Seasonal Autumn Recipes

My favorite season is here! Here are 2 of my favorite autumn dishes...how about yours?

RIGATONI IN A WOODSMAN’S SAUCE

3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 lb. sweet Italian sausage
2 cups sliced Shiitake mushrooms
1 cup sliced white mushrooms
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cup canned crushed Italian tomatoes
1/2 cup Ricotta cheese
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
1 cup half-and-half
Salt and ground pepper
1 lb. Rigatoni
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggano cheese

In a large. nonreactive saucepan, heat the oil. Add the onions and cook over a moderate heat until wilted.

Remove sausage from casings and crumble. Add to the onions. Cook, stirring, for 10 minutes. Drain all the fat from the pan.

Add the mushrooms and butter and cook for 3 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and simmer gently until thick, about 10 minutes.

Add 1/4 cup of the Ricotta to the sauce and mix well. Then add the peas and half-and-half and boil lightly for 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook the rigatoni in a large pot of boiling water. Drain well. Add the pasta to the sauce and mix well over a low heat. Fold in the remaining ricotta and the Parmigiano.


PERSIMMON PUDDING


1 cup sugar

1 cup persimmon pulp

1 cup flour

1 egg
1 teaspoon baking soda

Dash salt

1/8 teaspoon each: cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and allspice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Use gushy, over-ripe persimmons. Rip off the top stem and squirt out the pulp.

Mix (don’t beat) together all ingredients.

Pour into a greased pan and bake for 30 minutes, until pudding pulls away from the sides of the pan.

Elise, when autumn comes, I tend to dream of rich, brothy soups (like Italian Wedding Soup), hearty pot roasts and lots of root veggies. Out come the pot pies too! I'm a traditionalist.

Elise, that rigatoni recipe sounds marvelous. I've printed it and can't wait to try it!

Cindy

We just pulled our boat out of the water and the birch trees have just lost their leaves, guess it's time to put the grill away and start thinking of: braciole, boeuf bourguignon, roasted chicken with morels, ox tails and lentils, rabbit or hare with prunes, red wine and cognac, braised sweetbreads, Tuscan white bean soup, homemade bread and on and on. I love to cook when the weather turns cooler!

lleechef..you're holding out! Where are those recipes?

I also want to try something stew-y or soup-y with short ribs in it...what have you all got?

Elise, thanks so much for the persimmon pudding recipe. I used to LOVE persimmon pudding, but haven't had any in years. I don't ever see persimmons for sale in the grocery store...wish I knew somebody with a tree. My aunt used to say that you never pick them off the tree, you gather the ones that have already fallen on the ground. Have you ever heard that?

Well, I personally pick the ones that fall into my shopping basket! The farmer's markets do have sweeter ones than the grocery stores. Your aunt was probably right in that persimmons aren't really good until they are seriously over-ripe and falling apart in your hands. I got this recipe from a previous boss, and I always felt like something was not right. I hounded the heck out of her. One day her daughter unknowingly let out the secret...the combo of spices. This stuff really makes me want to eat the whole batch myself.

Never ate persimmons any way except raw, but if could ever find any these days, would surely like to try your recipe, ElsieT. Sounds delicious. And skylarOne, if you do come upon a persimmon tree, please heed Elsie's advice; you don't want any in your mouth that aren't "seriously overripe" or your mouth will be "drawing" for a week. Also, used to hear that you didn't want to eat them before first frost had hit them, but really don't think the frost had anything to do with their being ready to eat; think they just usually didn't get "eatable ripe" until after time for a first frost. Never see persimmon trees any more and will have to pay more attention at grocery or farmers' market for don't recall seeing any at those either.

There are two persimmon trees within two blocks of my residence. They must be getting ripe as they are falling on the street. I have tried them before they got ripe. No more!!! Real pucker power. They are real sweet when ripe.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

I always heard that the sweetest persimmons were those that went through a frost---they ripen really quick after freezing---well in California we didnt get alot of really cold days and alot of the persimmons would be bug infested before they really ripened---then we started picking them while hard--the bugs like them soft---and putting them in the freezer---when you thawed them they were soft and soft,and sweet and made great pulp---worked great. Also---there are persimmons that you can eat hard---FUYU's---thay are wonderfull---i love them cut up in matchsticks and tossed in salads and slaws!-(in slaw with Que--this is GREAT!)--my wife eats them like apples---they are slightly less sweet then ripe pulpy perrsimmons but VERY tasty.

