Autumn Time is for curling up away from the onslaught of the cooler weather, turning to warming pots and heartier food we’ve missed through the summer.
You’ll fall in love with these Autumn dishes using in season produce:

RAVIOLI – RED ONION, BALSAMIC, POTATO AND PECORINO

This home-made flavourful ravioli is the perfect dish to impress your friends and family

INGREDIENTS
1 large baking potato, such as Anya, washed
2 large red onions, cut into thin wedges
1 cup (250ml) balsamic vinegar
6 sprigs marjoram, leaves picked
150g unsalted butter
50g grated pecorino, plus extra to serve
Splash of extra virgin olive oil
Handful of rocket, roughly chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten

PASTA DOUGH
2 2/3 cups (400g) plain flour
4 eggs

METHOD
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Place potato on a baking tray, cover with foil and bake for 1 hour until cooked through. Reduce oven to 180°C.

Next combine the onions, balsamic, half the marjoram and 50g of butter in a baking tray. Bake for 35-40 minutes until soft.

To make the pasta, place flour on a work surface, make a well in centre and crack eggs into well. Gradually mix flour into eggs with your hands to form a firm dough. Knead for 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Cover with a tea towel and set aside for 20 minutes.

Place cooked potato (unpeeled) in a bowl and mash with a fork. Once it starts to break up a little, add cooked onions and any pan juices. Add pecorino, season with salt and pepper (I also add a splash of my best olive oil at this stage) and fold in rocket. The mixture needs to be bashed up enough to fit into the ravioli.

Roll out pasta in a pasta machine, starting with the widest setting and working down to the thinnest, until you have six 30cm long, very thin sheets. Fold each sheet in half length-ways and open up again so you have a divider down the centre. Space 3 tablespoonfuls of filling along one side of the sheet, then brush around filling with beaten egg. Fold the other side of the pasta sheet over the fillings and press down with your fingers to remove any air. Cut each square roughly to give a rustic look. Repeat for remaining pasta sheets and filling.

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Plunge ravioli into the boiling water in batches and cook until they float to the surface, they should take less than 1 minute. At the same time, place a frypan (large enough to hold all the ravioli comfortably) over high heat with remaining marjoram, butter and 2 tablespoons of pasta water. Jiggle pan a little to combine the butter and water.

As the ravioli are cooked, transfer to the frypan using a slotted spoon. Once all ravioli are in the frypan, season the butter sauce over low heat and stir gently to coat ravioli, adding a little more pasta cooking water if necessary.

Serve immediately with extra pecorino.

AUTUMN SALAD

Gather the new season fresh Autumn produce to create this rustic side salad with honey and mustard dressing.

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon olive oil
100g sliced flat pancetta
100g baby spinach leaves
1 radicchio, outer leaves discarded, thinly sliced
1 red onion, thinly sliced
150g Swiss brown mushrooms, sliced
1/3 cup (50g) roasted hazelnuts, chopped

DRESSING
2 teaspoons honey
100ml red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
200ml olive oil

METHOD
Heat olive oil in a small frypan over medium heat. Cook the pancetta for 1-2 minutes until crisp. Cool slightly, then break into shards.

For the dressing, in a small bowl, combine all ingredients and season.

Place the spinach, radicchio, onion, mushrooms, hazelnuts and pancetta in a serving dish, then drizzle over dressing. Toss to combine and serve.

ROAST PUMPKIN AND HERB SALAD

Why not try this Alex Herbert’s robust salad which is packed with flavour, depth and all-round yumminess.

INGREDIENTS
1/3 cup (80ml) verjuice, warmed
3/4 cup (120g) raisins
900g small Jap (kent) pumpkin, peeled, cut into 3cm wedges
1 lemon, 1/2 thinly sliced, 1/2 juiced
1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil
2 tbs pepitas, toasted
1/2 bunch each, coriander, mint and flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked

METHOD
Preheat oven to 200°C. Pour the verjuice over the raisins and set aside to cool.
Next arrange pumpkin and lemon slices on a baking paper-lined baking tray. Drizzle with oil, season, then roast for 35 minutes or until soft and caramelised. Set aside to cool. Reserve the oil from the baking tray. Then Strain verjuice, reserving raisins, and mix with lemon juice and reserved oil.

Place, pumpkin, lemon, raisins, pepitas and herbs in a bowl and toss with dressing.

APPLE GALETTE WITH CALVADOS SAUCE

Inspired by a dish from Chez Panisse, this rustic apple tart never fails to impress.

INGREDIENTS
4 (about 650g) Granny Smith apples
20g unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup (165g) caster sugar
2 cups (500ml) cloudy apple juice
1-2 tbs Calvados
Cardamom ice cream or vanilla ice cream, to serve

PASTRY
125g plain flour
1 tsp caster sugar
80g chilled unsalted butter, chopped

METHOD
For the pastry, combine ingredients with 1 tsp salt in a processor, then pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add 1-2 tbs iced water and pulse until dough comes together in a ball, flatten into a disc, then enclose in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, peel, core and quarter apples and place peel and cores in a pan and set aside you need to thinly slice apple quarters (a mandoline is ideal), reserving the end pieces, then roughly chop end pieces and a few slices to give 1/2 cup chopped apple. Set aside.

Next on a lightly floured board, roll pastry into a 30cm round, then place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Arrange apple slices in a circle, slightly overlapping, 4cm in from the pastry edge. Spread chopped apple inside the circle, then arrange remaining slices in concentric circles on top, working towards the centre and overlapping slightly so there aren’t any gaps, then fold pastry edges over to create a crust, pressing to seal. Chill for 15 minutes.

Now preheat the oven to 200°C, brush the pastry edge of the galette with butter. Sprinkle apples with 1 1/2 tbs sugar, then sprinkle a further 1 1/2 tbs sugar over pastry edge.
Bake for 40-45 minutes until golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Meanwhile, add juice and remaining 1/2 cup (110g) sugar to the pan with peels and cores. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes, then strain through a fine sieve, discarding solids. Return to pan and simmer for a further 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until syrupy. Stir in Calvados and keep warm.

Cut galette into slices, pour over Calvados sauce and serve with ice cream.

Looking for more recipes like these go to www.delicious.com.au