As the crisp autumn air sets in, it’s the perfect time to embrace the season’s vibrant, hearty vegetables grown right from your polytunnel. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just beginning your journey, a polytunnel provides the ideal environment to extend your growing season and harvest an abundance of nutritious produce even as the weather cools.
In this blog we’ll be sharing four of our favourite autumn recipes to make the most out of the produce grown from our Garden Tunnels. Each recipe celebrates the flavours of homegrown vegetables, proving that eating seasonally has never been easier or tastier with the help of a polytunnel!
spiced cherry tomato pasta
For 4:
75ml olive oil
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 kg cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
½ tsp caster sugar
1 diced chilli, or chilli flakes to taste
20g basil leaves
35g parmesan
Put the oil into a large sauté pan and place on a medium high heat. Once hot, add the garlic and fry for up to 1 minute, stirring a few times, until starting to caramelise. Add the tomatoes (carefully so that the oil doesn’t spit), along with the sugar, chilli, and half a teaspoon of salt. Pour over 200 ml of water and stir for 4 minutes, until the tomatoes are starting to break down and the liquid is bubbling. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook for about 1 hour, stirring every once in a while, until the tomatoes and chilli have broken down and the sauce has thickened. Stir in the basil, and set aside. Boil a pasta of your choice in plenty of salted water according to the packet instructions. Once al dente, drain the pasta and stir it together with the sauce. Divide between bowls, sprinkle with parmesan, and serve.
Baba ghanoush
For 6:
3 large to medium-sized aubergines
2 garlic cloves, crushed to a paste with 2 teaspoons
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons tahini
4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and black pepper
Pierce the skins of the aubergine and grill them whole until charred, or cook in a hot oven at 225 degrees. Let the aubergines cool, and then cut them in half lengthways and scrape away the skin from the flesh. Put the flesh and juices in a food processor and whizz until nearly smooth. Add the garlic, lemon zest and juice, tahini, and olive oil. You may need to thin a little with water- you are aiming for a hummus-like consistency. Season to taste.
STUFFED BAKED POTATOES WITH PESTO
For 4:
4 baking potatoes
200 ml crème fraiche
175g grated cheese
150 ml of pesto (store bought or homemade)
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
Salt and Black pepper
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees or gas mark 4. Wash the potatoes and score round the full diameter of the potato with a sharp knife, only just piercing the skin. This makes it easier to cut them precisely, so you get two perfect halves. Bake the potatoes for about an hour, until they’re cooked all the way through. Remove them from the oven, keeping it on, and cut them in half. Carefully scoop out the potato from the skins and put it into a bowl. Add all the other ingredients to the potato flesh and mix thoroughly with a fork. Spoon the mixture back into the potato skins, piling them up above the edges so that they look generously filled. You may need to sacrifice a couple skins to get enough filling to do this. Return them to the oven for about 15 minutes, until the tops become golden. Season to taste.
roasted red pepper soup
For 6-8
4-5 red peppers (about 600g)
600g ripe tomatoes
1 red onion
3 garlic cloves
½ a red chilli
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Handful of basil leaves
Salt and black pepper
200g Greek yoghurt, to serve
Preheat an oven to 180 degrees/gas mark 4. Quarter the peppers and deseed them. Halve the tomatoes, and roughly chop the onion, garlic, and red chilli. Put all the vegetables and the basil on a roasting tray, mix the vinegar and oil, and pour it over the vegetables, making sure everything is well coated. Roast them in the preheated oven, turning them from time to time, for 45 minutes. Once cooked either pulse in a food blender, or put through a sieve if you wish to remove skins. Thin the soup with the stock to the consistency you want and season with salt and pepper. If you wish, before serving add a dollop of Greek yoghurt.
