I am clinging to the last vestiges of summer by heading to the country as much as possible in an attempt to keep that carefree holiday feeling going a little while longer. There is an added bonus at this time of year, because there is a free feast just waiting to be picked up in our woods and hedgerows. Brambles abound in country and city alike, and you don’t have to stick to crumble or jam, either: try something a bit more adventurous, such as a blackberry soufflé – a fine mix of simplicity and sophistication.

For wild meat, you may need to travel farther afield, or at least have a good butcher nearby; even so, there’s bags of choice right now. Rabbit is seriously good in today’s pasta recipe, although you could use chicken instead; it’s kinder to buy wild rabbit than farmed, although the latter is more reliably tender and less gamey. Alternatively, leave it out altogether: the sauce will still be silky, rich and deeply savoury.

Rabbit, chestnut and mushroom pappardelle

The chestnuts, mushrooms and olives give this creamy sauce a rich, savoury flavour that belies the simplicity of the recipe. Serves six.

1 rabbit, jointed (roughly 1.25kg)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
60g butter
1 tbsp olive (or rapeseed) oil
12 baby onions, peeled
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced
1 sprig rosemary, leaves picked and finely chopped
300ml white wine
400ml water
2 bay leaves
75g chestnut mushrooms, finely sliced
100g cooked chestnuts, sliced
5 tbsp double cream
Zest of ½ lemon
10 fat green olives, stoned and finely chopped
600g wholewheat pappardelle

To serve
50g freshly grated pecorino
Freshly grated nutmeg
2-3 tbsp good extra-virgin olive oil
1 handful picked flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Season the rabbit generously. Heat a third of the butter and half the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed casserole, brown the rabbit all over, then transfer to a plate. Wipe clean the pan with a damp cloth, add half the remaining butter and the rest of the oil, then fry the baby onions on a medium-high heat until golden. Stir in the garlic and rosemary, cook for a minute or two, then add the wine and water and bring to a boil. Return the rabbit to the pot and add the bay leaves, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 30-35 minutes, until the meat is tender enough to pull apart with two forks and the liquid has reduced to a thick syrup.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining butter in a pan over a high heat, add the mushrooms, season generously and saute until deep golden and the liquid has evaporated. Add the chestnuts, fry for a minute or two, then set aside. When the rabbit is tender, lift it on to a board and shred the meat from the bones. If the liquid is still on the watery side, turn up the heat and reduce it. Return the mushrooms and chestnuts to the pan, add the cream, lemon zest, olives and shredded meat, then gently reheat. Taste for seasoning – it may need more salt and will definitely want plenty of pepper. Keep warm over a low heat.

Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook for eight minutes, or until al dente. Drain, reserving a cup of the cooking water, then toss the pasta through the sauce. Stir in half the pecorino and lots of nutmeg, leave to sit for a few minutes – the pasta will absorb much of the liquid in the sauce – then stir in enough of the reserved water to make the sauce glossy. Divide among four shallow bowls, and serve drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil and scattered with the rest of the pecorino and the parsley.

Blackberry soufflé

Don’t believe the hype: soufflés are surprisingly simple to make and ethereally light to eat. Serves eight.

2 tbsp softened butter
50g caster sugar, plus extra for dusting
200g blackberries, washed and dried, plus extra to serve
35g demerara sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tbsp cornflour
3 large egg whites
Softly whipped cream or vanilla ice‑cream, to serve

Heat the oven to 150C/300F/gas mark 2. Butter eight 165ml ramekins and sprinkle with caster sugar, rotating the ramekins so it sticks, then shake off any excess. Put the ramekins in a deep roasting tray.

Blitz the blackberries, demerara sugar and lemon zest to a smooth puree, then pass through a sieve into a saucepan to remove the pips. Put a tablespoon of the puree in a small bowl, beat in the cornflour, then mix back into the pan. Heat the puree until it starts to bubble gently and thicken, then leave to cool.

Whip the egg whites until foamy, add the caster sugar and whip to stiff peaks. With a large metal spoon, add a heaped spoonful of the whites to the cooled puree, to loosen them gently, then fold in the rest of the whites until combined.

Boil a kettle. Spoon the soufflé mix into the ramekins, smooth the tops and run a small knife around the sides to loosen the mix from the ramekins. Pour the just-boiled water into the baking tray until it comes halfway up the ramekins, carefully slide the tray on to the middle shelf of the oven and bake for eight to 10 minutes, until the soufflés are risen and golden. Serve straight away with extra blackberries and a dollop of cream or ice-cream.

And for the rest of the week …

If you are buying mushrooms, get plenty and turn the excess into a great standby for fridge or freezer: cook them slowly with masses of garlic and thyme, then blitz into a pâté and store. If you get carried away with your blackberry-picking, make jam with the glut. Finally, whizz any leftover chestnuts with a touch of icing sugar, leftover cream and brandy, then garnish with grated dark chocolate – it’s like Angel Delight to the power of 50.

• Read 28 pages of exclusive autumn recipes in Easy Ottolenghi, only with the Guardian on Saturday 24 September. Click here for £2 off the weekend papers