When we think of traditional Autumn-fare, the mind conjures up thick stews and casseroles; roasted pumpkins, soups and sausages; all served up in thick chunky bowls to warm the hands and heart.

But that doesn’t mean we’re limited to such dishes. There can still be variety that’s both hearty and fresh, paying tribute to the last of the Summer. This recipe is exactly that!

The final solitary tomato from my garden has been sacrificed for this dish. Aubergines are still readily available and herbs staunchly retain their perfume, undiminished by the mists and encroaching chill.

Because this is a ‘warm salad’, it truly offers the best of both worlds! The fresh flavours of Summer are present in the basil, rocket and rich tang of olive-oil; but the comfort-qualities of Autumn equally abound, with oven-baked vegetables, salty griddled cheese and hot, succulent roast-chicken.

This tribute to the change in seasons can be enjoyed by diabetics, gluten-intolerants, paleo-fans and ketogenic-dieters alike! Curl up by the fire, but eat a taste of the sun. We need it in food; as darkness & cold slowly rob it from all place else!

Place your chicken-pieces into a roasting-tray and generously salt and pepper the skins. Sprinkle on some dried oregano and oven for one hour until the chicken is golden and brown.

Meanwhile, roughly dice your aubergine, courgette and red-onion and glug over some good quality olive-oil to coat. Mix in crushed garlic, chopped Greek-basil and season well. Place into the oven and bake for the same duration as the chicken.

Slice your halloumi and place it onto a baking-sheet, ready to be grilled 10 minutes before serving.

Arrange a mixture of lettuce, rocket-leaves, diced tomato, olives, peppers and radish in your salad-bowl. Leave a well in the centre to pile up your hot ingredients, so that the salad doesn’t wilt.

Take your chicken and vegetables out of the oven and set them aside for ten minutes, so that they lose a little of their heat. Then place your halloumi under the grill, with a light drizzle of oil. Turn once halfway through so that both sides get their share of the suntan.

Tumble the vegetables into the centre of your salad-bowl, then arrange the cooked cheese at reliable intervals. Top this with your chicken-pieces, more chopped Greek-basil and a final salute of olive-oil.

Hey presto! Dinner is served! And I can honestly say, if you don’t like this, then there’s no pleasing you!

Thanks for reading and bon ap!

Adam.

The beauty of steak lies in two things: its taste and its simplicity. Like many things in life; you get what you pay for! So I’d always rather have steak less frequently, but of higher quality.

Here, I team it with something you wouldn’t necessarily associate with low-carb eating: suet dumplings! These are made with almonds instead of flour; so present no problems to the gluten-free-, ketogenic- or diabetic-diner. The garlic mushrooms and dressed beans are a personal homage to French classicism. One thing the French do really well is vegetables, and I take my hat off to them for this combo!

Start with the dumplings. These work on the classic ‘half fat to flour’ ratio. Take 6oz of ground almonds and 3oz of beef suet to make 4 medium-sized dumplings (midway between golf-ball and tennis-ball – does that equal hockey-ball??? No idea). Make sure you check the packet if you’ve bought your suet from a supermarket. Some suets contain large amounts of flour to stop the grains from sticking together. Mix together in a bowl, add chopped herbs, salt and pepper, plus a pinch of bicarbonate-of-soda. Slowly add cold water, dribble-by-dribble; until the mix clumps together. If you use a dinner-knife to mix the water in, then you’ll see far more easily when the mix is cohesive enough to form a dough. A spoon tends to ‘smear’ and ‘spread’. A knife mixes neatly.

Form the dough into balls then steam over water for 5 minutes in a pan with a heavy lid. There may be some disintegration into the water, but that’s only natural. Transfer the dumplings to the oven and bake for 15 minutes until crisp on the outside.

While these are in the oven, heat your skillet-pan to a good searing heat. Throw in a little butter, then add your seasoned steak; enjoying the sizzle as it hits the pan. Turn after a couple of minutes and re-season the upturned cooked-side.

Chop some mushrooms and add these to the pan. Melt in a good spoonful of garlic butter, then rub what is left on the spoon onto the surface of the steak. For this quantity of garlic-butter, think one small clove of crushed garlic, to one large table-spoon of butter. Much more garlic and it acquires a ‘burn’. Remove the steak from the pan to rest, and continue to cook the mushrooms.

