🍁🌞 Seasonal cooking, wherever you are in the world + the culinary magnificence of dates

A trio of new books to suit the season... wherever you are

Those of us in the Northern hemisphere are starting to feel the cold, and yearn for warming stews, and hearty suppers. But depending on where you are in the world, cooking for the coming season could mean a very different thing indeed. Perhaps you are just venturing outside, for grills and fresh sunshine-soaked days. Wherever you are, our trio of new books have something for you.

Mastering the Grill: The Owner’s Manual for Outdoor Cooking is serious about taking things outside, and contains everything you need to turn you into a grill-master. Authors Andrew Schloss and David Joachim have given you a comprehensive guide to equipment and technique – The Grillmaster’s Manual, followed by their section on The Grillmaster’s Recipes.

Try Scotch Steak in the Coals with Stilton Butter, some Roasted Onions with Gorgonzola Crumble, followed by Grilled Papaya with Sweet Saffron Butter and Lime Mascarpone Cream.

Food writer and radio producer Von Dias takes us on a tropical culinary tour in her book Islas: A Celebration of Tropical Cooking: 125 Recipes from the Indian, Atlantic and Pacific Ocean Islands.

Puerto Rican born, the heart of Von’s work is her exploration and celebration of the legacies and resilience of island peoples.

The recipes and stories in the book reflect her extensive research of these cultures.

Try Lemongrass Adobo Grilled Chicken with Pineapple with Okra Salad, or some Stewed Red Beans with Pumpkin.

As Andrew Schloss writes in the introduction to his book Art of the Slow Cooker: 80 Exciting new Recipes:

“By measuring culinary ease with a stopwatch, we forget that there are ways to cook, as old as fire itself, that take little work and even less attention as they infuse food with a goodness that only time can give.”

With temptingly titled and evocatively introduced sections on subjects such as The Art of Homemade Soup and Sweet and Slow, you know this is a place to find comfort and nourishment. Keep warm with Parmigiano Pumpkin Soup with Frizzled Prosciutto, or Lamb Shanks Braised with Prunes and Brandy. Then treat yourself to a Supremely Edible Fruitcake.

Explore our Slow Cooker Bookshelf

Pictured above:Fish and Fungi from Islas: A Celebration of Tropical Cooking by Von Diaz

A consuming passion for dates

In the latest feature in our Consuming Passions series, Joel Haber, food historian and specialist on Jewish food and its history, tells us of his Consuming Passion for Dates. He writes of the long history and varied stories interwoven with date trees and their sweet fruit, the fruit’s origins in the Middle East, and he details the plant’s complex and interesting genetics.

He is also keen to encourage us to see the wide diversity of ways to eat dates – they are so much more than just a dried fruit snack. With Joel’s pick of recipes from the simple and traditional to the modern or unexpected, there is much to discover.
Try these Fennel Marzipan-Stuffed Dates or this Chicken Tagine with Dates and Almonds.

Read Joel Haber's Consuming Passions feature

Q& A with Radhika Howarth - Author of Radikal Kitchen

Last week we celebrated publication day of new book Radikal Kitchen: Flavours without Borders, by Indian-born food writer and culinary consultant Radhika Howarth. Now we are pleased to bring you our interview with the author in which she delves into her unique multicultural approach to gathering recipes and how that translates to her approach to ingredients.

As she puts it:

“Each ingredient adapts and transforms, adopting new flavour profiles and embracing local cultures and cooking techniques as it travels across the globe.”

The feature also includes her top pick of London restaurants, her take on what makes good fusion cuisine, and a video demo of her South African Bunny Chow recipe for you to watch.

Ingredient focus: pumpkin

A vegetable fruit, usually a rich orange in color, the pumpkin can grow to enormous size. Its size and color, and its arrival in the fall, make it a natural centerpiece of Thanksgiving and Halloween meals and celebrations – don’t forget the Pumpkin Pie!

Thanks to their robust skin, pumpkins are ideal for carving into jack-o’-lanterns – a tradition derived from the ancient British and Irish practice of carving turnips and other root vegetables to make lamps, depicting strange lights or will-o’-the-wisps.

Pumpkin flesh can be fibrous, and needs to be well cooked to be soft and palatable. Their taste is earthy, with a gentle sweetness. It absorbs other flavors well in cooking and is a natural partner with spices, and so works in both sweet and savory dishes.

There are some great pumpkin recipes in our newly launched books – see above. Also try a Sri Lankan Pumpkin Curry, these Pumpkin Ravioli from Lombardy, or any of the recipes in our collection of 12 Ways with Pumpkin.

6 of the best recipes with oatmeal

Oatmeal, a fine breakfast, a cookie classic, nourishing and adaptable! Here are six recipes that make the most of the soothing toasted flavors of one of our favorite grains.