Two Harvests That Belong Together

By October, the greengrocer's shelves tell their own story. Squashes arrive in every shade from pale butter to deep slate green, and the apple trays fill with fruit that actually tastes of something again. It is no accident that these two crops ripen at the same moment. Squash brings a soft, sweet, faintly earthy flesh that soaks up spice and fat; apples bring acidity and perfume, the brightness that keeps a rich dish from becoming heavy. Cook them together and you get the whole mood of autumn on a plate.

The trick is to treat them as partners rather than rivals. Squash needs seasoning, salt, and a bit of heat to move beyond blandness. Apples need only to be cooked until they soften and their sugars caramelise. Get the balance right and you will be eating far better than most restaurants manage at this time of year.

Choosing and Preparing Your Squash

For roasting, look for dense-fleshed varieties. Crown Prince has dry, chestnut-sweet flesh that holds its shape beautifully. Onion squash and kabocha are similarly reliable, and butternut is the friendly all-rounder if you want something easy to peel and cube. Avoid anything that feels light for its size, that is a sign of watery flesh and hollow centre.

Preparing squash is more forgiving than people expect:

• Microwave whole small squashes for three to four minutes to soften the skin before cutting, which makes halving far safer.
• Scoop out the seeds and strings, then toss the seeds in a little oil and salt and roast them at 180°C for ten to twelve minutes for a cook's reward.
• Cut into wedges no thicker than 3cm, toss with rapeseed oil, salt, and a few bruised cloves of garlic, and roast at 200°C for thirty-five to forty minutes, turning once.
• Leave the skin on for wedges and soups, it crisps nicely and adds depth; peel only if you want a very smooth purée.

Roasting rather than boiling is the single biggest improvement you can make. The edges catch and caramelise, and the flavour concentrates. For soup, roast first, then simmer briefly in stock. You will taste the difference immediately.

A Roast Squash Soup Worth the Oven Time

Start with about a kilo of roasted squash, still warm from the tray. Soften two sliced onions and a stick of celery in a heavy pan with a knob of butter and a splash of oil over a low heat for ten minutes, until sweet and translucent but not coloured. Add a teaspoon of ground cumin, half a teaspoon of ground coriander, and a good grating of nutmeg, stir for a minute until fragrant, then tip in the squash.

Pour over roughly 700ml of chicken or vegetable stock, bring to a gentle simmer, and cook for fifteen minutes. Blend until completely smooth, then loosen with a little double cream or crème fraîche. Taste, and here is the important part, correct it with salt, a squeeze of lemon, and a very small pinch of sugar if the squash was underripe. Serve with a swirl of cream, some toasted seeds, and fried sage leaves.

If you want to make it properly autumnal, add one peeled, diced apple to the onions at the start. It disappears into the soup but leaves a faint, lovely tartness behind.

Apples: From Crumble to the Savoury Side

Bramleys remain the best cooking apple in the country, collapsing into a fluffy, sharp purée that balances any amount of sugar. For a crumble, peel and slice about 800g, toss with 60g caster sugar, a teaspoon of ground cinnamon, and a tablespoon of plain flour to thicken the juices. Bake in a buttered dish at 190°C for twenty minutes before the topping goes on, which stops the base turning to soup.

For the topping, rub 150g plain flour with 85g cold butter and 60g demerara sugar until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs, then scatter over and bake for a further twenty-five to thirty minutes. Add a handful of porridge oats or flaked almonds if you like texture.

Do not stop at puddings, though. Fried apple slices alongside roast pork, a spoonful of softened apple in a squash risotto, or a sharp apple and sage relish with sausages all make the most of the season.

Warming Spices, Used With Restraint

Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, and star anise are the flavours of the darker months, but the common mistake is to use all of them at once. Pick two and let them sing. Cinnamon and nutmeg suit apples and cream. Cumin and coriander suit squash and lentils. Cardamom and a little black pepper lift a squash purée beautifully. Toast whole spices briefly in a dry pan and grind them fresh if you can; the difference is not imaginary.

A Restaurant Plate, At Home

The restaurant trick is not complication, it is contrast. Roast wedges of squash and halves of apple together on one tray at 200°C for thirty minutes. Meanwhile, brown 50g of butter in a small pan until it smells nutty, then add sage leaves and let them crisp. Pile the squash and apple onto warm plates, spoon over the brown butter, crumble on some blue cheese or toasted hazelnuts, and finish with black pepper.

Serve it as a main with crusty bread and a sharp dressed salad, or as a side to roast chicken. Either way, it takes forty minutes and tastes like far more. That, ultimately, is what autumn cooking is for: simple ingredients, treated with a little respect, eaten while the rain runs down the windows.