The Saurbraten (sour beef) I posted elsewhere was made because it is fall & today I cooked a pot of kale. I'll be cooking kale every chance I get for the next couple of months. Once cooked it freezes great & I want to stock up for the winter months. Baked apples are another great fall dessert, yumI can smell the cinnamon now.

Baked apples are wonderful stuffed with cinnamon and raisins. I also love to make apple crisp in the fall. Nothing like it.

Elise - Here's my favorite recipe using short ribs:

POT AU FEU

2 lbs. short ribs
Vegetable oil
2 quarts beef broth
3 cloves garlic minced
l large bay leaf, slightly crushed
1 cup diced celery (include some of the leaves)
1 cup diced onion
1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 bottle dry red wine
Vegetables: Carrots and cabbage are necessary (in 1" chunks)
You can also add: turnips, rutabagas, green beans, peas, etc., whatever you like and is on hand.
(But do NOT add broccoli, cauliflower, or brussels sprouts - they make the broth too sulfury.)

Brown the short ribs in a little vegetable oil. Add the broth, garlic, bay leaf, celery, onion, tomatoes, and wine (yes, the whole bottle) and bring to a boil, then immediately lower to a slow simmer. Add vegetables after about two hours of simmering, bring back up to a boil briefly, then simmer again for another hour until vegetables are nice and soft. Serve in soup bowls with crusty bread.

EMMYMOM: Well, my mom has been known to give me brief recipes like, "Mix everything together and cook it for awhile", but I must say, that is the shortest recipe yet! I think the "paste" didn't work right. Will you try it again for me?

Sorry, I hit something I didn't mean to and it posted before I was done. I've edited it, and here it is above.

Thanks so much! Any recipe that insists you DON'T add broccoli is alright by me!

I made the pot au feu tonight, adding Italian sausage, chicken and beans to make a kind of hunter's stew and it was a hit! Short ribs are expensive!

I don't like to bake very much so this cake is my type - no electric mixer needed. This was always a staple of school lunch boxes in the fall.

APPLE CAKE

4 cup peeled and chopped apples
2 cups sugar
1/ 2 cup raisins
1 tsp. cinnamon (or 3/ 4 tsp. cinnamon and 1/ 4 tsp. nutmeg)
2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 1/ 2 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs
3/ 4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/ 2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup chopped nuts

Mix together apples, raisins, sugar and cinnamon (and nutmeg, if used) in a large bowl and stir thoroughly. Let this mixture sit for one hour, stirring occasionally. Juice will begin to form – do not drain off. Meanwhile, mix together flour, salt, and baking powder in a separate bowl. Grease and flour a 9” X 13” pan.

After the apples have marinated for an hour, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the eggs, oil and vanilla and add to the apple mixture. Stir well, and then add the flour mixture. Mix well with a spoon and then add the nuts. Mix and pour into prepared pan.

Bake for about 45 minutes or until done. Cool on a rack and cover and refrigerate any leftovers.

Notes: I like to substitute chopped dates for the raisins. Walnuts are the traditional nuts for this cake but I have used pecans or more often, omitted the nuts altogether.

Re: POT AU FEU -- Short ribs are (wow!) expensive, but sometimes worth it for their richness. You can just use some soup bones and a cheap chuck roast or chuck steak also -you need meat with some fat and bones to give the broth flavor, so usually cheap meat is the thing here (the long slow cooking makes it tender) Short ribs, which used to be an economy meat, have gone through the roof in price lately. Chicken sounds good, and beans - not sure about the italian sausage, but hey, if it worked who can argue? Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for the report.

I love to make this soup and sandwich combo in the fall and use up all the giant zucchinnis that we all let get too damned big!

Zucchinni Soup---this recipe is formulated by the size of the pot you cook it in and not the amount of any single ingrediant---that said-------pick a pot---cut onions and carrots to fill 1/4 of the pot in large chunks and toss it in with a little olive oil and saute for for a about ten mins--slowly---fill remainder of pot with chunks of zucchinni--add... a large handful of Italian flat leaf parsley---as much roasted garlic as you like--I like ALOT!..some white pepper... and enough good chicken stock to cover.Put a lid it and simmer until the the whole house smells great and the vegies are soft. In a blender--a little at a time---puree the the whole thing---using only enough of the broth to make a smooth creamy soup---i save any extra broth and drink it like pot liquer---season with salt and pepper to taste-- mix in a little brandy if you like--and i DO! Serve with a dollop of sour cream or yoghurt cheese--that plain yoghurt that you sit in a strainer lined with cheeseclouth over a bowl so that all the excess liquid drains off.

