“Roast cauliflower is probably my favourite salad staple. Swap the buckwheat for any other grain, brown rice or lentils, and switch dates with sultanas, cranberries, diced apple or pomegranate, if you like. This salad can be made up to two hours ahead of time and refrigerated without the dressing.”

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 small cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1 brown onion, cut into thick wedges
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
• 1⁄3 cup (80ml) olive oil Sea salt flakes and ground black pepper
• 1 cup (195g) buckwheat, soaked overnight and drained
• 8 fresh dates, roughly torn
• ¼ cup (40g) toasted almonds, roughly chopped
• 3 celery sticks, thinly sliced 
• Handful flat-leaf parsley leaves 
• Handful mint leaves
• Handful dill sprigs
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar

Method

Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F) and line a baking tray with baking paper.

Bring a saucepan of water to the boil.

Meanwhile, toss the cauliflower and onion in a bowl with the spices, olive oil and some salt and pepper. Scatter on the tray and roast for around 15 minutes, until charred and tender. Set aside.

Rinse the buckwheat well, then drain it again. Blanch it in the boiling water for 4 minutes, then refresh under cold running water and drain it well again. Place it in a bowl with the roasted cauliflower and onion, the dates, almonds, celery and herbs.

Dress the salad with the extra virgin olive oil, vinegar and some salt and pepper, and gently toss to combine before serving.

Extracted from More Fish, More Veg: Simple, Sustainable Recipes And Know-how For Everyday Deliciousness by Tom Walton (Murdoch Books, £20).

“Brussels sprouts are definitely having their time in the sun. They also happen to be one of my all-time favourite vegetables, especially when they’re roasted like this, which caramelises them and turns them all gnarly. I could eat this whole dish myself (and often do) but you could also pair it with so many other dishes from the Autumn and Winter chapters.”

Serves 4

Ingredients

• ¼ cup (60ml) olive oil
• 500g (1lb, 2oz) small brussels sprouts, cut in half
• 1 cup (375g) crispy roast chickpeas (see page 230)
• Sea salt flakes
• ½ long red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 cup (280g) garlicky whipped tahini (see below)
• Handful mint leaves
• 2 tbsp za’atar

For the garlicky whipped tahini:

Makes 1¼ cups (350 g)

• ½ cup (135g) hulled tahini
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 cloves garlic, finely crushed
• Sea salt flakes and ground black pepper

Method

For the garlicky whipped tahini:

Place all the ingredients in a blender with ⅔ cup (170 ml) water and blend into a smooth paste. Adjust the water and lemon juice until you have a silky consistency. Alternatively, combine the ingredients in a bowl with a whisk or fork, whisking in the water slowly until smooth and combined. Transfer to an airtight container or jar and store in the fridge for up to 1 week.

For the crispy brussels sprouts:

Preheat the oven to 210°C (410°F).

Place an ovenproof frying pan over high heat and add the olive oil, brussels sprouts and a good pinch of salt. Fry the sprouts, tossing regularly, until they begin to colour, then transfer the pan to the oven and roast for a further 10 minutes, until they are caramelised.

Remove the brussels sprouts from the oven and add half the crispy roast chickpeas, the chilli, maple syrup and lemon juice and toss through. Top with the remaining crispy roast chickpeas, garlicky whipped tahini, mint leaves and za’atar, and serve.

Extracted from More Fish, More Veg: Simple, Sustainable Recipes And Know-how For Everyday Deliciousness by Tom Walton (Murdoch Books, £20).

Serves 4 – 6 

Ingredients

• 1 cup (210g) Puy lentils
• 1.25kg (2lb, 12 oz) jap pumpkin, cut into 8 wedges, seeds removed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 4 large brown onions, halved and thinly sliced
• 2–3 star anise
• 1/2 cup (125ml) grapeseed oil
• 1/2 bunch of kale, stems removed, leaves shredded
• 1 cup (200g) long-grain rice
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and smashed
• 1/4 cup (40g) pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
• 1/4 cup (40g) sunflower seeds
• 1/2 bunch of coriander (cilantro), stems finely chopped, leaves reserved
• 1 pomegranate
• 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) and line two large roasting tins with baking paper.

Boil a kettle, put the lentils in a bowl and pour in enough water to cover the lentils by 1 cm (1/2 inch), then leave to languish.

Brush the pumpkin wedges with 2 tablespoons of the oil and sprinkle with salt flakes and pepper. Place standing up in one of the roasting tins and bake for 45 minutes, until golden and soft, turning the tray halfway through cooking. Meanwhile, put the onion in the other roasting tin with the star anise, grapeseed oil and a sprinkle of salt. Give the onion slices a good massage, then roast for 30 minutes. Once they start to caramelise on the edges, give them a little stir to let the ones underneath come up for hot air. They’re ready once coloured, softened and very sweet.

Using a slotted spoon, scoop the onion out of the roasting tin and set aside. Add the shredded kale to the roasting tin, tossing it through the leftover oil in the pan. Roast for 10–15 minutes.

Meanwhile, drain the lentils in a fine-meshed sieve. Add the rice, rinsing under cold water until the water runs clear. Tip them into your rice cooker, or a medium-sized saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Add the bay leaf, garlic and 3 cups (750 ml) cold water and stir. If using a rice cooker, walk away and live your life (see page 77 for why this is one gadget worth investing in). If using the absorption method in a saucepan, stir the mixture occasionally until the water comes to the boil, turn the heat down, put the lid on and cook for 15 minutes, then turn off the heat and leave to rest for 5 minutes more. Whatever route you took, once cooked, fluff up the rice mixture with a fork, and fish out the bay leaf and garlic.

Heat a dry frying pan until smoking. Add the pepitas and sunflower seeds and toss about for a minute or two, until slightly toasted.

Toss the roasted onion and kale into the rice and lentils with most of the toasted seeds and nuts, chopped coriander stems, and any oil left in the onion baking tin. Taste for seasoning.

Cut the pomegranate in half. Knock the seeds out of one half, add some of them to the rice mixture and toss well. Juice the remaining pomegranate half and mix the juice (and any extra juice from the seeds) with the pomegranate molasses, to make a dressing.

Place the mujadara on a serving platter. Arrange the pumpkin wedges on top. Scatter with the remaining pomegranate seeds and toasted seeds and nuts. Pour the pomegranate dressing over with an extra drizzle of olive oil, garnish with the coriander leaves and serve.

Extracted from The Joy Of Better Cooking: Life-changing Skills & Thrills For Enthusiastic Eaters by Alice Zaslavsky (Murdoch Books, £25).