Autumn Menu Planning

When the days begin to grow shorter and cooler I start to hanker after harvest-time foods - juicy pears, crisp apples and sweet apple cider, luscious winter squashes, pumpkins and sweet potatoes, hearty greens and root vegetables.  Invariably these ingredients make their way into my fall menu plans.  Over the years I have discovered many tasty ways of preparing these items that I return to again and again.  Here are just a few recipes that I'm sharing in the hopes that you might discover and enjoy them as well!

This first recipe is a perennial favorite not just at our house, but by my former personal chef clients as well.  One client ordered this over and over again all year round, she loved it so much!  It's been adapted from The New Complete International Jewish Cookbook, one of the most well-used of my quite large collection of cookbooks.  I love this particular book for so many reasons: scrumptiously tasty recipes from all the diaspora countries of the world, fascinating information about the various Jewish festivals (many of these tie in with our Catholic liturgical feasts), a chapter on cooking for a crowd (handy for baptism parties and such), and the fact that all the meat and poultry recipes are designed to coax maximum flavor out of tough kosher cuts of meat.  Made with non-kosher meat and poultry, these turn out even more flavorful and meltingly tender.  Mmmmm!

Butternut Squash Soup with Ginger and Lime
Serves 6

1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1/4 cup butter
2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and seeded, thinly sliced
4 cups chicken stock
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
15 grinds black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

Optional garnish: toasted pine nuts, long strips of julienned lime peel

In large soup pan sauté onion, garlic, and ginger in butter (lid on) until onion is soft and golden.  Add squash and stock, bring to boil, then simmer covered for 20 minutes or until squash is tender.

Puree in blender until absolutely smooth, return to pan, and stir in lime juice, pepper, and salt.  Taste for seasoning, then reheat until barely bubbling.  Portion into bowls, and garnish if desired.

Notes: I have successfully made this without butter, substituting a little cooking spray instead.  I also like to make it in a pressure cooker to speed it along even more quickly.  This recipe freezes well, so I often double the recipe and freeze half for later.  You may need to add more lime juice, salt, or pepper after freezing, so taste before serving.

This next recipe, I actually tried just last night for the first time, but I tell you - I will be making this again and again this fall and for years to come - it was love at first sight, not to mention taste!  Adapted from this epicurious.com recipe.

Roasted Butternut Squash, Arugula, and Goat Cheese Salad
Serves 4

1 1/4-lb butternut squash, peeled, halved, and seeds reserved
1 tablespoon light brown sugar 
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1 tablespoon lite butter, melted
4 teaspoons walnut oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 oz crumbled goat cheese
2 bunches arugula (1/2 lb)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Cut squash into 2-inch-long pieces, about 1/4 inch thick. Rinse squash seeds and pat dry. Toss together seeds, brown sugar, salt, cayenne, and half of melted butter. Toast seeds in 1 layer in a nonstick shallow baking pan in middle of oven until golden, about 10 minutes, then cool. Toss squash with remaining butter and salt and pepper to taste in baking pan and roast squash, covered with foil, until just tender, about 20 minutes.

Whisk together oil, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl. Crumble cheese into bowl, then add arugula. Gently toss in warm squash and sprinkle with toasted seeds.

Notes: I used a pinch of Stevia instead of brown sugar, a lesser amount of cayenne (for the kids), and was out of walnut oil, so used extra-virgin olive oil with about a half teaspoon black walnut extract - delicious!  Fresh spinach leaves or a robust lettuce would make a fine substitute for the arugula.  I will also say this wasn't the most kid-friendly salad - ds4 only liked the roasted squash and would have preferred a less robust cheese and green, and ds1 only ate the toasted pumpkin seeds.  But mom and dad are hooked!

 Gingered Mashed Sweet Potatoes
  Adapted from Blue Ginger
  Serves 4

  4 tablespoons butter
  4 cloves garlic, peeled
  1 1/3 tablespoons fresh ginger, finely chopped
  2/3 cup heavy cream
  3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
  salt and pepper

Heat small saucepan over medium heat.  Add 1T butter and melt.  Add garlic and ginger and sauté until garlic is brown, 3-4 minutes.  Add cream and reduce by half over med-low heat, about 15 minutes.  Keep warm.

Meanwhile, combine sweet potatoes in large pan with enough water to cover.  Bring to boil and cook 20-30 minutes.  Drain and mash.  Add cream and blend.  Add remaining butter, season with salt and pepper.

Notes: Of course this is going to be delicious with so much butter and cream!  The good news is that it is still quite tasty with a smaller quantity of lite butter, and half and half or milk instead of cream.  And the kids definitely devour this one!

This next main dish recipe from epicurious.com will tantalize you with it's delightful aroma all day, and makes enough to freeze the leftovers for another meal or two.  It can also be transferred to a slow cooker after the onion carmelizing step, in which case it will probably need about 8 hours on low.

Cider-Braised Pork Shoulder with Caramelized Onions 
Serves 16

6 1/4 pounds bone-in fresh pork shoulder half (preferably arm picnic)
2 cloves garlic, cut into slivers
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds onions, vertically cut into 1/4" slices
1 1/2 cups unfiltered apple cider

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Score fat and any skin on pork in a crosshatch pattern. Make slits all over meat with a small sharp knife and insert a garlic sliver in each slit. Pat pork dry and season with salt and pepper.  Heat oil in a 4- to 5-quart ovenproof heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown meat on all sides, turning occasionally with the aid of tongs and a carving fork, about 8 minutes. Transfer pork to a plate.

Add onions to pot and sauté over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and starting to turn golden, about 5 minutes. Add 3/4 teaspoon salt and sauté, stirring occasionally, until onions are golden and caramelized, 8 to 10 minutes more.  Stir in cider and return pork to pot. Cover pot with a tight-fitting lid and braise pork in middle of oven until very tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Transfer pork to a serving dish with the aid of tongs and carving fork. Boil cooking juices with onions until mixture is reduced to about 2 cups, 2 to 3 minutes, then season with salt and pepper and serve with pork.

This next recipe is well-beloved in our house not only for the ease and simplicity with which it goes together, but also for the delightfully sweet and salty taste combination.  It would be delicious with Roasted Butternut Squash (toss 1/2" cubes of squash with olive oil, salt and pepper, and fresh minced sage if you have it, spread on a sheet pan, and roast at 350°F for 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender and carmelized).

Mustard-Maple Ham Steaks with Cider-Madeira Sauce
Serves 4

2 bay leaves
2 1-pound ham steaks (each about 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick), patted dry
2 1/2 cups apple cider
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup Madeira

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place bay leaves in 15x10x2-inch glass baking dish. Place ham steaks side by side in dish, overlapping slightly if necessary. Pour 1 1/2 cups apple cider over ham steaks (cider will not cover steaks). Whisk 2 tablespoons maple syrup and mustard in small bowl to blend; spread over top of ham steaks, dividing equally. Sprinkle with pepper. Bake ham steaks 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine 1 cup apple cider, 1 tablespoon maple syrup and Madeira in medium saucepan. Boil until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 15 minutes.

Spoon sauce over ham and serve.    

Comments

[Kristen Laurence]

Oh my, Heather, these recipes look and sound scrumptious! I think you and I have very similar taste for ingredients. Thank you so much for posting them!