If you’re shaking your head “no” or furrowing your brow when you think about cooking A hot summer day is the perfect time to be outside enjoying the weather. But when fall comes, some of us are drawn into the kitchen to cook and bake. For those of us who don’t fancy themselves cooks or bakers, preparing a fall dinner can get you in the spirit. Recipes don’t have to be complicated and they don’t have to take forever to prepare. Here is an autumn menu that’s easy on the cook and savory delicious for your guests.
YOUR SURE-TO BE FAVORITE AUTUMNAL SOUP
While the kids are carving a pumpkin for an outside decoration, you can have your own fun making this pumpkin soup. But you don’t have to worry about carving a scary or funny pumpkin. This soup can be made with canned pumpkin. If you don’t tell, we won’t!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 ¼ cups chopped leek
- 1 ½ cups chopped carrots
- ½ to ¾ cups chopped yellow onion
- 5 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped (Don’t cheat and use chopped garlic in a jar. It’s just not the same.)
- ¾ chopped fresh thyme
- 6 ½ to 7 cups canned chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 large can pumpkin (Libby’s is great!)
- 2 ½ tablespoons brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh sage
- Salt and pepper
- Add olive oil to a skillet. Add the butter and heat to melt. Add leeks, carrots, onion, garlic, thyme and bay leaves. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add stock, pumpkin, sugar and nutmeg. Salt and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer gently for about half an hour.
- When ready to serve, add the sage and heat over low. Serves 4 to 6.
FALL’S FINEST PORK ROAST
This pork roast is packed with surprises of flavor. It will wow your guests but you don’t have to be a gourmet cook to make it.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 chopped medium onion
- 3 cloves minced garlic (If you’re a real garlic lover, use four cloves, but as with the soup recipe, use real garlic, not what you find in little jars.)
- ¾ cup bread crumbs
- 8 ounces pork sausage (Mild is perfect, but if you want to add a bit of zip, use medium)
- 1 bulb fennel, trimmed and minced
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary (If you want to use dried thyme and rosemary, go ahead, but use less than you would with fresh. Ideally? Use the fresh stuff!)
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (Never use the juice in the yellow plastic lemon!)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 pork shoulder (Ask the butcher to butterfly a boneless pork loin. Then all you need to do I untie and roll it.)
- 2 cups dry white wine (It doesn’t have to be an expensive wine but don’t cook with it if you wouldn’t drink it!)
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Heat the oil, but do not burn, in a large skillet. Add onion and garlic. Sauté until soft but not burned. Add bread crumbs, sausage, parsley, thyme and rosemary. Cook about 15 minutes. Add lemon juice, salt and pepper. Stir and cook three or four more minutes.
- Untie the pork roast and top with the stuffing. Retie the roast or bring the sides together as much as possible, then turn the roast over. Roast 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F and continue roasting for 1 ½ to 2 more hours. (Toward the end of the roasting pan, use a meat thermometer to check for doneness. It should reach 160°.)
- Remove the roast from the oven and place on a platter. (The roast will cook just a bit more.) Wait about 10 minutes before carving into thick slices. Serves 6 to 8.
A MELANGE OF VEGETABLES ROASTED TO PERFECTION
If you think every meal should include one starch and one vegetable, this recipe is for you. Even if you don’t plan your menus to feature both a starch and a vegetable, this recipe is also for you. If a beet hater is planning to join you for dinner, you can omit the beats. But they are so yummy in this recipe that you may convert a beet hater to a beat lover.
Ingredients
- 3 sweet potatoes
- 2 parsnips
- 1 rutabaga
- 2 turnips
- 2 beets
- 1 Yukon Gold potato
- 4 carrots
- 3 shallots
- 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ cups chicken stock
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Peel the vegetables, then cut into 1 ½-inch pieces. Toss the vegetables in the olive oil. Lightly coat a baking pan with just a tad more olive oil. Place the vegetables in the pan. Roast the vegetables about 15 minutes, then stir and turn them over.
- Roast for 15 more minutes. Pour the chicken stock over the vegetables. Salt and pepper to taste. Cover with foil and roast 30 minutes. Remove foil and stir the vegetables. Continue to roast them, covered, for about 30 more minutes or until they are soft and most of the liquid has evaporated. Serves 6 to 8.
HEIRLOOM APPLE PIE
An apple pie baking in the oven is one of the best aromas of fall. But, with this apple pie, the best is yet to come. Cutting and serving it is a true delight. Eating it is a glorious finish to your autumn dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 unbaked pie shell (You may use your own recipe or buy a refrigerated roll-out crust.)
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour plus ¼ cup flour
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- Dash plus ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ stick butter, softened
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 1/3 cup sugar
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 2 cups sour cream(Don’t use low-fat unless you absolutely insist on it.)
- 1 ¼ teaspoons vanilla
- 6 medium apples, diced
- 2 tablespoons bourbon (optional)
- Vanilla ice cream
- Preheat oven to 375°F. To prepare the topping, mix together the brown sugar, 2/3 cup of the flour, cinnamon, dash of nutmeg and butter.
- For the filling, mix ¼ cup of the flour, salt and sugar. Add eggs, sour cream and vanilla. Stir well. Add apples (and bourbon, if desired.) Stir gently to mix. Place the filling in the pie shell. Bake about 40 minutes. Remove from oven. Spread topping on pie and bake 10 minutes more. Serve with vanilla ice cream.