400g in total)
• 500g sweet potatoes
• 400g pineapple flesh (yield from 1 small-medium ripe pineapple), “eyes” removed, peeled and cored
• 2 medium onions, roughly chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and bashed
• 1 medium-hot red chilli, halved, deseeded if you want less heat, and sliced
• 3-4 thyme sprigs
• 2-3 bay leaves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• 2 tbsp rapeseed or olive oil
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp tamari
• A pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
• Sea salt and black pepper
• 1 lime, halved, to spritz

METHOD: Preheat the oven to 190C/Fan 170C/Gas 5. Halve, core and deseed the peppers, then chop into 2-3cm pieces. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into 2-3cm chunks. Cut the pineapple flesh into 3-4cm chunks.

Put the chopped veg including the onions, pineapple, garlic, chilli, herbs and spices into a large roasting dish. Add the oil and some salt and pepper, stirring to combine everything. Roast for 1 hour, stirring about halfway through.

Spoon a third of the contents of the roasting tray into a blender, making sure you don’t include any bay leaves, thyme sprigs or the cinnamon stick. Add the hot stock, cider vinegar and tamari then blitz to a thick, smooth purée.

Tip this purée back into the roasting tray and stir it gently into the roasted fruit and veg. Taste and add more salt if needed, with a pinch of cayenne pepper if you want to spice it up a little. If necessary, you can reheat the dish gently in a large pan for a couple of minutes.

Serve spritzed with lime juice, with rice or quinoa on the side.

SWAPS: Try replacing with fennel, roasted root veg or a combination of aubergines and courgettes.

Red cabbage and cashew biryani

(Serves 5-6)

YOU can grind your own spices for this generous, all-in-one rice dish, or use a good ready-made curry paste for an easy option.

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YOU NEED:

• 2 tbsp virgin coconut or rapeseed oil
• 1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 medium-large leek (200-250g), halved and thinly sliced
• ¼ red cabbage (about 300g), cored and shredded
• 400ml tin coconut milk
• 250g white basmati rice, rinsed and drained
• 125g cashew nuts
• 100g raisins
• Sea salt

For spice mix:

• 2 tsp coriander seeds
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
• 1 tsp black mustard seeds
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 4 cardamom pods, seeds extracted
• 1 tbsp ground tumeric

METHOD: Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/Gas 4. Prepare a large, wide, flameproof casserole dish with a well-fitting lid.

If preparing your own spice mix, put the casserole dish on a medium heat, add all the whole spices and toast them gently for 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Take off the heat and grind the spices coarsely using a pestle and mortar or spice grinder. Mix with the turmeric and set aside.

Return the casserole dish to a medium heat and add the oil. When hot, add the onion, garlic, leek and cabbage. Cook gently, stirring regularly, for about ten minutes, until the veg are softened and reduced in volume.

Add the freshly prepared spice mix, or bought curry paste, and cook for another couple of minutes, stirring a few times.

Meanwhile, heat the coconut milk gently in a saucepan, with 300ml water, until smoothly amalgamated.

Add the rice, cashews and raisins to the veg. Add 1 tsp salt, or if using a ready-made paste that already includes salt, just ½ tsp. Stir well so that everything is thoroughly combined.

Pour on the warm, diluted coconut milk and stir well. Make sure the ingredients are level in the dish, then bring up to a simmer.

Cover the casserole dish and cook in the oven for 20 minutes. Take it out of the oven and check the rice is tender – if not, give it another 5 minutes. Then cover the dish again and leave it to stand for 5-10 minutes.

Remove the lid and fluff up the rice a little with a fork. Scatter on some red chilli and coriander, if using, then serve.

This is really good with a spoonful of chutney on the side. Use your favourite mango chutney or make up a half quantity of a coriander and tamarind sauce and serve it raw and unheated as a chutney.

Roast swede and chard vegeree

(Serves 4)

SWEDE is a much-overlooked vegetable but its assertive flavour is wonderful when seasoned with plenty of spice – as in this easy, warming, one-pan dish.

