Fall Favorites

You may have noticed, it is now officially Autumn.  I love this time of year - mostly because I love food this time of year.  I haven't been cooking much new lately, so I thought I would share with you some of my favorite fall recipes that I have posted on here way in the past - and that I have been enjoying quite a lot of recently (and am looking forward to enjoying even more of throughout October and November).  I really wanted to update all these recipes with new pictures seeing as some of the older ones are, to be honest, kinda embarrassing.  But I am very busy and also a little lazy so I haven't.  Please try these out in your own kitchen so you can see how pretty (and tasty) they really are :)

First of all, this time of year finds me cooking and preserving mad amounts of pumpkin to use in some of my favorite pumpkin recipes.

Naturally, I make a tasty snack with all those pumpkin seeds - spicy Pepitas.

I put the pumpkin puree to good use in Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, Black Bean and Pumpkin Soup, and my very favorite of all....

The Perfect Autumn Chili - which I make large pots of quite frequently and keep in the freezer at pretty much all times.  I love it plain or with rice (please tell me you know the joy that is Chili & Rice?), on baked potatoes with sour cream, over baked polenta, and sometimes with a side of corn bread or corn tortillas.  A little chili out of the freezer on top of a baked potato nuked in the microwave is my number one go-to 10 minute meal.

I also love mushrooms this time of year, like in this simple and inexpensive Mushroom Risotto 

Or in, of course, soup.  Like Wild Mushroom & Leek soup

Of course, nothing is better on a cold, rainy Autumn day like hearty soup and sandwiches.  I like this Pulled Pork flavored with a little autumn goodness: fresh Apples and Maple Syrup.  I especially love it with a cup of comforting Broccoli Cheddar Soup.

Enjoy Fall Everyone!!

Classic Chicken Noodle Soup

This is it.  The Soother of Souls, the Cure for the Common Cold (watch Mad Men?), The Comfort Food of all Comfort Foods.  If you have browsed around this blog much, you might realize I love to cook and eat all the good ol' American comfort foods: meatloaf, chili, lasagna, and lots and lots and lots of soup. 

And apparently, its like soup week or something around here.  I really cannot seem to get enough of it.  Its not just that I like eating it either - I love making soup.  Its something I can do with relative ease - its easy to plan for, easy to complete, easy to clean up and easy to store.  Is it because I'm pregnant that I find the need to absolutely fill my freezer to the brim with containers of soup?  Is this so-called nesting?  I have no idea but it has become a damn near obsession. 

I don't know if this one will make it to the freezer though, because its just too good.  Bowl after bowl-full.  There is just something about chicken noodle soup that makes you want to go back for seconds.  The broth is rich and strong but none of the flavors overpower the chicken.  Its hearty enough to fill you up after a long day working, chasing kids or cleaning house (or hopefully something far more exciting) - but its also mild enough to make a great warm meal when you are feeling under the weather.  And with the season changing and bringing lots of rain, I have a feeling there is going to be something going around before long.


Classic Chicken Noodle Soup
5 cups Chicken Broth or Stock
1 cup water
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1/2 of a Celery Root, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 cup pulled/shredded Chicken breast
1 Tbs Olive Oil
1/2 cup finely diced carrot (about 1 carrot)
1/2 cup finely diced leek (about 1 small leek)
1/2 tsp dried Thyme
2 to 2 1/2 cups cooked pasta (I used Gemili - you could use Egg noodles, Linguine broken into bite sized bits, or whatever suits your fancy: here is a great guide to pasta shapes)
Salt
Pepper

Place the Broth, water, onion, 2 carrots, celery root, parsley and garlic in soup pot.  Season with salt if needed (it really just depends on your broth).  Cover and bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer for around 30 or 40 minutes.

Drain through a fine sieve and/or cheesecloth (reserving broth and straining out all the veggies and sediment).  Place the pulled chicken in the broth and cover and set aside.

In your soup pot, heat Olive Oil then add the diced carrot and leek, thyme and pinch or so of black pepper.  Saute for around 10 minutes - until the veggies get nice and soft and leeks are just starting to brown/caramelize.

Add half of the broth, cover and gently simmer for around 10  minutes.  Add the rest of the stock, pulled chicken and cooked pasta.  Taste and season with salt and pepper as necessary, then gently simmer for a few more minutes (don't let it cook too long, or sit for a long time after cooking, as the pasta tends to just soak up all that broth). 

Serve nice and warm, ladled into bowls with a pinch or two of chopped parsley.

Sundried Tomato Pesto

It may surprise you to know, I used to be a notoriously picky eater as a child. The type who wouldn't eat any sauce on my spaghetti, and used to gag if there were any peas on my plate. Then, my family started traveling and eating out more and I slowly learned to truly love and appreciate food. I remember the first time I tried something really new - something totally crazy - and realized that I actually liked it. It was in a little restaurant in Spain when I was 11 years old, and I had just, without realizing it, gobbled down several pieces of blood sausage.

 Another time was my first time eating real Italian food at a little restaurant in Leicester Square in London when I was about the same age. I was complaining that I didn't like pasta (like I even knew!) so the waiter brought me spegetti with pesto, insisting I would love it.  He was right - it rocked my world.  I will never forget that simple little plate of noodles. 

