Welcome to September

It’s an all too familiar experience: blink on

STAR CONTRIBUTORS

KARLA ZAZUETA The Mexican cookery expert’s chicken tinga

Holiday discoveries

Inspired by trips abroad, these dishes will help you hang on to that sunshine feeling

Chicken tinga tacos

A Mexican classic, chicken tinga is a delicious shredded chicken stew with a touch of chipotle in adobo. It can be eaten on top of corn tostadas or in tacos.

Baked squid rice

I absolutely love Spain – the weather, the culture and, especially, the cuisine. Inspired by a dish of baked cuttlefish rice that I had in Barcelona, this recipe makes use of the ink to create a dark and indulgent feel. It can easily be shared, tapas-style, as many great Spanish dishes are

Prawn orzo saganaki-style

I like to bring a splash of sunshine to my table with this recipe, inspired by Greek saganaki, a recipe named after the dish in which it’s traditionally made (and the cheese sometimes used in it). It’s usually served with bread for mopping up the tomato sauce, but I’ve bulked it out with orzo instead

French walnut cake

This intensely nutty treat is a cross between a tart and cake – a thin pastry case packed with caramelised walnuts and served in small slices, either with tea or coffee, or as a dessert with ice cream. Originating from south-west France, this dish takes me back to summers in the Tarn where I served it as a dessert, or when guests arrived at our then guest house. I’ve adapted this from a recipe by Paula Wolfert – it’s best made in stages at least a day ahead. It keeps for a week in a tin.

What’s your best holiday dish?

We ask chefs and food producers to share the most fondly recalled dishes from their travels

We changed our lives by going vegan

When their mum became ill after a bereavement, sisters Lydia and Alma took their family on a plant-based journey

Wines to evoke holiday memories

Beyond the very sheer wines of high summer, these whites will ease you gently into autumn

Sandy Tang’s Laghman

The Macau-born MasterChef finalist shares her recipe for this hand-pulled noodle dish from Central Asia

What you’re sharing

Share photos of what you’ve cooked using our

easy

24 simple recipes for every day healthy

one-pan dinners

With minimal prep and only one roasting tin required, these recipes are just what you need after a busy day

Apricot-glazed chicken & lentil traybake

Let your oven do the work for you with this hands-off traybake.

reader offer

SAVE £5 ON A SLOW COOKER FROM COOKS

Crispy gnocchi traybake with leeks & broccoli

You can swap the broccoli and leeks for whatever’s in your veg drawer that needs using up.

Sticky miso aubergine traybake

Use storecupboard ingredients to pack umami flavour into this simple vegetarian dish.

Green bean & cherry tomato traybake gratin

Comforting, creamy and best eaten from a bowl, this is just what midweek calls for.

love your leftovers

Use the surplus from this month’s one-pan midweek meals

Emily Scott’s sticky fig bake

There are many twists on banana bread, but this one is sure to become a favourite

York Food & Drink Festival

Each month, we highlight a UK foodie event featured on BBC Two’s Coast to Coast Food Festival. This time, we head to North Yorkshire

Let’s have a picky tea

When everyone can help themselves to their favourite bits, it keeps fussy eaters happy, plus you can use up odds and ends

Pesto pasta spread

SERVES 4 PREP 5 mins COOK 15

Sweet chilli chicken wrap spread

Can be cooked in an air-fryer SERVES 4

Baked potato & tuna crunch spread

Can be cooked in an air-fryer Shoot directors

Honey & mustard sausage roll spread

Can be cooked in an air-fryer SERVES 4

lunchbox luxuries

Ditch bland shop-bought sarnies for layers of flavour

4 healthy eating myths, busted

GP and recipe writer Dr Chintal Patel explains how to create better eating habits while knocking down the most common barriers – plus, she shares one of her go-to weeknight recipes

Quinoa-coated salmon & sweet potato fishcakes

SERVES 4 PREP 25 mins COOK 30

chicken winner

It only takes 10 minutes to prepare this economical, wholesome dinner for all the family. Plus, you only need one pan so there’s less washing-up

25 hacks you need to know

We share tricks and tips to make life a little easier in the kitchen

BBC good food coming next month

on sale 21 September Comfort & spice •

Celebrate Rosh Hashanah

The Jewish New Year holiday falls on 15 September and the occasion demands plenty of honey for sweet times ahead

Sow, grow, glow: abundant autumn

Use new season plums to complement duck, put a nutty twist on pear crumble and turn apple pie into a bite-sized snack. Plus, Ingrid Chiu of BBC Gardeners’ World offers advice on how to grow your own ingredients

GREAT TO GROW IN SEPTEMBER

@ingrid_grows_and_eats. Ingrid Chiu has been harvesting crops from

How to use up everything!