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YOU NEED:

• 2 medium onions, roughly chopped
• 1 medium swede (600-700g), peeled and cut into 1-2cm cubes
• 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
• 200g wholegrain basmati rice
• 4 tbsp curry paste, home-made or your favourite ready-made one
• 200ml coconut milk
• 200g chard, cut into thin ribbons, stalks and leaves together
• Sea salt and black pepper
• Coriander leaves to finish (optional)

METHOD: Preheat the oven to 190C/Fan 170C/Gas 5. Put the onions and swede into a large roasting dish.

Trickle over the oil, add salt and pepper, stir well and roast for about 40 minutes, stirring once, until tender and lightly coloured.

Meanwhile, cook the rice in plenty of boiling salted water until just tender. It will probably take 25-30 minutes but check the packet guidelines.

When it is done, drain well and keep warm in its saucepan.

Once the swede and onions are cooked, add the curry paste and coconut milk to the roasting dish and stir well.

Toss in the chard and stir again.

Return to the oven for about 15 minutes until everything is bubbling and the chard is wilted.

Tip in the cooked rice and stir well then serve, scattered with coriander if you like.

SWAPS: Try cubed parsnip or turnip instead of the swede, or a mix of carrot and potato. Use spinach or shredded kale instead of the chard.

Roast cabbage, carrots & red onions with vinaigrette

(Serves 3-4)

A CLASSIC, sharp vinaigrette is just what you need to balance the natural sweetness of these roasted winter veg.

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YOU NEED:

• 1 medium Savoy cabbage
• 3 tbsp olive or rapeseed
• 3-4 generous sprigs of thyme, leaves picked
• Sea salt and black pepper
• 2 medium onions (ideally red)
• 250g carrots, scrubbed or peeled

For the vinaigrette:

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar
• ½ tsp English mustard
• A scrap of garlic (about ¼ clove), finely grated or crushed

METHOD: Preheat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Remove any damaged or dirty outer leaves from the cabbage and trim the stalk end.

Quarter the cabbage then cut each quarter in half again, giving you eight wedges, each held together by a section of core – any leaves that come loose as you cut the cabbage can still be included.

Put the cabbage into a large bowl and trickle over 2tbsp oil. Add about a quarter of the thyme leaves and some salt and pepper.

Massage the cabbage wedges with your hands to distribute the oil and seasonings then transfer to a large roasting tray.

Cut the onions into 8-12 wedges each and put them into the bowl. Halve the carrots lengthways or cut them into chunky batons and add to the onions. Trickle over another 1 tbsp oil, add another quarter of the thyme and some more salt and pepper and mix well.

Add these veg to the roasting tray, tucking them in between the cabbage wedges.

Roast for 30 minutes then take the tray out of the oven and use tongs to turn over the cabbage wedges.

Return the tray to the oven for another 30 minutes or until the cabbage is wilted and browned and the other veg are soft and caramelised.

Meanwhile, to make the vinaigrette, whisk all the ingredients together and season with salt and pepper.

Trickle the vinaigrette over the roasted veg, scatter with the remaining thyme and add a final shake of salt and pepper. It’s now ready to serve. This is delicious with bay mash or tartare hash.

SWAPS: In place of the Savoy, you can use wedges of pointed summer cabbage. Or try radicchio or chicory, adding them to the carrot and onion about 20 minutes before the end of cooking.

Use halved shallots or trimmed whole spring onions instead of red onion. And replace the carrot with parsnip, celeriac or potato.

Roast potatoes, swede, apples & kale

(Serves 4)

THE contrast between earthy, starchy roast roots, sweet apple and crisp, oven-darkened kale is delectable. This is a meal in itself, needing no more than a blob of mustard or tangy fruit ketchup.

