How to make the most of what’s in season in October and the wines to match.
Resisting the urge to wax lyrical about pumpkins, posterboys (girls?) of the seasonal haul, we focus on some of the less showy and often overlooked goodies to be found and enjoyed at this time of year. From the humble but incredibly versatile cabbage to the rather exotic quince, these are just a few of the delights of this most plentiful month in the growing season. Stand by your stoves and charge your glasses for your own little harvest festival at home!
Sure, cabbage is available all year round, but despite it evoking suppressed memories of school dinners or overcooked Sunday lunches (empathetic apologies for that), we think now is the time of year to spotlight its flavoursome comfort-food qualities. Central and Eastern Europeans know a thing or two about making the most of it, and a must-try dish is blanched leaves wrapped around spiced minced meats, like the gorgeous Polish golabki, cooked in a rich tomato sauce. Wonderful with our new range of Polish reds, Austrian blaufränkisch, Georgian saperavi or something red and Hungarian. Or look to the far east and the startling, lively flavours of kimchi, a cultural icon for Koreans with the added bonus of being oh-so-good for you! Match its spice and vivacity with aromatic gewurzrtraminer or pinot gris. Zuppa di cavolo Valpellinese from the Italian Alps is a heartwarming amalgam of cabbage leaves, stale bread, Fontina cheese and butter cooked in in layers with ladles of good stock – excellent with the wines of the Italian north-west. And then there’s the ubiquitous hispi cabbage (good old sweetheart under a pseudonym), the darling of many restaurant menus, often charred and served with a punchy or creamy dressing that infiltrates it heat-splayed leaves. Grüner veltliner is a refreshing match, or a fruit-filled Beaujolais or grenache if looking for a red.
Sweet chestnuts are almost the perfect autumnal ingredient for their lovely earthy flavour, mealy crumbly texture and versatility in savoury and sweet dishes; a lovely addition to stuffings for fowl, can be tossed with sprouts and bacon to accompany roasts, or a delicious addition to stews. Or just roast them in their shells, split open and enjoy with a little salt with a glass of Tawny Port or not-quite-dry sherry. Try Rukmini Iyer’s recipe for wild mushroom, chestnut & leek lasagne with rosemary & lemon with an effortlessly food-friendly Italian white or Cape chenin. Our mushroom and chestnut puff 'pasties' are great with white Rioja or red Rioja with some bottle age, or oaked chardonnay. Or capitalise on pinot noir’s earthy, cherry fruit with nut roasts that major in chestnuts. Candied or sweet puréed chestnuts, as found in the glorious Mont Blanc aux marrons, (sweet chestnut purée topped with whipped cream), atop a ring doughnut or choux bun made with rum call for a heady, deeply coloured muscat or Tawny Port and a good armchair!
Beg, steal or ‘borrow’ quinces whenever you see them (they are rarely available in the shops). Headily fragrant, this fruit, (thought by some to be that of the biblical Tree of Knowledge) needs cooking. Bake or poach in a honeyed syrup or cook to a sticky sweet pulp with sugar and you’ll be amply rewarded. With a scent and flavour somewhere between aromatic apple and pear but with an exotic twist, they make a wonderful addition peeled and chopped in an apple crumble – serve with the sweet wines of Jurançon or the similar Cabidos. Cooked to a deeply coloured pulp in the form of the beautiful bronze membrillo (quince cheese), it’s marvellous with sheep’s milk cheese, with a glass of Sauternes or Loire sweet wines. They’re equally glorious baked and served alongside roast pork with a chenin blanc with a little weight. Just as seasonal, pears make a decent stand in for quince if you can’t lay your hands on any.
