Tag: fall recipes

Embrace Fall: Seasonal Recipes and Traditions

I do not allow myself to indulge anything fall- like until it is September 1,  despite the fact that we all know in the southeast that September 1 only marks the beginning of “third summer.”  I enjoy the change of season and sense of time created by traditions. A sense of time, something to look forward to and making time at home as special and magical as possible has been important to me, particularly during the pandemic when most of the time it’s made more sense to stay on our little mountain than to venture out into the world .Each year I made the same handful of specific recipes, their special nature being highlighted by their frequent or seasonal appearance. This is a recipe round of some of my favorites:

The anticipation of the joy to come is almost as wonderful as the actual season itself. In no particular order here are some of the things I look forward to every year:

  • The new season of Saturday Night Live.
  • The first fire in the woodstove.
  • An excuse to make pie on a rainy day taking a walk and saying brightly colored leaves against
  • Harvesting chanterelle mushrooms along our trails.
  • Acorns and pumpkins of all colors.
  • Having a little outside fire down by the hazelnuts while we pluck them carefully from the bushes.Decorating the mantle and hearth with seasonal sweetness: big pumpkins, acorns and twinkling lights. I’m pretty sure this bunting is going to make an appearance…
  • Switching over to white to red wine – malbec is my fall and winter favorite.
  • Ordering matching jammies sets for the kids careful to be festive but not too specific so they can be worn through chilly spring night. Last year I ordered the wintry scene, moose, and red berry patterns. This year I am leaning toward these cuties:
  • The excitement of a new school year! We are a homeschool family and I delight in the anticipation of a new year.

butternut squash soup

It’s late summer and the butternut squash are in a familiar place – piled up in a box in the utility room waiting to be turned into my favorite fall recipes — like this one. I’m eyeing the forecast waiting for the first hint of fall in the air. When it arrives (soon I hope!) I will be bring the golden relaxed vibes to the dinner table with ginger butternut squash soup.

This is an elegant soup with a lovely texture, but don’t be fooled, it’s little more than chopping, sauteing and cooking it down. The garlic, ginger, and onion will immediately put a smile on your face. Note, in a hurry I have been known to saute the onion and garlic for about five minutes, throw in the rest of the ingredients and boil the hell out of it because I was in a hurry to put something warm on the table. While the texture suffers a bit and the flavors are less developed, but no one around the table seems to notice.

There are many ways to make a meal out of this soup – here are a few of my favorites:

  • Simple spinach salad on the side, toasted sourdough, with a swirl of olive oil and sprinkle of hot pepper
  • A plop of vegan butter and salt atop the soup, toasted with smashed avocado
  • Olive oil and swirl (or two) of sriracha for the soup, crusty bread pan fried with a little butter with either jammy tomatoes or a thick slice of fresh tomatoes. There are almost always some large Cherokee purple tomatoes on the vine when I make my first batch. If opting for a fresh tomato, a thin layer of vegan mayor and a little salt will brighten and deepen the flavor profile all at once.

Ingredients

  • 1 large butternut squash, scooped and chopped
  • 1 small/medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and chopped
  • 1 tablespoon chopped ginger
  • 1 spring fresh rosemary (off stem, chopped)
  • 3-5 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 4-ish cups veggie broth (though, I have used water and extra herbs in a pinch)
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Directions

  • In a large pot, saute yellow onion, apple and squash, olive oil and salt over medium heat until the onions are translucent,8-10 minutes.
  • Add garlic, ginger, and rosemary and stir for 30-60 seconds, until fragrant.
  • Add a veggie broth and bring to a boil, then turn to simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until squash is very tender.
  • Uncover and let it cool slightly before pureeing – I prefer the immersion blender because it is one less thing to clean up!
  • Add small small amounts of vegetable broth to achieve the desired texture.
  • Salt and pepper to taste.