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YOU NEED:

• 850g potatoes (any variety will do), scrubbed but not peeled, cut into 3-4cm chunks
• 1 large onion, halved and fairly thickly sliced
• ½ large swede (about 400g), peeled and cut into 2-3cm cubes
• 2 medium eating apples, cored and each cut into 12 wedges
• 4 fat garlic cloves, peeled and bashed
• 4 bay leaves, torn
• A couple of generous sprigs of thyme, roughly torn up
• 3 tbsp rapeseed or olive oil
• 200g kale or cavolo nero
• Sea salt and black pepper

METHOD: Preheat the oven to 190C/Fan 170C/Gas 5. Put the potatoes, onion, swede and apple wedges into a large roasting tray. Add the garlic, herbs, some salt and pepper and 2 tbsp of the oil. Stir well.

Roast in the oven for 50-60 minutes, until everything is completely tender and starting to colour, giving the veg a good stir about halfway through cooking.

Meanwhile, tear the kale leaves off the stalks, ripping the leaves into large pieces as you go.

Put these into a large bowl, add another 1 tbsp oil and some salt and pepper and mix well with your hands so all the kale leaves are coated with oil and seasoning.

Add the kale to the tray of cooked veg, arranging it in a layer on top of the veg, and return to the oven for 10 minutes.

Stir the kale into the veg, then give the dish a final 5 minutes in the oven, to ensure the kale is done – it should be deliciously crispy but still a little chewy in places. Serve straight away, with mustard or a tangy, fruit ketchup on the side.

SWAPS: Use parsnip instead of swede – it works equally well. Or try lightly oiled, de-stalked spring greens in place of the kale.

Lunchtime rooty Bircher

(Serves 2)

BIRCHER muesli, traditionally, means oats soaked with fruit juice and grated apple, so they soften into a sort of raw porridge. It’s one of my favourite breakfasts and I see no reason to confine it to the morning. This lunchtime version includes raw celeriac, lemon juice and olive oil to give it a more savoury slant, but retains a delicious sweetness from the apple. You can make it in the morning and leave it soaking until lunchtime.

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YOU NEED:

• 100g chunk of celeriac
• 1 medium eating apple
• 100g jumbo oats
• 50g raisins
• 50g whole almonds
• 50g mixed seeds
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 200ml cloudy apple juice
• Sea salt and black pepper

METHOD: Slice the knobbly, grubby outer layer off the celeriac, revealing the creamy-white interior. Grate this coarsely into a large bowl.

Grate the apple into the bowl too. There’s no need to peel or cut the apple, just grate it on one side down to the core then turn it and grate the other side, and so on. Mix with the celeriac.

Add all the remaining ingredients, including a pinch of salt and a grinding of pepper. Mix together well, making sure the grated fruit and veg is well distributed.

If you’re going to be eating the Bircher at home, cover the bowl and leave in the fridge for at least one hour, or as long as six or seven hours. Stir once or twice during that time, if you can, and let it come up to room temperature before eating.

If you’re taking the muesli to work, divide it between a couple of plastic tubs, snap the lids on and it’s good to go – keep it cool until you’re ready to eat.

SWAPS: Try grated carrot or parsnip in place of celeriac. Or beetroot, for a splendidly colourful Bircher.
Choose your favourite dried fruit from chopped apricots, dried cherries, sliced dates and prunes.

Replace the almonds with whole or roughly chopped hazelnuts, pecans or walnuts.

Roast parsnip and mushroom salad

(Serves 4-5)

THIS warm, hearty salad is dressed with an intense glaze, made from reduced apple juice mixed with balsamic vinegar. There are some pretty poor excuses for balsamic on the market and I would really advise getting a good one for this dish – something sweet, syrupy and rich that you can happily sip from a spoon without wincing. It will certainly cost more but the flavour will blow you away.

