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September is an iffy month. We can enjoy blue skies, sunshine and low humidity one day and experience thunderstorms or a brutally hot one the next.
It’s not yet autumn, and I am yearning for pumpkins, winter squash, Brussels sprouts and Halloween. I am a fall and winter cook. When my dogwood tree turns crimson and gold, I want to pull out my big Le Creuset pots and get cooking.
One of my favorite cookbooks is “Sunday Suppers at Lucques: Seasonal Recipes from Market to Table” by Suzanne Goin. I pulled it from the shelf and leafed through it to find recipes made with late-summer, seasonal ingredients that can be prepared once fall arrives.
I recommend you purchase a copy. The beautiful, full-color photographs will immediately inspire you and make you hungry.
Sweet Corn, Green Cabbage and Bacon
Ingredients:
5 ounces of applewood smoked bacon, cut into three-eighths of an inch slices
2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1-1/2 cups of scallions, thinly-sliced, plus 3/4 cup of scallion tops, thinly sliced on the diagonal
2 teaspoons of thyme leaves
1-1/2 cups of fresh corn, or about 2 ears
1/2 of a small green cabbage, about 1 pound, cored, thinly sliced lengthwise
2 tablespoons of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions:
Stack the bacon in two piles and cut crosswise into about three-eighths of an inch rectangles.
Heat a large sauté pan over medium for one minute. Add the bacon and cook for five minutes, stirring often until lightly crisped. Drain on paper towels.
Swirl in the butter and, when it foams add the scallions, thyme, a half-teaspoon of salt and a pinch of pepper. Sauté over medium for about three minutes. Add the corn and cook another three minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with a half-teaspoon of salt and black pepper.
Add the cabbage and cook for two minutes, stirring occasionally, until just wilted.
Taste for seasoning and add the scallion tops and parsley. Toss.
Serves four.
Lima Bean Puree
Ingredients:
1/2 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
1 small sprig of rosemary
1 dried chile de arbol, crumbled
2 teaspoons of minced garlic
2 cups of cooked fresh lima beans, well-drained
1/2 lemon, for juicing
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions:
Heat a medium saucepan over medium for one minute. Pour in the oil and turn the heat to low. Add the rosemary sprig and chile. When the rosemary begins to sizzle, add the garlic. Cook for about one minute then add the lima beans and a half-teaspoon of salt. Stew gently for about seven minutes until the beans are soft but not mushy. Strain, reserving the oil. Discard the rosemary and chile.
Place the beans in a food processor and puree. With the motor running, slowly pour in some of the reserved oil until the mixture has a smooth consistency. You may not need all of the oil. Season with the salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon, to taste.
Serves four.
Peperonata
Ingredients:
4 large red sweet bell peppers, seeds removed and thinly sliced
5 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
3 cups of sliced red onion
1 tablespoon of thyme leaves
1-1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon of pepper
2 tablespoons of salt-packed capers, soaked and drained
3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons of oregano leaves
Directions:
Heat a very large sauté pan over high for two minutes. You may need two pans to avoid overcrowding.
Swirl in three tablespoons of the oil and wait one minute. Add the peppers, onion, thyme, salt and pepper. Sauté over high for about six minutes, tossing often. The peppers should still retain some crunch.
Add the capers and the remaining oil. Cook for one minute. Transfer the peppers to a shallow, non-reactive bowl. Remove from the heat. Add the vinegar and reduce by half. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the reduced vinegar from the pan and pour over the peppers.
Add the oregano and toss well to combine. Taste for seasoning.
Serves four to six.
Note from Phyllis: Goin uses fresh herbs in all of her recipes. If you do not have fresh oregano, use a teaspoon of dried. SPR
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