Three Recipes for Autumn’s Table
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s latest culinary creation, “How to Eat 30 Plants a Week,” is a cookbook that marries mouthwatering recipes with a mission for better health. Across 80 recipes, Hugh’s book makes the ambitious goal of incorporating 30 different plants into your weekly diet seem not just achievable but tasty.
Recipes by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall | Image by Jonathan Ring | Recipe Images by Lizzie Mayson
The book is underscored by a foreword from gut-health expert Tim Spector, who endorses Hugh’s plant-rich approach as not just delicious but scientifically sound for boosting gut health, energy, and overall well-being. By suggesting a wide array of plant-based foods alongside select meats and fish, Hugh’s recipes encourage a broader, more adventurous consumption of nutrients, which research suggests can lead to reduced illness risks and improved brain function, among other benefits. The chapters, ranging from hearty soups and salads to balanced meat and fish dishes, serve as a guide to making every meal an opportunity to enhance your health through the power of plants. Here are three meals to kickstart this week’s 30 plants.
Recipe extracts from How to Eat 30 Plants a Week by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall | Bloomsbury Publishing | $54.99
Creamy Roast Cauli and Cashew Soup
Makes 8–10 slices
- 350g coarsely grated courgettes (about 2 medium)
- ½ tsp fine salt
- 150g wholemeal spelt flour
- 100g fine plain wholemeal flour
- 100g ground almonds or hazelnuts
- ½ tsp bicarbonate soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 30g poppy seeds (optional)
- 125ml rapeseed or coconut oil
- 50g soft light brown sugar
- 30g honey
- 3 medium eggs
- Finely grated zest and juice of
- 2 lemons
- 4 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked and chopped (optional)
- 50ml milk
- Lemon drizzle
- Finely grated zest and juice of
- 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp honey
- 20g caster sugar
The mighty lemon drizzle cake is everyone’s favourite bake. This spin on it has the unlikely inclusion of courgettes, which balances the sweetness and keeps the cake nice and moist too. It’s also a great way to make a dent in a glut of summer courgettes. The lemon drizzle topping makes it irresistibly zingy. You can also serve the cake as a dessert with crème fraîche, summer berries and an extra trickle of honey.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/Gas 4 and line a 1kg (2lb) loaf tin with baking paper.
Tip the grated courgettes into a fine-meshed sieve set over a bowl. Sprinkle with the salt and toss through (it will draw out moisture from the veg). Leave to drain for 20 minutes or so, then press the courgettes with the back of a spoon to get rid of a bit more water.
In a bowl, mix together the flours, ground nuts, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and poppy seeds if using. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar and honey. Beat in the eggs, one by one, then stir in the grated courgettes, lemon zest and juice, and the thyme if using. Now gently fold in the flour mixture, alternately with the milk. Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 45–50 minutes until golden and risen.
While the cake is in the oven, make the lemon drizzle. In a small bowl, lightly mix the lemon zest and juice with the honey and sugar to combine without dissolving the sugar.
To check the cake is cooked, insert a skewer into the middle – it should come out clean. As soon as you take the cake from the oven, spoon the lemon drizzle over the surface. Leave the cake in the tin for 10 minutes then transfer it to a wire rack and allow to cool completely before slicing and serving.
Courgette Meatballs in Barley Broth
When courgettes are in season they come in abundance and I find myself trying to get them into a lot of meals. Here, they work very well grated and added to the meatballs, helping to keep them moist and tender. The meatballs are served in a delicious broth with barley, peas and beans, topped with a dollop of courgette raita
Serves 4–5
- 1 medium or 2 small courgettes (about 250g)
- 500g lamb or beef mince
- 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
- A small handful of parsley, leaves
- picked and very finely chopped
- 1 tbsp dried oregano (optional)
- 1 tsp fennel or caraway seeds, crushed
- 1 egg, beaten
- Oil or fat for cooking
- Sea salt and black pepper
Pearl barley broth
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 1 large or 2 medium fennel bulbs, trimmed and finely chopped (optional)
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 100ml white wine (optional)
- 1 litre vegetable or chicken stock
- 100g pearl barley or quick-cook
- spelt, well rinsed
- 100g frozen peas
- 100g frozen broad beans or edamame beans (optional)
- Juice of ½ lemon, or to taste
To serve
- Raita with added courgette
- Parsley and/or mint leaves
- Extra virgin olive oil
Courgette, Honey and Lemon Cake
The mighty lemon drizzle cake is everyone’s favourite bake. This spin on it has the unlikely inclusion of courgettes, which balances the sweetness and keeps the cake nice and moist too. It’s also a great way to make a dent in a glut of summer courgettes. The lemon drizzle topping makes it irresistibly zingy. You can also serve the cake as a dessert with crème fraîche, summer berries and an extra trickle of honey.
Makes 8–10 slices
- 350g coarsely grated courgettes (about 2 medium)
- ½ tsp fine salt
- 150g wholemeal spelt flour
- 100g fine plain wholemeal flour
- 100g ground almonds or hazelnuts
- ½ tsp bicarbonate soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 30g poppy seeds (optional)
- 125ml rapeseed or coconut oil
- 50g soft light brown sugar
- 30g honey
- 3 medium eggs
- Finely grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
- 4 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked and chopped (optional)
- 50ml milk
Lemon drizzle
- Finely grated zest and juice of
- 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp honey
- 20g caster sugar
Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/Gas 4 and line a 1kg (2lb) loaf tin with baking paper.
Tip the grated courgettes into a fine-meshed sieve set over a bowl. Sprinkle with the salt and toss through (it will draw out moisture from the veg). Leave to drain for 20 minutes or so, then press the courgettes with the back of a spoon to get rid of a bit more water.
In a bowl, mix together the flours, ground nuts, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and poppy seeds if using. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar and honey. Beat in the eggs, one by one, then stir in the grated courgettes, lemon zest and juice, and the thyme if using. Now gently fold in the flour mixture, alternately with the milk. Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 45–50 minutes until golden and risen.
While the cake is in the oven, make the lemon drizzle. In a small bowl, lightly mix the lemon zest and juice with the honey and sugar to combine without dissolving the sugar.
To check the cake is cooked, insert a skewer into the middle – it should come out clean. As soon as you take the cake from the oven, spoon the lemon drizzle over the surface. Leave the cake in the tin for 10 minutes then transfer it to a wire rack and allow to cool completely before slicing and serving.
