The Joy of Autumn Food by Andi Oliver

This is an extract from our book A Year of Black Joy. 

There is a touch of magic about the autumnal larder. It’s like nature has had its glad rags on for summer and has reached that point in the party where its head is thrown back in celebratory laughter!

Rich with the promise of comfort, Autumn is a dreamy time in the kitchen: dark cobblers, bubbling pots of aromatic stews, bowls filled with tumbling black beans loaded with fried plantains, squashes rolled in spices and turned through oats and stock to make heartwarming skirlie, aromatic poached beetroots, fresh curds, zesty sorrel, roast garlic, gold rapeseed oil.

As the sunlight changes and the breeze starts to dance in the trees, I love to stand in my kitchen cooking from autumn’s rich bounty — pickling cucumbers, making jams, caramelising onions. These are what my daydreams are made of!

Andi’s Autumn Comfort: Spiced Squash and
Caramelised Red Onion Skirlie

 This is my favourite autumnal recipe. It was born from an old Scottish dish called skirlie, which is a savoury porridge. Think of it as oat risotto — both comforting and joyful!

Ingredients

∙ 100g red onion, finely sliced
∙ 2 cloves garlic, grated
∙ 40ml olive oil
∙ 10g unsalted butter
∙ 2 tsp Caribbean curry powder
∙ 1/2 tsp chili flakes
∙ 200g butternut squash, peeled and diced
∙ 100g oats
∙ 350ml chicken stock
∙ Knob of butter
∙ A pinch of salt, to season

Method

Preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5.

Place a heavy-based frying pan over very low heat. Gently sauté the onions and garlic in butter and half of the oil for 20 minutes, until soft, sticky and golden.

Tip the remaining oil, curry powder and chili flakes into a bowl and mix to make a paste. Add in the diced butternut squash and stir well, ensuring it’s thoroughly coated.

Slip the coated squash into an ovenproof dish and bake in the oven for 35 minutes, until the squash is tender but not mushy. Remove from the oven and add the squash to your frying pan, stirring it in with the onions and garlic.

Next stir in the oats, add the chicken stock, and cook it over medium heat for around 5 minutes. Throw in a knob of butter and a pinch of salt, and serve straight away to savour the joys of autumn!