OCTOBER aLREADY

October Already?

            Time is supposed to pass inexorably at a constant rate. Each day has 24 hours, each hour 60 minutes and each minute 60 seconds and so on to mili- micro- nano- and femto-seconds. Just remember how long each one of those was on the days when you wanted something wonderful to happen and had to wait for a time.

            October puts me into a most un-scientific mind regarding the passage of this past summer and arrival of autumn. Somewhere there must have occurred an anomaly in time acceleration these last few months, since June seems to have been here but yesterday.

            This must have happened to lots of other people, since summer visitors have suddenly become fall visitors and we find ourselves welcoming friends and family in a different season. The advantages of having colorful drives and walks to share at this time of the year unfortunately find us with many favorite restaurants closing for the season.  Which necessarily means just one thing: more entertaining and cooking at home.

            Our gardens and farmers markets are also winding down and the lighter fare we welcomed this summer seems just that –light. However, soups have the capacity to adapt to any season and even small handfuls of garden vegetables can provide a satisfying meal when combined in a minestrone or vegetable stew. Creamy textured soups provide an especially filling meal. This one uses last of the fall zucchini, potatoes and tomatoes in a delectable combination with just a hint of spice from chorizo without actual cream.

                                    Creamy zucchini, tomato and chorizo soup

            In a large pot sauté 1 medium chopped onion in 1 Tblsp. olive oil for 5 minutes. Stir in 2 sliced garlic cloves, 1 Tblsp. chopped fresh ginger and 3 cups sliced zucchini. Sautè for an additional few minutes, then stir in 32 oz. light chicken broth, 2 peeled sliced potatoes,  4 oz. tomato paste and a small pinch of red pepper flakes. Bring to boil and cook on medium heat for 30 minutes. Allow soup to cool and puree in batches in a blender with ¼ cup chopped fresh basil and few sprigs of flat leaved parsley. Correct seasonings with salt and pepper, stir in 1Tblsp. balsamic vinegar and small cubes of a piece of chorizo. Reheat and serve with a dollop of Greek yoghurt and a sprig of parsley. If chorizo is too spicy for your taste, linguica will do equally well.

            One of the fall vegetables that makes a wonderful hearty salad is beets. They come as yellow, red or with circles of red stripes as in Chioga beets. They all are especially delicious when wrapped in foil and roasted in their skins before peeling. Roasting them at 400 degrees, for 45 to 60 minutes depending on size, keeps their intense flavor much better than boiling. The beets are also much easier to peel after roasting. Save any beet greens that come with the beets for additional texture and flavor for the salad.

                                    Roast beet salad with pancetta and feta

            Wash beets and greens thoroughly. Trim off the greens, discarding the stems and set aside. Wrap 4 to 5 medium beets tightly in foil and roast at 400 degrees for 50 minutes. Unwrap and when cooled  peel and slice in wedges. While beets are baking prepare the vinaigrette: 2 Tblsp. cider vinegar, ½ tsp. chopped capers, 1 tsp. Dijon mustard, ½ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. pepper and 2 Tblsp. olive oil and 2 thinly sliced shallots. Toss the beets and the vinaigrette and ½ cup cubed or crumbled feta cheese. In a  pan fry  2 Tblsp chopped pancetta (or 2 slices bacon) until crisp and drain on paper towels. Wipe out the pan and sauté the beet greens cut in strips in 1Tblsp. olive oil with 1 chopped garlic clove until wilted. Stir in 2 Tblsp. water and continue cooking until all the liquid is absorbed. Sprinkle lightly with salt, toss in the crisped pancetta (or bacon) and combine in a bowl with the roasted beet salad. The combination makes for a very satisfying and colorful dinner or luncheon salad.

            Pleasing and colorful plates on our table may not be able to compete with the crimson maples of autumn, but they still remind us of variety of joys of each season

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in Waldoboro and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)

NOT BREAD ALONE

Not Bread Alone.

            Stale bread does not last long in our house at this time of the year.  With summer just gone, the fall garden still produces many of our favorite vegetables.  But by now finding different ways to prepare them can be a challenge. Particularly so, if some of the tomatoes look less than perfect for a salad plate of tomatoes, mozzarella, olives and basil.

            Cooks around the Mediterranean years ago found thrifty ways not only to use most of the produce, but also day old bread, which before the advent of plastic wraps was both stale and partially dried out a day or so after baking. They combined juicy vegetables with the bread cubes, gave it all a splash of olive oil and vinegar, and ‘voilà’ – the panzanella or Tuscan bread salad was born. By now there are as many variations as there are cooks, but here is my version of it.

                                    Tuscan bread salad

            Crusty or country style bread works best for this purpose, but stale focaccia is also excellent. If bread seems too fresh, lightly toast it before cutting it in ½ - ¾ inch cubes. In a large bowl combine: 4 cups bread cubes, 2 large tomatoes cut in wedges, ½ cup chopped red onion, ¾ cup cubed Kirby or English cucumber (baby zucchini also works well here), ¼ cup loosely packed Italian parsley and basil each cut in thin strips. In a small jar combine: 2 Tblsp. olive oil, 2 Tblsp. white or white balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp. Dijon mustard, ½ tsp. salt and couple of dashes of pepper. Cap the jar tightly and shake vigorously to blend and drizzle over the bread and vegetable mix. Toss well to blend and refrigerate for at least an hour, tossing several times to distribute the juices that will come from the vegetables. Serve cold or at room temperature and a few curls of parmesan cheese on top will make it even more elegant.

            This makes an excellent luncheon dish, but we had some for dinner with thin slices of  leftover cold steak with a horseradish, chive and sour cream sauce for the meat.

            Savory bread pudding or gratin is another excellent way to combine stale bread with vegetables for a different side dish for beef, chicken or pork. For this purpose small zucchini, mushrooms and even Japanese eggplants with their thin skins make a tasty combination.

                                    Savory vegetable and bread gratin

            Slice 2 Japanese eggplants and 1 baby zucchini, each about 5 inches long in ½ inch slices. Toss in a bowl with 1 Tblsp. olive oil and ½ tsp. salt. Spread on a rimmed cookie sheet and broil turning once to lightly brown both sides, which will remove some of the moisture. Butter an 9x6x2 inch baking dish and spread 2-3 cups stale or toasted 1 inch bread cubes evenly across the bottom. Chop coarsely 3 oz. fresh mushrooms and sauté in 2 Tblsp. butter with a thinly sliced onion and 2 cloves of crushed garlic. Toss the eggplant, zucchini and mushrooms together and spread over the bread cubes. Cover with a layer of ¼ inch sliced tomatoes, sprinkle with salt, pepper, 1 tsp. thyme leaves and drizzle with 2 Tblsp. olive oil.  Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes, sprinkle with ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar and continue baking for an additional 10 minutes until the cheese browns. Serve warm as a side dish or main dish of a vegetarian meal.

            Instead of tomatoes, later in the season one can cover the vegetables with a cup of half-and-half blended with 2 eggs, ½ tsp. salt, pepper to taste and ½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. The many variations on both bread salads and savory gratins are all guaranteed to be delicious.

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in Waldoboro and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)