Book of t he Mont h
t r y t h is r e c ip e !
JO N ATH A N LOV E K IN
GREENFEAST: AUTUMN, WINTER Nigel Slater (4th Estate, £22)
Nigel Slater’s writing is irresistible at any time of year, but with temperatures outside having plummeted and winter appetites raging, his new recipe collection – dedicated to the coldest months and heartiest food – is especially evocative. This is a small but chunky, simply designed book – the follow up to Greenfeast: Spring, Summer, released earlier this year – and will have you feeling nourished just a handful of pages into the heartwarming prose. Dishes – of which there are more than 100 – are meat-free and varied, pulled together by a common thread of simplicity (most ingredients lists stay in single figures), comfort and imagination. Roasted cauli gets doused in a creamy peppercorn, bay and clove-infused sauce; Brussels sprouts are baked with smoked mozzarella, dill and a crumb topping; and mushrooms and ginger bathe in a steaming bowl of stock, marbled with sour cream. (Vegetable stock is a staple ingredient in the book, and Slater shares his recipe for a dark, rich version right at the start.) Even the most devoted fans of summer won’t be able to read this without it stirring in them some affection for the colder weather. JESSICA CARTER
TAHINI, SESAME, BUTTERNUT Sweet and nutty
SERVES 4 1kg butternut squash or pumpkin 1 ltr vegetable stock 3 or 4 sprigs rosemary 3 tbsp sesame seeds 3 tbsp olive oil 3 tbsp chestnuts, canned or vacuum-packed 4 tbsp tahini 1 Peel and halve the butternut squash, remove the seeds and cut into large chunks, then put into a large saucepan with the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes until soft enough to crush. 2 Ladle the squash and its stock into a blender, process in batches until smooth and return to the pan. Remove the leaves from the rosemary and finely chop. You need enough to fill a tablespoon. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry, shallow pan over a moderate heat until golden, then add the olive oil and rosemary. Crumble the chestnuts into the pan and cook for a minute or so until all is warm and deeply fragrant.
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3 Bring the soup almost to the boil, checking the seasoning as you go, then ladle into soup bowls. Speckle the soup with a tablespoon of tahini in each bowl, then scatter over some of the chestnut and sesame seed seasoning. TIPS Some people don’t peel butternut squash before using it in a soup. Much depends on the thickness of the skin and the age of the squash. If the skin is thin, then it is fine not to peel it. If you are using a pumpkin, remove the skin. It is important to process the soup in batches rather than all at once, when it is likely to overflow. A stick blender works a treat. Use mushrooms instead of the chestnuts. I prefer small brown buttons, sliced in halves or quarters and cooked for a minute or two with the sesame oil and rosemary. A few drops of sesame oil, trickled into the soup as you serve, are worth a thought. I like to eat this soup with thick pieces of toasted sourdough bread, spread with cream cheese.