Pump it up

THIS month's rundown of seasonal food features traditional autumn favourites alongside tasty forgotten vegetables.

First on the list is pumpkin, which has seen a bumper crop this year thanks to a dry summer. Pumpkin originally comes from North America, where it was a staple of the native diet. Today in the UK, demand grows each year as more and more people realise that pumpkins aren't simply for hollowing out to make Hallowe'en decorations.

As well as making tasty pies and soups, roast pumpkin is delicious. Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds, which can be rinsed and dried for use in bread and salads. Slice the pumpkin into long melon-like wedges. Rub the flesh with salt, pepper and rosemary, drizzle with olive oil and roast in the oven. Absolutely fab!

Next up is beetroot. Most people are used to seeing pickled varieties in jars or vacuum packs at the supermarket. Yet Beetroot is a really tasty and versatile fresh vegetable, which can be boiled, steamed or baked. Always go for smaller roots, because they are more tender than larger ones, which can be woody. Beetroot has a mild, sweet, earthy flavour. The young leaves also have a nice peppery taste and are great in salads.

To prepare beetroot, chop off the leaves, place the roots in a pan of cold water and boil until they are soft inside. Refresh under cold water, then rub off the outer skins. Make sure you wear a pair of household rubber gloves to prevent staining your hands.

Beetroot goes well with game and roast dinners. Just pan-fry the boiled roots with butter and pepper. Beetroot is also great for making soup and can be sliced, diced or grated to add vivid colour to salads.

November also sees goose in season. Goose has always been my family's traditional Christmas Day treat. Goose is more expensive than turkey but it's worth it for the rich buttery flavour of the meat. Goose tends to be sold as a whole bird rather than in portions. An average sized bird will feed around four people.

Goose, like duck, is very greasy and holds a lot of fat. It's best to roast it on a rack over a deep tray so that the fat drains off. The fat is worth saving because it makes fantastic roast potatoes and gravy. If you fancy trying goose this Christmas, order it now from your butcher. Mine is already on order.

Finally this month are pears, a traditional English fruit which is coming to the end of its season. Pears bruise easily and don't keep well once they have fallen or been picked.

The harder varieties will keep longer and are great for poaching, whereas soft pears are better for eating fresh or making syrup. Pears aren't just a dessert fruit, they can be used in salads, relishes and chutneys. They also go well with cheese. Try sliced pear and blue cheese on crackers.

James Lowe's recipes for November:

Beetroot Soup

(Serves 4)

2lb beetroot

1lb carrots

8 shallots

1 stick celery

2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1 bay leaf

2 tbsp caraway seeds

Vegetable or chicken stock to cover the vegetables, with an additional half-pint left over

Salt and pepper

Method

Peel and roughly chop the vegetables. Place in a large pan with the garlic, bay leaf and caraway seeds.

Cover with stock and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for about an hour or until the vegetables are really tender.

Remove the bay leaf and liquidise the soup until smooth. Season and pass through a medium sieve.

Gently reheat the soup - do not allow to boil. Serve with a swirl of soured cream.

James says: "This is a classic Russian soup called borsch. It's quite thin but full of flavour."

Roast Goose

(Serves 4)

10-12lb goose

Half lb streaky bacon

2lb onions

3lb potatoes

Salt and pepper

Method

Peel, boil and mash the potatoes. Dice and shallow fry the onions until soft. Mix the mashed potato and onion together and season.

Stuff the goose with the mash and onion mix.

Season the goose with salt and pepper and use the bacon rashers to protect the breast meat.

Place the goose on a rack over a deep tray and roast in the oven at gas mark 5/190C.

After one hour, pour off the fat collected in the roasting tray. The fat can be saved for making roast potatoes or gravy.

Wrap the legs of the bird in foil to protect from over-cooking. Place in the oven for a further one hour and 20 minutes. Check the bird is cooked by placing a long skewer into the breast meat for ten seconds. The end of the skewer should be hot to touch.

Scoop out the stuffing, carve the goose and serve with roast vegetables and gravy.

James says: "Roast goose has a rich buttery flavour and the mashed potato stuffing is lush."

Poached Pears

(Serves 4)

8 ripe pears, peeled

1 orange, thinly sliced

Half a lemon, thinly sliced

500ml water

500ml white wine

200g caster sugar

1 vanilla pod

Method

Place the pears in a large pan. Add the orange and lemon slices, water, wine, sugar and vanilla pod.

Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer gently for around 20 minutes until the pears are soft.

Turn off the heat and leave the pears to cool in their own syrup.

When cold, place the pears in a large bowl with the orange and lemon slices. Strain the syrup over. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least eight hours.

Serve with ice cream or a fruit coulis.

James says: "A simple recipe that makes a great dinner party dessert."

James Lowe is the owner of Villa Italia, Villa Italia, 69 Micklegate, York. Tel: (01904) 670501

Updated: 08:41 Saturday, November 08, 2003