Autumn recipes for weeknights

Fennel and blood orange salad

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 medium fennel bulbs, halved lengthways, core removed and finely sliced on a mandolin

sea salt, to season

juice of 2 lemons

½ medium pomegranate, seeds only

2 radishes, finely sliced on a mandolin

5 blood oranges

mint leaves, to serve

For blood orange dressing

4 tbsp blood orange juice

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Method

For the salad, place the fennel shavings in a bowl and season with sea salt. Add the lemon juice and marinate for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel the blood oranges with a small knife, ensuring the white pith has been taken off. Cut out segments between the cell walls using a V-cut and set aside. Squeeze the oranges and reserve the juice.

For the dressing, place four tablespoons of the reserved blood orange juice and the olive oil in a small container with a lid and shake. Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper, and shake again.

Strain the fennel, discarding the excess lemon juice. Add the pomegranate seeds, radish and blood orange segments to the fennel and mix gently.

Divide the salad between four plates, pour over dressing and sprinkle over the mint. Give a grind of pepper and serve.

- Neil Perry

Pumpkin and taleggio cheese tart

Serves 4

350g jap pumpkin flesh, peeled, deseeded and cut into chunky 1cm-thick slices


175g eschallots, peeled and cut into halves or quarters


2 tbsp olive oil


sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

a few rosemary and/or thyme sprigs


150g large, firm mushrooms, thickly sliced


1 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry


100g washed-rind cheese (try King River Gold from Milawa Cheese, or taleggio)

Heat the oven to 190C.

Put the pumpkin and eschallots on a large, flat baking tray. Pour over the oil, season and scatter with the herbs. Roast for 30 minutes, stir in the mushrooms and cook for 20 minutes more, until everything is cooked and starting to caramelise. Don't let it colour too much, because it is cooked more later on.

Turn up the oven to 200C. Tip the vegetables into a dish.

Lay the pastry sheet on the baking tray and score a border two centimetres in around the edges; don't cut right through. Spread the vegetables over the pastry, leaving the border clear.

Slice the cheese thickly and arrange on top. Add more herbs and seasoning, and bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown and bubbling.

Serve with a salad of bitter or peppery leaves to balance the sweet pumpkin and shallots.

- Frank Camorra

Chicken kofta on baby corn with whipped avocado

Makes 12

Chicken koftas

12 fresh cobs baby corn

1 large brown onion, finely diced

4 cloves garlic, finely grated

extra virgin olive oil

3 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp smoked paprika (pimenton)

1 tsp chilli powder

600g chicken mince, preferably thigh

¾ cup fresh breadcrumbs

1 large egg, lightly whisked

1 green chilli, chopped

1 handful coriander leaves, chopped

salt flakes

freshly ground black pepper

Avocado puree

2 ripe avocados

15ml extra virgin olive oil

½ a lemon, juiced

salt flakes

For the avocado puree, process the avocados, olive oil and lemon juice with about 20 millilitres of water until you have a light, smooth paste, and season.

Preheat your oven to 180C fan-forced or 200C conventional.

Blanch the baby corn for 20 seconds in boiling water, then refresh in cold water.

Gently fry the onion and garlic in olive oil until softened, add the cumin, paprika and chilli powder and cook for a further minute or until fragrant. Take off the heat and add to a large bowl. Add the chicken, breadcrumbs, egg, chilli and coriander, season and combine until evenly mixed.

Divide your kofta mix into 12 even portions, moisten your hands with water and shape each portion around the fat end of the corn cobs.

Brown the koftas in a large frying pan with a little olive oil. Transfer to a lined baking tray and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until cooked through. Serve with the avocado puree.

- Karen Martini