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YOU NEED:

• 650g parsnips, peeled and cut into bite-size chunks
• 2 medium onions, ideally red, cut into slim wedges
• 2 tbsp rapeseed or olive oil
• 250g chestnut mushrooms, quartered, or cut into 6 or 8 if they are very large
• 100g walnuts
• 2 fat garlic cloves, thickly sliced
• 100g salad leaves
• 75ml cloudy apple juice
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• Sea salt and black pepper
• Extra virgin olive oil, to finish

METHOD: Preheat the oven to 190C/Fan 170C/Gas 5. Put the parsnip chunks and onion wedges into a large roasting tray – it will be going on the hob later. Add 2 tbsp oil and some salt and pepper and stir well. Roast for 30 minutes.

Add the mushrooms, walnuts and garlic, stir well and return to the oven for 20 minutes, or until all the veg are tender and nicely coloured. Don’t worry if the walnuts get deeply coloured, they’ll taste great.

Heap the salad leaves on to a large serving plate. Spoon the hot, roasted vegetables over the leaves – they’ll start to wilt a little with the heat, which is exactly the idea.

Put the roasting tray over a low heat on the hob and pour in the apple juice. Let it simmer for a few minutes, using a spatula to stir and scrape up any little bits of caramelised veg from the base of the pan.

When it’s reduced by about half, take it off the heat. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, then immediately trickle this intense balsamic glaze all over the salad.

Trickle over a little extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve straight away.

SWAPS: Celeriac or a combination of carrots and potatoes make for a lovely alternative to the roasted parsnip.

Tomato and black bean salad with cumin dressing

(Serves 4)

WITH its rich colours and garlicky, spicy dressing, this is a treat to find in your lunchbox.

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YOU NEED:

• 350g cherry tomatoes, or any flavourful tomatoes
• ½ small onion, ideally red, halved again and finely sliced
• 400g tin of black beans or carlin peas, drained or rinsed
• 1 little gem lettuce, quartered and sliced
• Sea salt and black pepper

For the dressing:

• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• A good pinch of flaky sea salt
• ½ garlic clove
• Black pepper
• 1 tsp honey
• Juice of 1 small lemon
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

METHOD: First make the dressing. Using a large pestle and mortar, pound the cumin seeds, sea salt, garlic clove and a grinding of black pepper to a paste.

Add the honey and lemon juice and mix, then add the oil and stir well. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed, then transfer to a large bowl.

Halve the cherry tomatoes or cut larger ones into smallish pieces and add to the dressing. Stir and then mix in the onion, breaking up the layers as you go.

If you have time, leave the dressed tomato mix to macerate for an hour or so, but if you need to serve the salad straight away it will be fine. If you’re taking this salad somewhere in a lunchbox, you will, of course, have maceration time built in.

Add the drained and rinsed beans to the tomatoes and mix well.

Scatter the lettuce over a serving dish, or pack into plastic tubs. Spoon the dressed tomato mixture over the lettuce. Sprinkle with a pinch each of salt and pepper, then add basil or mint, and it’s ready to eat or to pack up for later.

SWAPS: You can introduce any kind of lettuce here, or baby spinach leaves, or chicory. Use another tinned pulse, such as white beans or chickpeas, in place of the black beans. Cooked Puy lentils are great, too.

Roast squash and apple with raw sprouts

(Serves 3-4)

THIS wonderful autumnal salad, from my ever-brilliant collaborator Gill Meller, is hot and tender, spicy and aromatic, crisp and raw – the range of textures and flavours is superbly satisfying. And it’s so easy to throw together.

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YOU NEED:

• About 1kg squash, such as a medium butternut or acorn squash, or ½ Crown Prince
• 2 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
• 4-5 bay leaves, roughly torn
• 2 sprigs of rosemary, roughly torn
• A small handful of sage leaves, roughly torn (optional)
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• A pinch of dried chilli flakes
• About 175g Brussels sprouts
• 2 medium eating apples
• 25g sunflower seeds (or other seeds of your choice)

For the dressing:

• 1tbsp extra-virgin olive or rapeseed oil
• 2 tsp English mustard
• 1-2 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar

METHOD: Preheat the oven to 200C/Fan 180C/Gas 6. Halve the squash and scoop out the seeds, but don’t remove the peel. Cut into slim wedges, about 2cm wide at the outside edge, and place in a large roasting tray. Trickle over the oil then scatter over the herbs, fennel seeds, chilli flakes and some salt and pepper.

