Serves 6
ingredients
4 raw beetroots
4 medium-sized potatoes
1 onion, sliced
25g butter
1.5l vegetable stock

To serve:
Pumpkin seeds
4/6 tbsp creme fraiche
Optional: 2 oranges peeled, skinless, and cut in segments

METHOD

Peel the potatoes and quarter them.

Peel the beetroots and cut them in half.

Gaeta is on the Italian coast south of the beautiful Val di Comino, where Manuela, proprietress of the Relais Chalons d’Orange gourmet hotel and restaurant, has developed this recipe which combines the blackcurranty piquancy of her local olive with the bitterness of sauteed escarole — a mildly flavoured endive. Use the curly endive variety if you cannot find escarole.

INGREDIENTS

This is a seasonal, easy, and very tasty side dish to accompany fish and chicken. It is great for those on a low-salt diet as the ginger and turmeric already enhance the flavour of the pumpkin. Butternut squash also works very well, and if you don’t have fresh ginger, you can use ground ginger instead.

Preparation time: 40 minutes
Serves 6-8

Ingredients
1 kg pumpkin/butternut squash

You can plate and refrigerate the greens and mushrooms and prepare the vinaigrette in advance. Bring the salad to room temperature and dress it just before serving.
Serves 6

Ingredients
6 garlic cloves
60ml extra-virgin olive oil
½ tsp kosher (coarse) salt
3 large portobello mushrooms, stemmed, wiped with damp kitchen paper

For the vinaigrette:
60ml freshly squeezed
lemon juice

This makes a smart dinner party dessert but is surprisingly quick to put together — especially with ready-made pastry. Use 375g of all-butter pastry if using ready-made. If you can’t find greengages, try plums or figs.
Serves 8

Ingredients
For the pastry:
170g plain flour
100g cold butter, diced
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 egg yolk
Ice-cold water

For the filling:
125g butter

This salad is the result of a great friendship and the love of food that I share with my dear Israeli friend, Einav. The beauty of this wonderful dish, ideal for Succot, is that you can add and remove ingredients as you like. You can use dried figs or prunes instead of dates, for example. Orange and lemon zest is also a tangy and tasty addition.
Serves 4-6
Preparation time: 30 minutes

Stuffed vegetables are traditional at Succot and these globe courgettes are lovely and sweet when roasted, and hold their shape well when filled. You could also use hollowed long courgettes or roasted peppers or tomatoes.
Serves 4

Ingredients
8 globe courgettes
3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
250g minced lamb
2 tsp ground cinnamon

This tagine is served with couscous, which is made from crushed durum wheat — one of the grains which, the Torah tells us, requires a special blessing in the Succah.
Serves 6

Ingredients
100g flaked almonds
3 tbsp olive oil
12 shallots, peeled
4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
4 cm fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped

This dish depends on the figs being sweet and perfectly ripe. Save yourself work by looking out for products such as balsamic cream or glaze.
Serves 4

Ingredients
4 small sweet potatoes (1 kg)
5 tbsp olive oil
40ml balsamic vinegar ( commercial rather than premium grade)
20g caster sugar
12 spring onions, halved length-ways and cut into 4cm segments
1 red chilli, thinly sliced

Makes 16 cookies

INGREDIENTS
125g currants
2 tbsp brandy
240g plain flour
½ tbsp of best-quality cocoa powder
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp each ground cinnamon, allspice, ginger and nutmeg
¼ tsp salt
150g good-quality dark chocolate, coarsely grated
125g unsalted butter, at room temperature
125g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence