I love the start of autumn. After the long, hot days of summer we are starting to feel the definitive change in the air which signals another season is upon us. I am starting to think about slow cooking and am savouring early varieties of pip fruit and the heady perfume of ripening quinces. Crisp fennel begs to be shaved into a satisfying salad of seared scallops, apple and orange. Shoulder of lamb is the flavour of the month and pairing it with gnocchi makes it comforting but not too filling. A sugar walnut tart lashed with maple walnut icecream is an end of dinner show-stopper.
Seared scallops with shaved fennel, apple and orange
Served 4
1 large fennel bulb
2 small green apples
1 cup fennel tips, picked
½cup Italian parsley leaves
¼ cup chopped chives
40ml olive oil
400g scallops
Juice of 2 oranges
50ml extra virgin olive oil
- Using a mandolin, finely shave fennel bulb and apple into a large bowl. Add herbs, toss together to combine and put to one side.
- Heat olive oil in a large heavy based frying pan over a very high heat. Lightly season scallops and sear for 20 seconds on one side before turning over and cooking for a further 15 seconds. Remove scallops from the pan to prevent them from over-cooking.
- Divide half the salad between four plates and place scallops on top. Finish with remaining salad, orange juice and extra virgin olive oil. Serve immediately.
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Slow-cooked lamb with potato gnocchi and parsley oil
Serves 4
1 kg lamb shoulder, bone in
400g can chopped tomatoes
2 cups water
200ml jus or reduced stock, warmed
150ml olive oil
24 pieces potato gnocchi
½ cup parsley leaves, washed
½ tsp salt
- Heat oven to 200C. Place lamb in a large roasting dish with tomatoes and water. Cover and seal tightly with foil. Place in oven and cook for 30 minutes before reducing temperature to 150C and continuing to roast for 2 to 3 hours or until lamb is extremely tender and falling from the bone. Remove lamb from oven and allow to cool before picking meat from the shoulder and discarding any bones and fat. Increase oven temperature to 200C. Place lamb into a large heavy-based frying pan with jus and return to oven, basting occasionally with jus.
- Heat 50 ml of the olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium to high heat. Add gnocchi and cook one side until golden brown. Turn gnocchi over in the pan and place in the oven for 4 to 5 minutes.
- To make parsley oil, place parsley and salt into a mortar and grind to a smooth paste. Add remaining olive oil and muddle together.
- Remove gnocchi from oven and divide between 4 plates. Top with lamb and reduced juices. Finish with a drizzle of parsley oil and serve immediately.
Note
You can make your own potato gnoochi with this Kathy Paterson's homemade potato gnoochi recipe.
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Walnut sugar tart
Makes 1 x 28cm tart
Pastry
175 unsalted butter, at room temperature
75g icing sugar
2 egg yolks
250g flour
1 Tbsp cold water
Filling
540g soft brown sugar
380ml cream
3 Tbsp plain flour
75g butter
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
150g chopped walnuts
- Place the butter, icing sugar, egg yolks, flour and cold water in a mixing machine bowl and mix on low speed with the paddle attachment until the pastry comes together to form a dough. Knead lightly, roll into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or overnight.
- Heat oven to 200C. Place brown sugar, cream, flour and butter in a small pot and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
- Unwrap pastry and slice thinly. Lay slices into a 28cm tart tin with a removable base and press to cover tin. Ensure pastry is evenly and thinly spread, about 2mm thick. Remove excess from edges.
- Whisk eggs and egg yolk in to the sugar mixture and pour into pastry-lined tin. Sprinkle with walnuts and bake for 10 minutes before reducing oven temperature to 175C and cooking a further 30 minutes or until golden and just set. Remove from oven, allow to cool and serve with icecream.