In the water used to steam the dumplings, steam your beans for 2 minutes until they’re cooked, but still have their bite. Season, dress with vinaigrette, then shave fresh parmesan-cheese over the lot.

Take the dumplings out of the oven and serve next to the steak. Spoon out your mushrooms, and pour a little of the buttery pan-juices over the steak and dumplings. Dish up the beans, help yourself to a spoonful of mild Dijon mustard; then head straight to the table whilst the whole thing is still piping hot!

The simple pleasures in life are always the best!

Thanks for reading and bon ap!

Adam.

Autumn sees the start of the English shooting-season. Few things could be finer or more quintessentially English, than the sight of ‘the guns’ returning; flushed with pride & resplendently decked with braces of partridge & pheasant. This is British cooking at its best.

Though the guns may be in top form; the game-birds still require a little longer to reach their peak. A few more weeks of feasting on autumn’s ripe harvest should give them that all important layer of fat which ensures succulence & flavour. Always therefore pick game with the heaviest marbling of fat. It will pay off in the eating!

For such a traditional thing, you may be surprised that I’ve chosen a German accompaniment – sauerkraut. The match is one made in heaven! The slight astringency of the wine-pickled cabbage, compliments the rich heady taste of game wonderfully. All you need is a good dollop of English mustard and you’re good to go!

Start with the sauerkraut. Sauté smoked-bacon pieces / lardons in a heavy-bottomed pan. Once brown, add a little butter, onion and garlic. Cook until the onions start to brown then add your drained, rinsed pickled-cabbage. Try to go for a type that’s been steeped in white wine and vinegar; the flavour is better.

ALWAYS rinse pickled cabbage, whether from packet, jar or can. If not, the flavour will be vinegary and unpleasant. That’s the quality that puts many people off. When it’s done properly it truly is a culinary inspiration!

You want to make sure the cabbage carries quite a lot of water from ‘the rinsing’ as it goes into the pan. This will prevent the dish from drying out. Crumble on a couple of chicken stock-cubes, season, then place the lid on the pan. Simmer on a very low heat for approximately an hour, checking periodically that the mix still has sufficient liquid to steam & not dry out.

Meanwhile, wrap your partridge in streaky-bacon and place a little sage-butter in the cavity (sage-butter? literally as it sounds). Season well, making sure that the skin has sufficient salt to crisp. Sprinkle with a final dusting of sage then place BREAST-SIDE-DOWN in a roasting dish. Then into a hot oven.

Why breast-side-down? The butter, and what little fat there is on the carcass; will melt and diffuse into the breast-meat, preventing dryness. Roast for 20 minutes until browned, then turn over in the tray. Re-season the breast-side then bake for a further 20 minutes until golden. Take out of the oven, cover in foil and leave to rest for 15 minutes or so, retaining the juices in the pan.

Place your green vegetables into the pan which held the partridge. Toss in the juices to coat, then oven-roast for 10 minutes until they’re cooked-through but still have bite. Now check the cabbage for seasoning and stir in a knob of butter.

Plate up the partridge and serve a generous spoonful of sauerkraut on the side. Dish up your vegetables and grate a small amount of parmesan on top for added richness.

This recipe really warms the cockles of the heart. Comfort-food doesn’t get more classic than this! And all without carbs.

Thanks for reading and bon ap!

Adam.

Because it’s Halloween, I naturally couldn’t resist cooking something with pumpkin. But this dish is a winner on any day of the year!

Sokolow is one of those sausages with such intensity of flavour that complex cooking will only serve to clutter it. The rich, spicy, salty tang, & course-ground filling are best left enjoyed just as they are. Any accompaniment will require depth of flavour that holds its own, but doesn’t compete.  That’s why I chose cumin – it has a warmth which compliments the sausages perfectly; so perfectly that there won’t be a scrap left on the plate!

This is one of those great ‘oven-only’ meals. Once prepared, you can just leave it in the oven and slowly start to relax into your evening. For this reason, it’s a wonderful thing to have up your sleeve on a week-night. And at this time of year, few things could be more satisfying than chunks of roast pumpkin and spiced pork. You’d never know it’s low carb! As such, it’s one of those ketogenic- / diabetic treats that’s really substantial & filling. So go on & enjoy…! We certainly did!

