Fall food

[ides]

Apple crisp is usually the first thing I make when feeling fallish. Apples=Fall.

[spotty_dog]

Bitterness is usually greens picked from older plants. Brassicas (kale and collards, broccoli and cabbage) really sweeten up after a frost so that's a great time to buy them.

The Chinese say that bitter is the balance to sweet and curbs cravings for sweet food.

This is the basic method I use for most greens, adapted from Alice Waters.

Strip the leaves off their stems. Chop coarsely and wash. Heat a few Tbsp olive oil in a large saute pan and add the greens. (If cooking chard, I chop the stems and saute them separately for a few minutes before adding the leaves.) Let them wilt down. Then lightly salt (I always manage to oversalt chard, be careful) and add a couple of cloves of minced or lightly squashed garlic. Cover and cook until bright green and tender. Then remove the lid and cook off excess moisture. Turn off the heat and stir in a few Tbsp of red wine vinegar or lemon juice. (Alternately, cook in butter, and toss with parmesan instead of acid.) Serve by picking the greens up out of the cooking liquid with tongs.

[TulipsAndSunscreen]

I do as above although I often add a bit of water to steam them a little quicker. And do onion with the initial olive oil. And we almost always add vinegar (balsamic in my case) or some acid, really makes them yummy!!

[spotty_dog]

Today I'm inventing a vegetarian soup to use the collards I got at market per Thirteen's recommend, the potatoes from my garden, and some white beans. I'm going to base it on the Cook's Illustrated portuguese caldo verde soup, which calls for blending some of the potatoes to thicken the soup, but I'm going to add the beans instead of the sausage it calls for. I plan to package it in quart jars and freeze most of it for future lunches. Today is overcast and cool and great for simmering stuff on the stove! I might also roast the pie pumpkin I bought -- it's massive, it'll give me boatloads of puree for recipes, as well as a nice afternoon of running the oven to heat the house.

[SoonerTexan]

Apparently the fairytale pumpkin I bought is awesome for baking. I'll make a thanksgiving pie out of it. I've spent like $70 on heirloom and regular pumpkins for fall decor so that makes me feel a little better about it

[MsSassyBaskets]

Does anyone have recipes that include a lot of cooked greens, but are not just plain sautéed greens? I have never been able to get myself and DH onto the sauteed greens train. If I could include them in a larger recipe they would go over better. Any ideas?

[spotty_dog]

My friend's family swears by chard gratin (it's a bit rich for my usual palate): http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2...in-recipe.html

My husband enjoys Tunisian style chard and chickpeas when I make it; this looks similar: http://www.paula-wolfert.com/recipes/tun_sahel.html

These curried greens and potatoes have worked here: http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/RCP00215...ed-greens.html

And then there's always soups! Kale and potato, turnips and turnip greens, seasonal minestrone with spinach or kale or cabbage or whatever you have...

[MsSassyBaskets]

Cool, thanks!

[spotty_dog]

Shepherd's pie feels like fall! I usually make it with a layer of ground beef, a layer of frozen corn and/or peas, and topped with rich milk-and-butter mashed potatoes, with a side of gravy (made with the beef fat and supplemental butter). But this time I used this recipe for inspiration: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/03/s...htened-up.html

Mine used lowfat buttermilk to moisten the potatoes, and I mixed in a whole mess of veggies with the beef. I had onions, leeks, carrots, celery, chard, cauliflower, frozen peas, and wild mushrooms. I also added a splash of red wine to the moistening ingredients. It was darned tasty if I say so myself, and almost guilt-free. (I always use local grass-fed beef which is super lean and has a healthy fat profile; I used a pound of meat in the recipe and we only ate half the dish between the four of us.)

[Thirteen]

Pumpkin enchiladas for tonight.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[OrionGrad]

I went a little crazy at Trader Joe's yesterday ... Pumpkin pop tarts, pumpkin chai, pumpkin butter. I don't even love pumpkin that much, I just love that it tastes/smells like fall.

[spotty_dog]

I'm making pumpkin bread today with orange frosting (orange juice and powdered sugar and a little butter) and I'll add in dried cranberries and pecans to the bread. Tomorrow I'm making Sunday Sauce, and we are having football food for lunch - veggie tray and buffalo chicken spring rolls from here http://www.canyoustayfordinner.com/2...chicken-rolls/ they are amazing and are a fall food because they're football season food.

OMG dangerous, I have an unhealthy obsession with buffalo chicken.

[SoonerTexan]

We made Brie, green apple, and sourdough paninis today with butternut squash soup

[Sheherezade]

Chicken cacciatore and wild rice. Not sure if it's fall food, but eating it by the fire from crockery seems very autumn.


Angie

[rainbabies]

Last night I made acorn squash. So. Delish.
Tonight I made homead Mac and cheese to go with dinner. Comfort foods....
I made banana muffins today, too. Yummmmy!!!!