A true taste of autumn

Baked Manouri Cheese with Figs

There’s something magical about early autumn, when the evenings turn crisp, and the garden still offers a few last gifts. This year, my fig tree blessed me with a handful of late, sun-kissed figs, thanks to the beautiful weather we had in the UK.

I paired them with creamy Manouri cheese, a Greek treasure, softer and milder than feta, but just as delicious. If you can’t find Manouri, a good block of sheep’s milk feta will work just as well.

What makes this dish special is its simplicity. Golden, bubbling cheese, figs roasted until jammy, and the perfume of thyme and rosemary (mine still flowering with tiny purple blossoms) bringing everything together. Drizzle over honey, serve with warm sourdough or crisp crostini, and you have the kind of appetiser that feels both rustic and elegant, a true taste of autumn.

Serves 2

200g Manouri cheese (or 1 block sheep’s milk feta)

4 medium figs, halved

2 sprigs thyme, ideally with blossoms, plus extra for garnish

2 rosemary sprigs, chopped

Extra virgin olive oil, plus more for finishing

Cretan blossom honey, plus more for finishing

A pinch of sea salt (for Manouri only)

Freshly cracked black pepper

Preheat oven to 190C.

Place the Manouri in a small baking dish. Arrange figs around it. Add thyme, rosemary, a sprinkle of sea salt (if using Manouri), and drizzle with olive oil and honey.

Bake for 30 minutes, until the figs are caramelised and the cheese is golden.

Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and honey, a scattering of thyme, and black pepper.

Serve warm with toasted sourdough, rustic bread, or crostini.

Roast Chicken Thighs with Roast Pourgouri

I created this dish, because it combines two of my favorites: tender roast chicken thighs and traditional Cypriot pourgouri (cracked wheat pilaff). Every time I cook pourgouri, It brings back so many childhood memories of my Yiayia (grandmother) in Cyprus’ Avgorou. She often cooked pourgouri for us at lunch time and always served it with a generous dollop of her homemade goat’s yogurt.

Serves 4

8 medium chicken thighs, on the bone with skin on (or 1 medium chicken cut into large pieces)

Salt & freshly ground black pepper

3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

½ tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp sweet paprika

A pinch of chilli flakes

1 onion, chopped

1 red large pepper, chopped into medium chunks

1 large courgette, chopped into medium chunks

2 fresh bay leaves

1 medium cinnamon stick

2 tomatoes, chopped

A handful of cherry tomatoes

1 cup passata

2 tbsp tomato purée

1 chicken stock cube

1 tsp sugar

2 tbsp chopped parsley

700ml hot-water (plus 200ml extra later)

350g coarse cracked wheat (bulgur/pourgouri)

Prepare the chicken.

Wash and pat dry the chicken pieces. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan and brown the chicken pieces on all sides.

Transfer the chicken (and the oil) to a deep clay pot (about 30cm) or a deep roasting dish.

Add the cinnamon stick, bay leaves, onion, red pepper, courgette, chopped tomatoes, and cherry tomatoes to the dish. Pour in the passata and sprinkle in the ground cumin, ground, cinnamon, paprika, chilli flakes and parsley. Season lightly with salt and pepper, and gently mix everything together.

Dissolve the chicken stock cube, sugar and tomato purée in 700ml hot water. Pour this mixture over the chicken and vegetables and drizzle with a little extra olive oil.

Preheat the oven to 190C, place the dish in and roast for 1 hour.

Remove from the oven, taste the sauce and adjust seasoning if needed. Stir in an additional 200ml hot water and mix in the cracked wheat (pourgouri), ensuring it’s well combined with the sauce. Return to the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the pourgouri is tender and has absorbed the liquid.

Remove from the oven, cover, and let rest for 5-10 minutes. Fluff the pourgouri with a fork.

Serve hot with a large dollop of Greek yogurt and a crisp salad of your choice.

Loulla’s book My Kosmos My Kitchen can be ordered from www.amazon.com or www.austinmacauley.com/book/my-kosmos-my-kitchen. For more traditional Greek and Cypriot recipes and inspiration, join Loulla’s Facebook group Loulla’s Recipe Share