We bid farewell to summer and welcome the crisp air of autumn. Try these five recipes that warm us up from within when we feel the chilly bite in the air. 

Sweet-potato soup with crispy kidney beans 

Serves 4 // Cooking time 1 hour 

Ingredients  

500 g purple-skin sweet potatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and black pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
1 large red onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3 cups vegetable stock
½ cup kidney beans
¼ tsp cumin
¼ tsp paprika
Fresh thyme, to garnish 

Method 

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Wash the sweet potatoes, then use a vegetable peeler to peel long strips of skin. Place the skins on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake them for 20–30 minutes, until crispy.
3. Chop sweet potatoes into chunks and coat with olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme. Place on a baking tray and roast for 30 minutes, until soft, turning them halfway through.
4. Heat a little oil in a pan and fry the onion until translucent. Add the garlic, then remove from the heat.
5. In a large pot, heat the vegetable stock until simmering, then add the sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook for 20 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are tender. Purée the soup with a stick blender.
6. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pan over high heat. Add the kidney beans and sprinkle with cumin and paprika. Fry until crispy.
7. Serve the sweet-potato soup with crispy beans and sweet-potato skins, garnished with fresh thyme.

Recipes & styling: Amerae Vercueil & Chiara Turilli
Photography: Andreas Eiselen // HMimages.co.za 

 

Spanish fish casserole 

Serves 4 // Cooking time 50 minutes 

 

Ingredients 

1 red onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 tsp chilli flakes
2 tsp paprika
2 tbsp chopped parsley
½ cup black olives
1 tin (400 g) chopped tomatoes
1 cup baby tomatoes
1 green pepper, sliced
¾ cup vegetable stock
½ cup tomato puree
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp sugar
2 hake fillets  

Method 

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Heat some oil in a pan over medium heat. Fry the onion for 5 minutes, until soft and slightly golden.
3. Add garlic, chilli flakes, paprika and parsley. Fry for 2 minutes, until fragrant.
4. Add the olives, chopped tomatoes, baby tomatoes, green pepper, vegetable stock, tomato puree, lemon juice and sugar. Simmer for 20–25 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and reduced.
5. Transfer to a casserole dish and nestle the hake fillets in the tomato sauce. Bake for 15 minutes, until the fish is cooked through.

Recipe: Jezza-Rae Larsen
Styling: Kate Turner
Photography: Sean Dollery // HMimages.co.za 

 

Chicken enchilada pie 

Serves 6 // Cooking time 1 hour 30 minutes 

Ingredients 

For the filling 

1 Tbsp veg oil
1 onion, grated
1 garlic clove, crushed
4 chicken breasts
2 cups chicken stock
1 tsp paprika
½ tsp chilli flakes
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp origanum
1 Tbsp flour
2 eggs
½ cup sour cream 

For the shell 

4 large flour tortillas
Vegetable oil, to brush
1 cup grated cheddar cheese 

Method 

For the filling 

1. Fry onion and garlic until golden. Add chicken, stock and spices. Boil for 10 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and the stock has reduced.
2. Remove the chicken from the pot. Add the flour and cook until the sauce has thickened.
3. Remove from the heat and cool, then add eggs and sour cream. Mix well.
4. Shred the chicken into small pieces. Add the pulled chicken to the reduced sauce.

For the shell 

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a large pie tin.
2. Arrange 3 tortillas in the tin, overlapping slightly to cover the base and the sides. Spoon in filling and sprinkle with cheese.
3. Place 1 tortilla on top to cover and press down gently. Cut a cross in it to let the steam out. Brush with oil. Bake for 20 minutes.

Recipe & styling: Chiara Turilli
Photography: Samantha Pinto // HMimages.co.za 

 

Mac ’n’ Cheese with a twist 

Serves 4–6 // Total time 1 hour 

Ingredients  

1 packet macaroni
Olive oil    

For the white sauce 

1 L milk  
1 L cream  
¼ onion, sliced  
Handful fresh thyme  
2 fresh bay leaves  
2 cloves garlic, sliced  
¼ cup butter  
3 tbsp flour  
2 tbsp Dijon mustard 
½ tsp ground nutmeg  
Salt and milled black pepper  
400 g streaky bacon, chopped  
1 cup grated mature cheddar  
1 cup grated Gruyère cheese 
1 cup grated mozzarella  
Handful fresh thyme, parsley or sage, chopped  

Method  

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. 
2. Add pasta and give it a quick stir so it doesn’t stick together. Cook, partially covered, for about 6–7 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water, and rinse pasta well under cold water. 
3. Toss through oil to prevent pasta from sticking together. 
4. Cook milk, cream, onion, thyme, bay leaves and garlic in a saucepan on medium-to-low heat for about 3–5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover with a lid and leave to infuse for 15 minutes. Strain and set aside. 
5. Heat a glug of oil in a large pan and fry bacon for about 5–7 minutes or until crispy. Drain on kitchen paper and set aside.
6. Melt butter in a pot over medium-low heat and whisk in flour until smooth. 
7. Add milk and cream mixture a ¼ cup at a time, whisking vigorously until white sauce thickens. Repeat until all liquid has been added and sauce has thickened nicely. 
8. Whisk in mustard and nutmeg. Season generously. 
9. Preheat oven to 180°C. 
10. Add cooked macaroni to a large, greased ovenproof dish and pour over half the white sauce. Toss through to coat pasta evenly. 
11. Combine cheddar, Gruyère and mozzarella in a bowl. Add half of cheese mix to macaroni and mix through evenly with a spoon. 
12. Fold through bacon and herbs. 
13. Pour over remaining white sauce (do not mix through) and top with remaining cheese. 14. Bake for 20–25 minutes or until cheese has melted and bubbles. Serve immediately. 

Chef’s Tip
For a more affordable dish, swap Gruyère for white Cheddar, streaky bacon for bacon bits and the cream for milk.   

Recipe: Chad January
Photography: Zhann Solomons   

 

Oven-baked meatball sandwiches 

Serves 8 // Total time 1 hour 30 minutes 

 

Ingredients 

½ cup breadcrumbs
¼ cup milk 
250 g each pork mince and beef mince
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ onion, finely chopped
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp salt
1 tsp each dried oregano and dried parsley 
1 tbsp fresh basil  
¼ cup parmesan 
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce  

To assemble 

8 hot dog rolls
Butter, melted 
2 cups grated Mozzarella cheese
300 g tomato pasta sauce 
Fresh basil, chopped, to garnish  

Method 

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Grease a large oven tray.
2. Add all the ingredients to a bowl and mix thoroughly with your hands until evenly combined. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
3. Shape the mixture into 24 meatballs, using about 2 tablespoons of mixture for each one. Ours weighed 30 g each. 
4. Bake meatballs for 15–20 minutes until cooked through. Remove from the oven. 

To assemble

1. Grease another large oven tray.
2. Make a cut down the top of each roll. Brush the inside of each roll with melted butter and sprinkle with a bit of cheese. Stuff each roll with three meatballs, spoon over some tomato sauce meatballs and top with a layer of mozzarella.
3. Bake for 10–15 minutes until the rolls are toasted and the cheese has melted.
4. Top with the chopped basil and enjoy!

Top tip
Whether you’re watching your favourite sports team or sitting outside admiring the sunset with family, these meatball sandwiches are sure to hit the spot. 

Recipes & Styling: Sjaan van der Ploeg
Photography: Peet Mocke/hmimages.co.za  

Also read: 4 tips with meatballs you never knew about