It’s definitely starting to feel like autumn this week. Where I live, all the trees are starting to change to those beautiful autumnal colours: reds, browns and yellows. I also realised that this week’s meal plan is also full of those wonderful warming colours.
Monday: Plaice fillets with vegetable rice
We start the week with a recipe that my Mum created; plaice fillets with red pepper and carrot rice. The sweetness of the vegetables is a good compliment to the fish. Feel free to fry the fish in butter if you fancy a more indulgent taste and I would recommend mixing the veg with the rice so that it’s nice and moist.
Tuesday: Minestrone soup
Next recipe on the meal plan, is a Minestrone soup. It’s a hearty soup that originally comes from Italy and contains vegetables and pasta. There’s no set recipe for a Minestrone soup as it usually made from the vegetables that are in season. Some recipes for Minestrone contain meat but I’ve opted for a vegetarian version to make the best of the autumn vegetables.
Wednesday: Smoked sausages with braised cabbage
This week’s meat dish is smoked sausages with braised cabbage. Braising the cabbage keeps it really crunchy, not like a soggy sauerkraut! The mustard and vinegar add a nice acidity to the dish making it perfect for a raining autumn evening!
Thursday: Caramelised fig ravioli
We continue the week with caramelised fig ravioli. I would recommend opting for a young balsamic vinegar for this dish as it will nicely balance the sweet figs. An older balsamic vinegar will be sweeter and less acidic and may make the dish too sweet. You can swap the goat’s cheese ravioli with four cheese ravioli if desired.
Friday: Piri-piri chicken with tomato salad
We finish the week with red hot colours and spice with a piri-piri chicken dish. Piri-piri is actually Swahili for “pepper pepper” but the dictionary definition for it is “a very hot sauce made with red chilli peppers”! You can adjust the heat by reducing or increasing the amount of chilli you add.