Turn over the pieces of squash in the oil and seasonings, then place in the oven and roast for about 30 minutes until tender and nicely browned in places.

Meanwhile, combine all the ingredients for the dressing in a large bowl, adding salt and pepper to taste.

Trim the sprouts and remove any damaged or dirty outer leaves then slice very thinly. Add them to the bowl of dressing and mix well, breaking up the layers of sprout a bit as you go.

Quarter the apples, remove the cores and cut each quarter into 2 or 3 wedges – again, no need to peel. Set aside.

When the squash is tender and starting to brown, add the apple wedges and stir them in with the squash and seasonings. Return to the oven for about 15 minutes or until the apples are tender but not broken down. Scatter the seeds over the veg and apple for the last few minutes of cooking, so they toast lightly.

Spoon the dressed sprouts over the hot squash and apple wedges, then serve.

SWAPS: Replace the squash with a combination of peeled and roughly chunked-up parsnips and carrots. Or use finely shredded Savoy cabbage instead of the sprouts.

Moroccan carrot blitz

(Serves 4)

THIS North African-influenced carrot blitz is one of my favourites – great in a lunchbox and absolutely delicious alongside roasted fennel, potato and tomato stew.

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YOU NEED:

• 3 medium carrots (about 300g)
• ½ medium red onion, roughly chopped
• 50g pitted green olives
• 50g preserved lemon (2 small or ½ large one)
• 1 medium-hot red chilli, deseeded for less heat if preferred and roughly chopped
• A small bunch of coriander (about 25g), roughly chopped, including tender stalks
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt and black pepper

METHOD: Peel the carrots, cut into 3-4mm thick slices and place into a food processor with the red onion and green olives. Remove any pips from the preserved lemon, then roughly chop the rest (including the flesh) and add to the processor.

Then add the chilli, coriander, oil and a twist of black pepper.

Blitz to a well-chopped, evenly mixed consistency, stopping to scrape down the sides of the processor once or twice.

The idea is not to blitz it too much – you don’t want a paste but a nicely chunky mix in which you can still distinguish the individual ingredients.

Taste and add salt if you like – but you will almost certainly find the olives and preserved lemon make it salty enough.

Serve straight away or keep in a plastic tub in the fridge and use within three days.

SWAPS: Replace the carrot with beetroot, and use mint or basil instead of the coriander.

Red pepper & chickpea soup

(Serves 4-6)

A GENTLY spiced, veg-packed soup for late summer or autumn, I like to finish this off with a healthy spritz of lemon or lime juice.

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YOU NEED:

• 3 medium red peppers (400–450g in total)
• 2 tbsp rapeseed or olive oil
• 3 medium onions (ideally red), chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 medium-hot red chilli, deseeded and chopped, or a pinch of dried chilli flakes
• 2 tsp sweet smoked paprika
• 2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds, bashed (or 2 tsp ground coriander)
• 2 x 400g tins chickpeas, drained
• 500ml hot veg stock
• Juice of 1 large lime or ½ lemon
• Sea salt and black pepper
• Lime or lemon wedges, to serve

METHOD: Halve, core and deseed the red peppers, then roughly chop the flesh into 1cm pieces. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or small stockpot, over a medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, peppers, chilli and some salt and pepper.

When the veg are sizzling nicely, turn down the heat and cover the pan. Let everything sweat gently, stirring occasionally, for 20–30 minutes until the pepper is nice and soft.

Stir in the spices, then add the chickpeas and pour in the hot stock. Bring to a simmer and cook gently for a few minutes, then take off the heat. Add the lime or lemon juice, then taste the soup and add more salt or pepper if needed.