Dice your pumpkin, along with any other low-carb vegetables you have to hand. I used celeriac, celery, onion, peppers, leek & a few spring-onions I had left over. Pumpkin is higher in carbohydrate than the other vegetables; so make sure it only comprises about a quarter of the vegetables by volume. Sprinkle on a generous shake of ground-cumin, paprika, salt, pepper & crushed garlic, then pour on a good glug of olive oil. Mix with your hands to ensure that everything’s well coated.

Roast in a hot oven for 40 minutes, or until there is a slight browning around the edges of the vegetables. At this point, add your sausages on top, and cook for a further 20 minutes.

Et voila! It’s that simple… Serve with a small sprinkle of grated cheese and some freshly chopped herbs. Once you’ve made this, it will become a firm favourite in your repertoire. You’ll want to cook it time and time again. And at this low level of carbs, you can do just that!

Thanks for reading and bon ap!

Adam.

The earthy flavours of chorizo and cumin are just the thing when the dark evenings start to draw in. They’re very much a staple in our household. I’m often late home from work, and crave something that’s simple, yet tastes anything but!

The depth of flavour in this dish lends the impression it’s been cooking for hours. But because you can just leave it in the oven, it won’t take up a fraction of your time. As there are no carbs, diabetics & ketogenic-dieters can dig in without qualms. And believe me – they will!

Season the chicken-skins and sprinkle with herbs. Roast in a hot oven for circa 45 mins to an hour, or until the chicken-pieces are golden and crisp.

Meanwhile heat some olive oil in a pan and sauté some chopped, cooking-chorizo. Add onion, garlic, mushrooms & diced aubergine, then cook on a medium heat until soft. Sprinkle on turmeric, paprika & dried thyme, then de-glaze the pan with dry sherry or white wine. If you have any orange-flower water, it adds a nice fragrant edge; a cap-full should be fine. Pour on some water, until the mix is up to its ears in liquid. Crumble in chicken stock-cubes then reduce down to a third of the liquid’s volume. Add chopped olives & check for seasoning.

Finely chop your savoy-cabbage, rinse, then add to a pan with the water still clinging to it. Throw in some butter and salt, then cook with the lid on for 5 minutes until tender. Serve up alongside the chicken in big bowls, then spoon the sauce all over the top. Autumnal perfection itself!

Enjoy and thanks for reading. Bon ap!

Adam.

I’ve recently discovered the wonder of zoodles, and I must confess; I’m hooked! These ones are made with butternut-squash. They’re a little bit higher in carbs than their courgette counterparts; but certainly nothing to worry about. If you’re still in the weight-loss phase of a ketogenic diet, then just don’t have seconds. Everyone else (including diabetics), can pile them up and get stuck in!

Pork belly slices are one of our favourites. Cooked for long enough, they go beautifully crisp on the outside, yet stay gooey and unctuous in the middle. They’re also easy to cook, as they don’t need turning or ‘fussing over’. They can simply go straight in the oven until they’re done.

Start by cutting your pork-belly slices into inch chunks. In a mixing-bowl, prepare a dry-rub of garlic-salt, paprika, dried thyme, salt, pepper, cumin and ground coriander-seed. Place the pork into the mixing-bowl and massage the spice-mix into the meat. Place on a lined baking-tray & oven for circa our hour until crisp.

Meanwhile peel your squash and cut the ‘zoodles’ with a julienne-peeler or equivalent machine. Sauté in butter and olive oil until they lose their rawness, yet still retain bite (circa 20 mins). Season well, then remove from the heat.

Finely dice an onion, garlic and chilli. Cook until soft, then crank up the heat and pour in a good cupful of water. Follow this with a couple of stock cubes, a squeeze of lime, and chopped coriander stalks. Let the mix reduce to half its volume, then add a half can of coconut milk (full fat) and cook until the sauce has thickened. I also added thinly sliced cabbage and mange-tout to the sauce, just after adding the coconut; but these additions are naturally to preference.

Reheat your squash-noodles in the pan for a couple of minutes. Pour on the vegetably coconut sauce, then scatter your pork-belly slices over the top. Garnish with plenty of chopped coriander and serve to the hoards!

Thanks for reading and bon ap!

Adam.