And so it’s autumn all of a sudden though for many of us, me included, time had stopped in mid-March. Autumn with ‘not going out’, autumn with ‘kids back to school’ or autumn with the extension of ‘eat out to help out’. Whichever it is, we’re still cooking, full time I hope with an odd takeaway or a nod towards Rishi.
I am gorging on chanterelles; if you have a source I imagine it’s a bit like a drug dealer from the 90s: have you got them? are they fresh? how much? for a punnet of chanterelles, just about available in England. Scotland may have their own crop and the lucky Scots just go out foraging but here in England there’s a wild mushroom if you pay dearly.
But if you do get some, don’t waste them: make a lunch of kings which is chanterelles on toast or the dinner of champions which is pappardelle pasta with chanterelles (lots of bad word play in this one).
Creamy wild mushrooms, fried mushrooms, if you have a supply of those gorgeous creatures, there’s plenty to choose from.
The rest of us mortals might make do with courgette pasta, it’s not too bad either. Or consider pepperonata pasta: pasta with red pepper sauce which is just about a bit better than a boring tomato sauce.
If you’re still in tomato season, don’t forget to make a tomato crostata at least once, it’s The Thing to make in tomato season. Or bread, how about that? It’s not only courgette or beetroot, there’s this perfectly decent loaf of tomato and olive to be made.
Are you game? Are you looking forward to the first partridge of the season, hopefully not costing more than a fiver a brace? I know I am. And looking forward to a roast guinea fowl, whether it is a game bird or not (always confused).
I could serve these with chips and red cabbage as a taster for Christmas, and if I can’t get a guinea fowl, a pigeon will do as well.
Finally, the cake for the week: a gateau Breton might do, what do you think? It’s time to put those jars of jam you’ve made to use. Otherwise make the peach pound cake and marvel how rich and sumptuous it is and what a good idea to use the fruit puree in the cake mix!
Take care and cook well!