Each month we show you how to waste less, make your ingredients work harder and last longer

Storecupboard heroes: canned tomatoes

Try something different with this stalwart of the home kitchen – budget cooking doesn’t need to be boring!

Slow cooker specials

Enjoy the depth of flavour that comes with slow cooking while saving effort and energy costs

5 of the best multi-cookers

Do a multitude of tasks with just one bit of kit, including slow-cooking, pressure-cooking, roasting and air-frying

What to drink with Japanese dishes

Even the subtle flavours of ramen can be elevated with a carefully chosen wine

Get to know the BEST OF BRITISH

Our beer expert Marverine Cole curates a selection of the UK’s most exciting brews

Chop, blend, grate

Save £10 on this versatile food processor from Cooks Professional

Go on a luxury cruise through the Venetian Lagoon

Taste your way around one of Italy’s renowned culinary regions, stopping at islands and markets to meet craftspeople

Luxury river cruises

Enjoy fine dining with regional specialities and a free drinks package worth £400 per person

Save on flowering hanging baskets

Keep your garden looking colourful this winter with pre-planted baskets from YouGarden

Reclaim your weekend

Make special meals to remember, tackle a baking project or get out to nearby food and drink events – we’re also exploring flavours from around the world and celebrating a great British pudding

Make your weekend memorable

In our new series, we invite you to reclaim your weekend and take some time out with recipes from Esther Clark that feel worthy of an occasion

Crackling roast pork with beans, rosemary & artichokes

This pork is an easy Sunday lunch number that’s served with hearty braised white beans instead of roasted veg, cutting down on your washing-up. The pork is prepped the night before to allow for a leisurely Sunday afternoon.

Steak with jalapeño béarnaise & wedges

Friday night treat Shoot director RACHEL BAYLY |

Baklava sticky buns

These sticky buns are inspired by one of my favourite sweet treats – Turkish baklava. The filling is richly spiced and filled with pistachios, walnuts and orange. The buns are baked until light and squishy before being soaked in a honey syrup. Make the dough on Friday night and finish them off the next morning for ease.

Tom Kerridge’s goat kofta

Make the last barbecue of the year an occasion to enjoy this underrated meat

Get out and about

Discover food and drink events going on near you in September

Make new discoveries

Take a culinary trip with us, sourcing ingredients from around the world and finding ideas for how to use them

Padron peppers

I’ve long-enjoyed padron peppers, on trips to Spain and at tapas bars closer to home. They seem to be increasingly available in UK supermarkets, so I’ve recently begun cooking them at home, too.

Pandan

I may be late to the party, but I recently discovered the joys of pandan chiffon cake on a whistlestop trip to Singapore. I ate more than I’d like to admit in the five days I was there and haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since. If you haven’t heard of or tried pandan before, it’s a vibrant green, leafy plant, widely used to flavour sweet and savoury dishes in Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Singapore and many other Asian cuisines. It has subtle notes of coconut, vanilla and rose and, when used as an extract, it gives a beautiful green tinge to the food. You can buy pandan extract online or in Asian food shops

Get ahead for Christmas

Reclaim your weekend Make a gift

The original bakewell

Reclaim your weekend Bake a regional hero

Korean home cooking

Reclaim your weekend Read & cook

Books for cooks

Helena Busiakiewicz from our cookery team selects her favourite new books to inspire you this month

Aubergine parmigiana

Reclaim your weekend Take it to the next level

Learn something new

Get the best out of mushrooms and artichokes, plus achieve the crispiest chicken skin

Globe artichoke hearts

Prepare this seasonal veg using classic technique

How to roast chicken like Joshua Moroney

The head chef and co-founder of restaurant Cue Point shares his tips

Raise a glass

Reclaim your weekend Shake up a cocktail

Beat the Sunday scaries

Reclaim your weekend Cook mindfully

Back to school

Especially at the start of the new term, Mondays can be a struggle for kids who don’t want the holidays to end. Here are five ways to get them rested, then raring to go in the morning.

Opt for caffeine-free tea

Caffeine can exacerbate stress, so choose a