Now for sandwich!---Chicken Artichoke salad on rye

In a food processor mince cooked chicken---or turkey---with marinated artichoke hearts----turn out into a bowl and mix in---diced onion--- salt&white pepper---a bit of creamy style horseradish---a little sour cream--dont let it get to moist. In the resteraunt i stole this from (The Redwood Village in Aptos Ca--now gone--but try Zelda's in Capitola--same owner) we serve this on steamed dark rye with sprouts--i like spicy sprouts--like with radish sprouts in them--rather then simple alfalfa.

This is really good on a cool autumn day for lunch and they are both easy to make and very elegant at the same time and impresses the hell out of the In -laws!

quote:

Originally posted by emmymom

Re: POT AU FEU -- Short ribs are (wow!) expensive, but sometimes worth it for their richness. You can just use some soup bones and a cheap chuck roast or chuck steak also -you need meat with some fat and bones to give the broth flavor, so usually cheap meat is the thing here (the long slow cooking makes it tender) Short ribs, which used to be an economy meat, have gone through the roof in price lately. Chicken sounds good, and beans - not sure about the italian sausage, but hey, if it worked who can argue? Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for the report.

Well, I did tinker a bit, adding rosemary, thyme and Italian parsley to blend in the sausage. I guess mine was a Pot o' Stuff.

When I asked my SO what he wanted for dinner last night (BEFORE the Red Sox game!) he answered, well, your boned out stuffed chicken. OK, says I, (not knowing that the Sox were gonna have a half of a chance) and went to the market. When I got back and started the roasted chicken stock the Sox were just in the thick of things, in the 6th inning. I blanched the spinach, boned out the chicken,stuffed it with the spinach, prosciutto and Fontina when, WHAM! a homer by the SOX. This delayed the chicken for quite some time. After much hoopla and screaming on my part I finally got the stuffed fowl in the oven and managed to make a nice morel mushroom sauce for the above. Great autumn food. Don't get distracted by baseball!

quote:

Originally posted by EliseT

PERSIMMON PUDDING
Use gushy, over-ripe persimmons. Rip off the top stem and squirt out the pulp.

All I have is the big Japanese (?) kind. No problem getting a cup of pulp, but what about the seeds?

Incidentally, these were grown locally, and we sure haven't had any frost here!

I normally use the FUYU persimmon (smaller, round, can be eaten raw when ripe) because it is less astringent than the HATCHIYA (spelling?) which is bigger and acorn-shaped. But they both work. Sometimes there are soft seeds in the pulp. As I strain the pulp through my fingers (squish), I can pick these out, but have left some in with no problem. The most important thing is to have them be ripe to bursting.

quote:

Originally posted by EliseT

My favorite season is here! Here are 2 of my favorite autumn dishes...how about yours?

RIGATONI IN A WOODSMAN’S SAUCE...

Thanks Elise! I'm immediately putting that one in my file.

My favorite Autumn recipe is quite simple. I start mixing my vodka with fresh apple cider.

My favorite is a mushroom stroganoff.

Bushie..........you're cheating!!!!

quote:

Originally posted by Bushie

My favorite Autumn recipe is quite simple. I start mixing my vodka with fresh apple cider.

Tch, tch, tch, tch, tch! Shame on you for defiling two noble beverages at once!

Dearfolk,
Speaking of noble beverages, my local brewpub just added its Oktoberfest Bier. I stopped by last night and only drank one, but it nearly made me cry for joy to be alive.
When technology improves, y'all can e-mail me and I'll take my laptop down to the brewpub and e-mail each of y'all that wants one a sample - when I figure out how to do it.
Prosit!ionally Yours, Ort. Carlton in Athens, Georgia.
P. S. For those of you reasonably closeby, the place is Copper Creek Brewing Co. on East Washington Street downtown. Tell 'em I sent you. Seriously.

Ort., When you figure out how to send me the Oktoberfest Bier, I'll send you the same, brewed here by the Moose's Tooth Brewery! It's yummy too!