From fritters to pizza, there’s more to pumpkin season than soups and carving

G’day! The last time I wrote to you was in the midst of our Australian winter, as the wind tippity-tapped tree-branch morse code on the windows and I tried to summon spring with the might of several tins of summer tomatoes and some inspiration from the Feast recipe archives.Well, allegedly, our spring has sprung, though you wouldn’t be able to tell, seeing as one of the challenges – or joys – of living in Melbourne is that this city’s concept of “seasons” is a little more fluid than most. Blustery winds have kept the trees dancing, wreaking havoc on the darling buds of May – sorry, October – and sending enthusiastically woven “cobwebs” and other Halloween paraphernalia flying.But I can guess which vegetable is going to be on your supermarket shelf, no matter which side of the international date line you are on: pumpkin! This is the time of year when European eaters are reaching for pumpkins to make soups and curries, while many across the Atlantic are mostly just carving them up. So, how to find more things to do with pumpkin than souping or sculpting? It helps to remember that pumpkin is also known as winter squash – and what’s summer squash? Courgettes or, as I say, zucchini

How to turn pastry scraps into a quick and tasty caramelised onion tart – recipe | Waste not

This is my quick version of pissaladière, and it transforms a small amount of leftover pastry scraps into a spontaneous treat. Keep and combine any trimmings into a ball and re-roll as and when required. Pastry keeps well in the freezer, and by skipping two time-consuming steps in the traditional recipe – that is, making the pastry and caramelising the onions – this one comes together about an hour faster. Instead, the onions are cooked upside down, steaming and caramelising beneath a blanket of pastry with anchovies and black olives for a fast, fun twist on a French classic. And if you have less pastry, you can always halve the recipe

From harissa baked hake to chicken schnitzel: Ravinder Bhogal’s recipes for cooking with nuts

I always keep a stash of nuts in my kitchen cupboard. I scatter them, roughly chopped, over my morning yoghurt and fruit bowl, and when I feel an attack of the munchies coming on, I try (although I often fail) to reach for a handful of them in place of something sugary. These nutrient-dense superstars are high on the list of nutritionists’ favourite anti-inflammatory foods, and while all their health benefits are obviously terrific, I love them simply because they bring rich, buttery flavour, interest, and delightful texture to my cooking.Traditionally, schnitzels are coated in crisp breadcrumbs, but this delicious version using almonds and cornflour makes this nuttily delicious and suitable for anyone avoiding gluten.Prep 5 min Cook 45 min Serves 44 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts 50g parmesan, roughly chopped250g blanched almondsZest of 1 lemon50g cornflour Sea salt and black pepper2 eggs, lightly beaten1 tbsp dijon mustard Lemon wedges, to servePut a chicken breast between two sheets of baking paper, then use a rolling pin to beat the chicken until it’s about 1

Fete, Chelmsford, Essex: ‘It absolutely dares to be different’ – restaurant review | Grace Dent on restaurants

Fête in Chelmsford has made a big splash on the Essex food scene, snapping up local plaudits for this quaint, neighbourhood restaurant in a cobbled courtyard. Quaint isn’t a word I use often, but nor do I eat at many places with a spacious upstairs bar area that doubles as a yoga studio. Go for the spice bag potatoes with tropea onions and roast chilli, stay for the 45-minute flow yoga with Amanda.Actually, scrap that: do not even dream of pulling shapes after eating too many spiced onions. Leave it a couple of hours

José Pizarro’s recipe for pumpkin and spinach with pimenton

I grew up with the taste of pimentón de la vera, the smoky, fiery spice Spain embraced from the New World and made its own. Pimentón gives our food its soul. One of the dishes everyone loves back home is espinacas con garbanzos (spinach and chickpeas), which is it’s simple, nourishing and full of comfort. At this time of year, however, when the markets are overflowing with sweet pumpkins, I love adding them to the mix, too. Their gentle, autumnal sweetness lifts the spinach and chickpeas beautifully, and they combine to create a dish that we’ve been serving all month at my restaurant Lolo in south-east London

The £1 oyster: cut-price shellfish is all the rage – but is eating it advisable?

Name: Oysters.Age: Triassic – so about 250m years old.Appearance: Grey and snotty.Oysters, eh? What pearls of wisdom (see what I did there) do you have for me on the noxious bivalve? You’re not a fan, then?Absolutely not. What desperation drove early humans to think, “Time to smash open this forbidding, rock-like blob and eat whatever godforsaken, gelatinous mess it disgorges”? Well, younger diners don’t agree – they’ve gone mad for oysters