Ladle into warmed bowls, trickle over a little extra virgin oil and finish with a little black pepper. Have lime or lime wedges on the table so people can spritz on a little more juice as they eat.

Squash & cauliflower soup with sage

(Serves 6-8)

THIS is so easy to make: the veg are simply roasted then blitzed. It’s fantastic finished with a trickle of good, sweet balsamic vinegar.

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YOU NEED:

• 1 small-medium cauliflower (about 700g)
• About 600g squash, such as a small onion squash, or ½ large butternut or a chunk of Crown Prince
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole
• 2 tbsp roughly chopped sage, plus a few finely ribboned leaves to finish
• 2 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
• 1 litre hot veg stock (see page 190 for home-made)
• Sea salt and black pepper
• Balsamic vinegar

METHOD: Preheat the oven to 200C/Fan 180C/Gas 6. Remove any very damaged or tough-looking leaves from the outside of the cauliflower and trim the very end of the stalk. Then roughly chop the rest of the cauliflower – stem, leaves and all – and put into a large roasting tray.

Peel and deseed the squash then cut into bite-sized chunks. Add these to the roasting tray with the onion, whole garlic cloves and chopped sage. Trickle over the oil, season with salt and pepper and stir well.

Roast for about 45 minutes until the vegetables are soft and nicely caramelised, stirring halfway through. Make sure there’s some good colour on the cauliflower especially – this adds to the flavour of the finished soup.

You now need to purée the soup with the hot veg stock. There’s a lot of veg here, so do this in two batches – blitz half the veg with half the stock in a blender until smooth then pour into a large saucepan and repeat with the rest of the veg and stock.

Once the two batches are reunited, you may want to add a touch of hot water to thin the soup a little. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed, and reheat if necessary.

Ladle the soup into warmed bowls, splash some balsamic on to each serving then add a little finely ribboned sage, ground pepper and a few grains of flaky sea salt.

Don’t just boil veg...roast it, toast it, grill it, burn it, love it!

WE are traditionally a nation fed on meat and two veg – but rarely does anyone get excited about the plant bits.

Smelly boiled cabbage, soggy Brussels sprouts and plain carrots have given vegetables a bad name.

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But now chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is on a mission to persuade everyone to eat more veggies — and has exciting and tasty recipes to convince even the most committed carnivore.

It started after he experimented with vegetarianism for a few months.

Hugh said: “I became vegetarian for four months and it recalibrated my eating. The idea of several days a week without meat or fish is now the norm for me.

“I am still an omnivore but plants are in the middle of the plate, not on the side.

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“The different textures, flavours and aromas that come from the world of plants is far more extensive and exciting than what you get from meat and fish.

“Once you get the hang of veg, it becomes the norm and the meat becomes a treat.

“If you are not enjoying veg, you are missing out because there is so much to love. There is an amazing array of incredible ingredients — including fruits, seeds and nuts.

“We can’t just expect the plain boiled or steamed vegetables we have been serving up with meat to do the job on their own.

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“We have been fantastically lazy about when we cook veg, particularly us omnivores and carnivores. The veg tends to be an afterthought.

“But as soon you start thinking about having a veg-only meal and about how delicious veg can be then you start getting some great results.”

Hugh — who is married with four children — is so evangelical about the benefits of eating more vegetables, he has had to apologise for trying to “veg people into submission”.

The old Etonion, who shocked his way to fame in 1998 by making pate out of placenta for a Channel 4 show, initially got into cooking vegetables after growing his own produce.

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Hugh, who runs his River Cottage HQ in Axminster, Devon, had also been warned by a doctor that he needed to reduce his cholesterol levels, kept high by a love of cheese and butter.

Now he is adamant that he cooks and serves veggie-only meals to his family most of the time.

