Autumn Salad
Last week has not proven easy parenting... when they say it is the hardest job in the world they speak truthfully. This week I only achieved equilibrium with the perfect Autumn salad.
The nights are drawing in and coat season is also upon us. This couldn’t be more evident than at school pick ups and with the mountains of layers stacking up by the front door, now much needed. Last week has not proven easy parenting… when they say it is the hardest job in the world they speak truthfully. Trying not feel a constant nagging sense of failure, which all too easily creeps in. At times like this I find I have to go gently with myself and focus on the small things that bring me joy. For me that includes food as the daily act of cooking brings calm and ritual. One of these moments was to be found in what I would describe as a beautiful Autumn salad, which struck a balance between sweet, bitter, salty and crunchy. The base of this salad are two leaves I love to use at this time of year: chicory and radicchio. Radicchio also known as Italian chicory is part of the chicory family. Chioggia the most common variety grows in heads of purple leaves which are sturdy and bitter to taste. The perfect base for a “grown up salad”.
In my opinion separating great food from average food requires an innate understanding of the taste elements: sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami. When several of these element are perfectly balanced in a dish the eating experience is lifted. Framing dishes through this lens helps us understand the pleasure of great food. In Samin Nosrat’s, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat (or accompanying TV series) the role that the taste elements and cooking processes play, as building books to exceptional food, are explored brilliantly. It completely changed my outlook for creating recipes and how to better approach the act of balancing flavours.
Within the taste element’s bitter is to also to be celebrated, it is often noticeably absent in our modern diet. A lot of produce is cultivated to taste sweeter and similarly a lot of processed food lean into both sweet and salty. Bitter is generally avoided. This wasn’t something I had previously considered but when I was introducing solid foods to my daughter, I came across Bee Wilson’s First Bite: How We Learn to Eat. A book I recommend to anyone interested in food and anyone feeding small children. It is a fascinating and scholarly analysis of the origins of our taste and eating habits. Based on the latest research Wilson asserts that between 4 and 7 months there is a ‘flavour window’ when humans are more receptive to new flavours (more receptive than they will ever be again). If that window doesn’t include a variety of taste elements then the window closes. Babies are hardwired with a love of sweetness, because milk is sweet, but within the flavour window and with multiple exposures babies can learn to enjoy more bitter flavours such as broccoli. The thing is to be given the opportunity to taste more bitter flavours.
Bitter has astringency, piquancy, zing and zest. There are the more celebrated bitter elements dark chocolate, coffee and green tea. Versus the more divisive, wonderfully bitter but powerfully nutritious cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, kale, radishes and arugula.
The breadth of bitter is a treasure trove of ingredients and nutrients. It is a taste element which I personally adore and I believe we could benefit from more of it, to vary both our diets and palettes. So this week I challenge us all to find an ingredient which falls into the bitter flavour profile and use it in a dish, balanced with other taste elements. As when all else is failing some equilibrium can be momentarily achieved with a humble bowl of food, which celebrates the range of an Autumn harvest.
Autumn Salad
serves 1
for the salad
25g pecan nuts (small handful)
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon maple syrup
1 head of chicory, washed and separated into leaves
4-5 radicchio leaves, washed
1 small stick of celery, trimmed, peeled and thinly sliced
25g blue cheese (or goats cheese works well here too)
for the dressing
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon runny honey
1/2 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
pinch of sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 180C fan oven. In a bowl combine the pecan halves, with the brown sugar and maple syrup. Once well coated spread in a layer on a lined baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 5-8 minutes, the nuts should be golden and caramelised from the sugar and maple syrup. Using a slotted spoon remove to a plate to cool.
Meanwhile prep the salad leaves and celery.
To assemble the salad layer the chicory and radicchio leaves on a plate, with the sliced celery. Crumble over the cheese and scatter with the pecans. To make the dressing whisk all the dressing ingredients in a small just until well combined. Lightly dress the salad with 1-2 tablespoons of the dressing, coating all the ingredients well. Serve and eat straightaway.
The October Harvest
Reading through the list of what is available to eat right now, can feel overwhelming as we are truly in the harvest season. Caught between Autumn and some of the incoming staples for Winter, there is a lot of choice. In my kitchen I want to feel cozy and Autumnal however I don’t feel quite ready for pumpkins, which have started to appear plentifully in the shops. Without doubt my favourite variety is the Sweet Delica Pumpkin an Italian variety; cured for a month this allows the natural sugars to develop and reduces the water content. They are firmer and more flavourful - think chestnuts but as a pumpkin and I hope I have sold you on trying one. There is still plenty of time to enjoy them, as their season is September through March. But I am distracted as elsewhere there is much to buy and cook.
Vegetables: artichoke, beetroot, broccoli, butternut squash, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, celeriac, chard, cavolo nero, garlic, Jerusalem artichoke, kale, leek, onion, parsnip, pepper, potato, pumpkin, rocket, shallot, spinach, swede, sweet potato, turnip, winter squash
Fruits: apple, blackberry, medlar, pear, plum, quince, raspberry (Autumn fruiting), redcurrant
Top 10 for Cozy Autumn Finds
Continuing from last week’s top 10, which seemed to be very popular, based on generous feedback. Here is some inspiration for Autumn. These are not affiliate linked, they are just fun things I have seen and liked, which felt too good not to share.
In vintage green jars I have arranged these decorative Blackberry Stems, from independent store Closet and Botts. They have brightened up my mantlepieces and can be used year on year.
I couldn’t resist this new Brambly Hedge Calendar for 2025, the illustrations bring back happy childhood memories.
The Rösle Fruit Corer for apples and pears, makes light work of prepping fruit for cooking.
This year I bought some preserved Autumn beech leaves, which are plentifully arranged in a large urn in our sitting room. These ones shared via the very talented Suffolk Nest are beautiful and in my opinion are a great investment as they last so well. They also bring the outdoors inside, with a nod to the changing seasons.
A beautiful and original oak chopping board, like this one designed by the Forge Creative for Toast. Stacked on a kitchen counter this invites a beautiful cheese board, or cozy weekend sharing platter.
I bought a copy of new cookbook Ottolenghi COMFORT by Yotam Ottolenghi and co-authors Helen Goh, Verena Lochmuller and Tara Wigley. The imagery and food writing doesn’t disappoint.
Glass Teapot Kettle from Daylesford is giving Chitty Chatty Bang Bang levels of inventive design and can be used on a hob!
Purdy and Figg’s Seasonal Cleaning Starter Kit for Autumn, smells absolutely incredible and will leave your home gleaming.
Laidback London’s Setsu Crochet Side Zip Ankle Boots are a favourite of mine and keep my feet so warm especially with early school run starts. They are cozy ++
Candles are beautiful at this time of year, I love the simplicity of these Creamware Column Candlesticks, by Pentreath & Hall. Replicated from a Victorian pottery candlestick and made in Stoke-on-Trent, they are an heirloom in the making.