Something crunchy, something sharp, something sweet: Sam and Sam Clark’s autumn meze recipes | Autumn food and drink

Autumn is a time of year when our meze plate becomes more comforting and generous, with earthy beetroot, sweet squash and woody mushrooms. The cooking is simple, but the flavours and textures are layered and kept lively with sharp vinegars and citrus. Each one of today’s dishes is considered individually, but also in the context of the plate as a whole, and how each element relates to the others to achieve balance and harmony. And, of course, always serve with pitta or flatbread to scoop up every last morsel.

Served together, this meze selection should feed four generously.

Beetroot, apple and mint

Raw beetroot has an earthy sweetness and plenty of crunch that works particularly well with the acidic sharpness of a granny smith. Mint lifts and toasted walnuts bring richness. A good, sweet-sharp vinegar and olive oil are really all the dressing this needs. Serve at room temperature.

Prep 15 min

1½ tbsp sweet aged red-wine vinegar (we use Forum’s cabernet sauvignon vinegar), or good red-wine vinegar sweetened with a pinch of sugar

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and black pepper

250g raw beetroot, peeled and coarsely grated

1 large granny smith apple, unpeeled, quartered, cored and cut into very thin matchsticks

2 tbsp thinly shredded mint leaves

50g lightly toasted walnuts, sliced

In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar and olive oil, season to taste and set aside.

Mix the beetroot and apple in a large bowl with half the shredded mint and half the walnuts, pour on the dressing and toss gently. Check for seasoning, then serve with the remaining mint and walnuts scattered on top.

Autumn tabbouleh

We tend to think of tabbouleh as a summer dish (cucumbers, tomatoes, lemon, parsley, mint), as something fresh and light for when the weather is warm. But the idea of tabbouleh lends itself well to the changing seasons. What matters most is the balance of herbs, grain, fruit or vegetables, something crunchy and something sharp, and all those things can change to suit whatever’s around. This is a celebration of autumn in one dish. Serve at room temperature.

Prep 15 min

Soak 10-15 min

40g medium bulgur wheat

100g white muscat or sultana grapes, halved

2 fresh figs, peeled and cut into thin wedges

75g lightly toasted almonds, roughly chopped

2 spring onions, cut into thin rounds

1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely shredded

1 small bunch mint, finely shredded

Salt and black pepper

For the dressing

½ small garlic clove, crushed to a paste with a little salt

1 pinch ground cinnamon

1 tbsp orange juice

1 tbsp lemon juice

3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Put the bulgur in a bowl, add cold water just to cover and leave to sit for 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, put all the dressing ingredients in a jar, season and shake well.

When the bulgur has absorbed all the water and is soft (if it’s still al dente, stir in another tablespoon of water and leave for a couple of minutes), gently rub it between your palms to fluff it up. Put all the remaining ingredients in a large bowl, then pour the dressing on top. Add the bulgur to the bowl, toss to mix, check the seasoning and serve.

Oyster mushrooms, garlic and dill

The seared and nicely caramelised mushrooms give this dish a great complexity of flavour and texture. Serve at room temperature.

Prep 5 min

Cook 20 min

8 large oyster mushrooms, thicker ends of stalks cut off and discarded

3 tbsp olive oil

Salt and black pepper

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

2 tbsp roughly chopped dill

Put a large, heavy-based frying pan on a medium to high heat. Toss the mushrooms with a tablespoon of the oil and season. When the pan is hot, lay in the mushrooms gill side down and leave to fry until caramelised and a rich golden colour. Turn over, cook for 30 seconds, then spread out on a platter. Evenly scatter over the raw garlic and dill, drizzle over the remaining two tablespoons of oil, check the seasoning and serve.

Fried aubergine, chilli, yoghurt and mint

A classic Moro recipe that’s also great with salted anchovies. Serve at room temperature.

Prep 10 min

Drain 20 min

Cook 30 min

1 large aubergine, cut into 1½cm-thick rounds

Salt and black pepper

100ml olive oil, plus 1 tbsp extra for frying the garlic

100ml sunflower oil

1 large garlic clove,
peeled and cut into thin matchsticks

4 tsp sweet aged red-wine vinegar (we use Forum’s cabernet sauvignon vinegar), or a good aged red-wine vinegar sweetened with a pinch of sugar

1 heaped tbsp finely shredded mint, plus extra to serve

1 long green chilli, cut in half lengthways, deseeded and finely chopped

4 dssp Greek yoghurt

1 pinch
black onion seeds, to finish

Put the aubergine slices in a colander, toss with half a teaspoon of fine salt, then leave for 20 minutes to drain off any excess water and to get rid of any bitterness. Dry the slices on kitchen paper.

Heat both oils in a wide frying pan until hot but not smoking. Lay in the aubergine slices in a single layer (if need be, cook them in batches) and fry, turning as required, until deep golden brown and crisp on both sides. Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil. Meanwhile, fry the garlic matchsticks in the extra tablespoon of olive oil, until golden, then drain.

Put the drained aubergine slices on a platter, sprinkle over the fried garlic, vinegar and mint, then leave to sit for five minutes.

Stir the chopped chilli into the yoghurt and season with a little salt. Spoon a small dollop of the yoghurt on top of each aubergine slice, scatter over a little extra shredded mint and the black onion seeds, season and serve.

Syrian lentils

The keys to this dish are to toast the cumin, to fry the garlic to the darkened side of golden, and to use the coriander stalks as well as the leaves. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Prep 10 min

Cook 40 min+

4 tbsp olive oil

2-3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

1 rounded tsp cumin seeds, roughly ground

250g cooked small brown or puy lentils (from a tin or pouch)

1 small bunch coriander, stalks and leaves separated and roughly chopped

50g caramelised crispy onions
(shop-bought or homemade)

Salt and black pepper

Put three tablespoons of the oil in a large saucepan on a medium heat. When it’s hot but not smoking, add the garlic and cumin, and fry until light brown. Stir in the lentils, chopped coriander stalks, half the crispy onions and enough water to loosen the mix to the consistency of a thick soup. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for five minutes, until the lentils are soft. Take off the heat, stir in the chopped coriander leaves, then season. Scatter the rest of the crispy onions on top and serve.

Roast squash, tahini and chickpeas

Kaboucha squash has an excellent sweetness and dense texture, although its knobbly skin is tougher than other squashes and therefore harder to peel. Make this dish last, because it’s the only one here that needs to be served warm.

Prep 10 min

Cook 30 min

1 small-medium kabocha squash (about 450g), or butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into 3cm chunks

3 tbsp olive oil

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ garlic clove, crushed to a paste with a pinch of salt

Salt and black pepper

4
tbsp tinned chickpeas, drained

1 tsp finely chopped red chilli

¼ tsp nigella seeds

For the tahini sauce

1 small garlic clove, peeled and crushed

1½ tbsp tahini

1 good squeeze of lemon

1½ tbsp olive oil

Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Put the squash in a roasting tray, add the oil, cinnamon and garlic, season generously, then toss to coat. Spread out into an even layer, then roast for 20 minutes, until the pumpkin is soft and caramelised.

Scatter over the chickpeas and bake for another five minutes, until they’re slightly crisp.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Mix the garlic, tahini and lemon juice in a small bowl, whisk in two and a half tablespoons of water, then whisk in the oil. Check the seasoning.

Transfer the pumpkin mix to a platter, drizzle over the sauce and finish with the chilli and nigella seeds.