He recalled: “I have four kids of varying ages – but we are mostly all together at the weekends and we all cook. Everyone gets involved. Even if I spend the whole day cooking or dealing with food, when I get home I still like to cook. I love to wander in the garden and see what is good. Often it is what is left in the fridge, and what is good in the garden. And usually that is a combination of veg.

“I finished one of my kid’s sausages last night but then went on to cook up a veg curry for my wife. Apart from that sausage I have not had any meat this week.”

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Now Hugh has created this collection of autumn recipes for Sun readers.

Hugh said: “Autumn is an amazing time. You see all the colours turning and the flavours are turning a little bit too.

“Most of the summer veg is still around. You get a second crack at salads which grow very well in the autumn. Then you have all the classic squashes and root vegetables and leeks maturing.

“I still have some tomatoes in the greenhouse that are ripe and delicious and the brassicas are coming good. The kale will last from now right through till spring.”

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According to Hugh, there is no reason that veggie meals cannot be just as hearty and satisfying as meaty stuff.

He says the trick is in learning new ways to preparing the veg and deploying some original tricks and techniques.

He added: “Spices really come into their own when you are really making the most of veg. But also so do certain cooking techniques that we don’t normally associate with veg. It doesn’t just have to be boiling — use the oven and the barbecue.

“Start getting veg roasted and toasted, grilled, crispy or a little bit burnt. We know a few black stripes on a steak or a piece of fish are delicious. It is also delicious with veg.

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“Try getting wedges of cabbage a bit burnt on the outside – or take bits of cauliflower or Brussels sprouts and roast them with some oil and garlic to get a crispy outside and sweet middle.

“Until recently, the only things we ever roasted were potatoes and parsnips but now people are familiar with roast beetroot, carrots and onions. You could also roast brassicas or chunks of squash.

“Of course there are differences between lamb and beef and pork and chicken.

“But they are nothing like the differences between an apple, an almond, a potato and a leek — or pungent spices such as star anise and earthy delights like beetroot.” But what about hangovers? Surely the only thing to turn to after a heavy night is a full fried breakfast comprising bacon and sausage?

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Hugh replied: “In reality the bacon sarnie or full breakfast is a comfort, not a cure. It doesn’t make you feel physically better.

“But some of the raw smoothies give you fluids, vitamins and minerals — with a lovely punch of flavour. So I would be pretty upbeat about the vegetarian or even vegan approach to hangover cures.”

Most adults struggle to eat enough veg. But kids are another problem all together. Most families struggle to get their young ones to eat greens.

Hugh has a few simple tips to get them on board. He said: “Kids need to see and touch as many different vegetables as possible, raw or cooked.

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“I found a great way to get kids to eat carrots is to grate them and squeeze a little bit of orange juice on them.

“And lots of kids love garlic. They eat garlic bread. So why not garlic butter on green beans or cabbage?”

Hugh is well known for his campaigns involving meat, including trying to make sure the meat you eat is ethically sourced.

“Most of the veg in the supermarket is great. Find the freshest stuff in the supermarket.

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“Or check out your local greengrocer and see what has just come in. I always like shopping where you have got relationships if you can — your butcher, fishmonger, grocer, people who can tell you about the stuff.

“Farmers markets are of course brilliant for that but even in the supermarket you can shop around.

“I always do that slightly naughty thing of putting my hand to the back to find the slightly fresher bag of kale rather than the one that came in three days ago.

“If you can buy stuff that is grown in the UK and buy stuff that is seasonal that is the best.

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“Having said that we all like a few treats — for example sweet potatoes, red peppers and avocados.”

Although Hugh spends all his time working with food, he is not a fan of the “clean eating” movement, which champions unrefined, unprocessed or unpasturised foods.

He said: “The whole notion of ‘clean eating’ implies that some food is dirty or has no place. And I disagree with that. We do need to be cautious about some foods, particularly sugar.

“But you have to leave room for things that bring us pleasure.

“Veg and fruit can do that. They can deliver loads of flavour and natural sugars."

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