Since then I have fallen in love with food.  I love sun-dried tomatoes, especially during the fall and winter when fresh tomatoes and the summer seem like such a distant memory.  Walnuts, red wine and balsamic vinegar make this a very rich pesto that is hearty and satisfying.  Mixed with some Parmesan cheese and tossed into pasta it makes a simple but delicious and easy meal.  This makes a pretty large batch that I put up in the freezer - a jar will keep for several weeks in the fridge as well. 


Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto
150 grams (around 4 to 5 oz) Sun-Dried Tomatoes
chopped fresh basil (I just grab a small handful - maybe 2 tbs after its chopped)
chopped fresh oregano (ditto)
1 large clove garlic, chopped
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 of an onion, chopped
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 cup red wine
black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

Soak the tomatoes in water for about an hour or until they are nice and soft, then drain and coarsely chop.

In a food processor combine everything except the olive oil. Once combined, drip in the oil while the machine is running. Season with pepper as needed (or maybe salt - many sun-dried tomatoes are salted so the salt is unnecessary).

Will keep in the fridge for several weeks (take care to always use a clean spoon and keep it covered) or for several months in the freezer.  I strongly encourage mixing Parmesan cheese into it upon serving (I don't do this to begin with to extend its shelf life and to keep it vegan just in case). 

Cream of Chantarelles Soup

Last year as Autumn approached - I found myself seeking after an idyllic autumn with cool deep forests, wild mushrooms, apple picking and American football games.  When I close my eyes I can almost smell the damp air and hear the red and golden leaves as they rustle in the breeze.  This longing has stayed with me for the entire year.   I am normally a summer girl, but all summer I have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of Fall.  The temperature has dipped here in Berlin after a very hot summer and now the most beautiful time of year - the cooler later part of summer and early warmer fall -  is here.

In fact, I knew it must be about that time when I started seeing large baskets of Chanterelles at the farmers market.  Here in Germany they apparently love their Pfferlinge, and the season (much like Spargel - or Asparagus -season) is opened with much fanfare by local markets and restaurants.   I find myself drawn to the large piles of fungus with their gorgeous golden hue, fan-like ridged appearance, and those tell-tale signs that they just made their way from the beautiful German forest - little clumps of moist black dirt, pine needles, and flecks of soft green moss.

Every year when I see them I want to do something special to highlight their unique flavor.  Of course, being me, I found myself drawn to making a rich, indulgent, and creamy soup.  This soup might be one of my favorites I have ever made - its practically obscene its so rich and flavorful.  The flavor of the Chanterelles is everything  - all the other ingredients serve to bring that to the front.  Its soothing and filling - and drizzled with a nice fruity olive oil and topped with some crispy-fried chopped Chanterelles it makes not only a delicious, but a gorgeous, main dish or first course.  The flavor of this soup is very simple and so greatly depends on the quality of the individual ingredients - use a flavorful stock and good quality wine and olive oil and you won't regret it.

Cream of Chanterelles Soup 
500g fresh Chatarelles, cleaned and coarsely chopped
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I also have a really nice olive oil I brought back from Nice that I only use for drizzling - this is what I used to garnish the soup)
1 cup finely chopped onion (about half a large onion)
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 Tbs flour
4 or 5 Tbs sweet Red Wine (I used a Vin d'Pays that I am rather fond of -  and if I wasn't pregnant, I would have enjoyed a glass or three with the soup as well)
2 cups Chicken or Vegetable Stock
1 cup 1% milk
1 cup heavy cream
Sea Salt
Fresh ground Black Pepper

First, prepare the Chanterelles.   Heat a large saute or frying pan over medium - high heat.  Once its heated, add a few glugs of olive oil (so it just coats the bottom of the pan).   Saute the Chanterelles in small batches (a large handful at a time - so they saute and don't steam - and seasoning each batch with a pinch of salt) until soft and browned.   Remove each batch with a slotted spoon to a plate or bowl and set aside.  On the last batch, deglaze the pan with just a small splash of red wine, scraping up all the brown bits and reserving with the rest of the chanterelles.

Reserve a small amount of the cooked Chanterelles (like a 1/4 to 1/2 cup) to use as a garnish - its nice to fry these a bit more as well, until nice and carmelized and a tad bit crunchy.  

Heat a large cast iron pot or stock pot over medium heat.  Add a glug of olive oil then the chopped onions and a pinch of salt.  Saute until soft and translucent and just beginning to brown around the edges - around 10 minutes.  Add the minced garlic and saute another minute more.  Add the cooked Chanterelles and stir to combine.

Stir in the flour so that it coats all the veggies, then add the Red Wine.  Stir vigorously and scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan ( it will kind of become a bit of a goopy mess at this point).

Add the Stock and stir to combine.  Bring just to the boil, then reduce heat and let gently simmer, covered, for at least 10 minutes.    Stir in the milk and cream and taste - add salt and pepper as needed.   Let cook, uncovered,  over low heat (just below a simmer) for another 5 to 10 minutes - stirring frequently.    Taste again and season as necessary.

Remove soup from heat and let cool for a few minutes, then with an immersion blender, blend until smooth and thickened (you can use a regular blender, but take care not to burn yourself).    Taste again as sometimes once the soup is blended the flavors are slightly different.

Ladle into individual bowls and drizzle with olive oil and garnish with the fried Chanterelles.