Paula McIntyre finds the perfect pear-ing on a skillet

There’s something truly magnificent about a big bushel of early autumn carrots, caked in muck and crowned with a burst of green fronds. In recent times, I’ve cut out peeling carrots if I’m roasting them — just give them a good scrub, cut in half, drizzle with oil and stick them in the oven. The natural sugars in the vegetables naturally caramelise, giving them a delicious toasty flavour. While this makes a lovely side dish, in the recipe here I’ve whizzed them into a soup. You roast the carrots with onions and garlic and then add stock, simmer and blend.

Skillet roast pears, coffee cream and cardamom crumble There’s something truly magnificent about a big bushel of early autumn carrots, caked in muck and crowned with a burst of green fronds. In recent times, I’ve cut out peeling carrots if I’m roasting them — just give them a good scrub, cut in half, drizzle with oil and stick them in the oven. The natural sugars in the vegetables naturally caramelise, giving them a delicious toasty flavour.

While this makes a lovely side dish, in the recipe here I’ve whizzed them into a soup. You roast the carrots with onions and garlic and then add stock, simmer and blend. While this soup is pretty good on its own I find it’s always good to add texture to something pureed.

Carrots and dill work really well together — there’s something about the earthy herb that cuts through the sweetness of the root. Some feta crumbled on top will add a tangy creaminess and a swirl of harissa will add heat and spice — the perfect bowl for an autumn day..