Autumn is here! As the nights get longer and the days cooler, it is essential to make sure that you and your family get the right vitamins and nutrients to stay healthy.
Comfort food, in moderation, can also nourish the soul, not just by eating it but making it too.
We rounded up some hearty comfort food recipes that are perfect for the season, from bread and butter pudding to ham and avocado croquettes.
Here are some of the meals you can try at home.
Yummy plummy bread and butter pudding by chef Jenny Morris
Serves: 4
Ingredients
10 slices stale white bread, crusts removed and buttered on both sides
2 heaped tbs strawberry jam
Zest and juice of one lemon
6 large plums, stoned and chopped into small pieces
350ml milk
125ml cream
2 large eggs
½ tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbs caster sugar
Extra caster sugar for sprinkling
Flaked almonds (optional)
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Cut the buttered bread into triangles.
Place the jam, lemon zest and juice along with the plums into a saucepan. Bring to a boil and remove from the heat.
Arrange half the bread in a baking dish, spoon over the plum mixture and cover with the remaining bread.
Whisk together the milk, cream, eggs, cinnamon and caster sugar. Pour it over the bread and let the pudding stand for 30 minutes before baking.
Sprinkle over the caster sugar and almonds if you are using them.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the custard has just set and the top is golden brown.
Remove from the oven and dust with icing sugar. Serve warm with whipped cream or great blobs of vanilla ice cream.
Vegan plum sponge cake by Charlotte Roberts of Charley’s Health blog
Ingredients
1 cup plus 2 tbs caster sugar or coconut palm sugar
¾ cup vegan butter
1 cup oat milk
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 ¾ cups gluten-free self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
3 plums, chopped into small chunks
Frosting
3 tbs vegan stick butter
1 cup icing sugar
3 tbs cocoa powder
5 plums for topping
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C and lightly grease a loose-bottom cake tin with vegan butter.
Combine the milk and cider vinegar together and set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream together the vegan butter and sugar, until pale and fluffy.
Whisk in the milk mixture then stir in the dry ingredients until smooth.
Fold through the diced plums and transfer the cake batter into the cake tin.
Pop the cake tin into the oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until a skewer can be removed cleanly from the cake.
Allow to cool a little, then remove the cake tin and leave to finish cooling on a wire rack.
For the frosting, beat the butter to a pale and fluffy consistency, then gradually add in the sugar and cocoa.
Once smooth, spread over the cake and layer on your sliced plums
Patatas bravas (spicy potatoes) with avocado crème
Serves: 8 – 10 as a starter or tapas
Ingredients
For the sauce
45ml avocado or olive oil
1 small red onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 x 410g can chopped tomatoes
15ml tomato purée
10ml smoked paprika
1 chilli, deseeded and chopped
125ml red wine or sherry vinegar
Large pinch of brown sugar
Sea salt, to taste
Chopped fresh parsley, to garnish
For the potatoes
900g potatoes, cut into small cubes
30ml avocado or olive oil
5 ml smoked paprika
15ml mixed dried herbs
For the avocado
2 avocados, halved and stoned
30ml avocado or olive oil
125ml water
Method
For the potatoes; heat the oven to 180°C. Pat the potatoes with kitchen paper to dry, then place them into a roasting tin and toss with the oil and seasoning. Roast until crisp and golden, about 45 to 50 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally.
To make the sauce, heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, smoked paprika, chilli, vinegar, brown sugar, and a grinding of sea salt. Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally then lower to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 10 minutes (Can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 24 hours).
About 10 minutes before the end of the potatoes’ cooking time, make the avocado crème. Whizz one avocado with the oil and the water, until a smooth pourable consistency, adding a touch more water as necessary.
Transfer the potatoes to serving dishes and pour over the tomato sauce. Spoon over the extra diced avocado and garnish with chopped fresh parsley with the avocado crème on the side.
Ham and avocado croquettes
Ingredients
1 tbs avocado or olive oil
½ small onion, very finely chopped
30g butter
50g cake flour
1 cup milk
140g sliced smoked ham, diced (or smoked chicken)
1 tbs wholegrain mustard
1 small avocado
For the coating
2 large eggs
50g cake flour
140g fine dried breadcrumbs
Sunflower oil, for deep frying
To serve
Guacamole
Tomato chilli jam
Method
To make the croquettes, heat the oil in a frying pan and gently fry the onion until lightly coloured, about 3 minutes. Add the butter to the onions, and once melted stir in the flour and cook for 30 seconds, stirring continuously. Gradually add the milk while stirring and cook over low heat until thick and glossy, about 5 minutes. Stir in the ham and mustard, season to taste.
Transfer into a bowl and cover the surface with cling film to stop a skin forming. Leave to cool, then chill, preferably overnight or for at least four hours. The mixture needs to be very stiff to form the croquette’s shape. Before shaping the croquettes, peel, and stone the avocado, and cut it into small cubes. Gently mix the avocado cubes into the béchamel ham mixture.
To shape the croquettes, take a heaped teaspoon of the mixture and, with wet hands, roll into 14 small oval shapes and set them aside on a tray. Beat the eggs in a shallow bowl, put the flour on a plate, and half the breadcrumbs in a bowl. Roll each of the croquettes lightly in flour, then in egg before coating in breadcrumbs. Place on a baking tray lined with baking parchment. Use the remaining breadcrumbs to top up the bowl halfway through the coating process. Chill for 30 minutes.
To fry the croquettes, fill a large saucepan a third full of sunflower oil, and heat to 180°C, or heat the oil in an electric deep-fat fryer. Do not overheat and do not leave hot oil unattended. Using a metal slotted spoon, lower six croquettes into the oil and cook until golden brown, about 90 seconds. Transfer to a baking tray lined with kitchen paper to absorb excess oil. Continue cooking the remaining croquettes. Serve with guacamole and chilli jam for dipping.
Cook’s tip: You can freeze the croquettes at this stage for up to one week. To serve, fry from frozen.
Recipes by the South African Growers’ Association.