Here comes the round-up for Eating with the Seasons: NOVEMBER!

 

Fruit

 

Apples

 

Ricotta cheesecake squares with apples and blueberries ~ Linda at make life sweeter! (The Hague, Netherlands)

Linda over at make life sweeter! is such a talented baker! This tempting treat from her kitchen combines seasonal apples from her best friend’s garden and some homemade blueberry jam, also from her friend’s garden.  (Linda, you’ve got great friends!). ‘The bottom part is a cake layer and the upper part is ricotta cheesecake.’

 

 

Roasted Apple Sauce ~ Priya at Priya’s Easy N Tasty Recipes (Paris, France)

While browsing, Priya chanced on an interesting roasted apple sauce flavoured with cloves, cinnamon and lemon juice at Chris’s Mele Cotte ‘s blog. She loved the idea of roasting the apples in the oven and tried it immediately. It did not disappoint!

 

Apple sauce ~ Divya at Dil Se (Los Angeles,California, USA)

We have another apple sauce recipe from Divya, this time, with cooked apples. She says: “Apple sauce is a puree made from peeled or unpeeled apples with the addition of flavorful spices like cinnamon. It is served as an accompaniment with main courses usually for breakfast like oatmeal, pancakes, muesli etc. and also in baking cookies and cakes.”

 

Dessert Pizza with Caramelised Apples and Almonds ~ JZ at Tasty treats (Minnesota, USA)

JZ’s first dessert pizza was a resounding success with her family: “The flavors of caramelized apples and almonds blended together to form something amazing! The crust was perfect with a crispy-on-the-outside, chewy-on-the-inside edges, and was a treat by itself because of the glaze brushed on it while baking!! The pizza was not overly sweet and with the apples and glaze was not overwhelming at all, since the dough was not sweetened.” It sure looks great to me!

 

Spiced apple sauce cake ~ Mandira at Ahaar (Ann Arbor, USA)

Spiced apple sauce cake with apple filling – perfect with some ice-cream! I just looove the sound of this!

 

Pomegranate

 

Chicken breast in pomegranate sauce ~ Andrea at voće i povrće (Croatia)

At about this time every year, Andrea receives a packet filled with juicy fresh pomegranates, straight from her nan’s garden. Pomegranate is rich in vitamin C and antioxidants, and it’s tough outer layer is worth all the patience and time it takes to reveal the glistening juicy rubies that are its seeds.  They deserve to be made into a special dish, and from Andrea comes a real treat: chicken breast stuffed with emental cheese, oyster mushrooms and Dalmatian prosciutto, with a pomegranate sauce. (Scroll to the end of her post for a recipe in English.)

 

Quince

Wine poached quinces ~ Andrea at Cooking Books (New York, USA)

Andrea tells us that the quince was once a staple in American kitchens before the mass industrialization of our food.  Elizabeth Schneider calls it the “quintessential put-up fruit” because it is so rich in pectin it was a natural candidate for jellies, jams, candies and marmalade.  Also, did you know that the word “marmalade” actually comes from the Portuguese word for quince, which is marmelo? For more fascinating info about quinces and the recipe, check out Andrea’s blog!

 

 

Vegetables

 

Kale

Kale Aloo ~ Maninas at Maninas: Food Matters (UK)

I  remembered seeing a recipe for aloo palak (spinach with potatoes) at in the blogosphere recently, and thought kale would be a good substitute for spinach. Good? – It was even better! This is my version of this classic dish. Lightly spiced, with cumin seeds and turmeric, with a background of onions, ginger, garlic and green chilies, allowing the flavour of the potatoes and kale to shine through. It’s a fantastic side dish that I’ll be cooking a lot this autumn and winter! (Photo: Kale @ Wikipedia Commons)

 

Potatoes

 

Dum Aloo: Potatoes Simmered in Spices & Coconut Milk ~ Soma at eCurry (Plano, TX, USA)

‘There are some hundreds of ways to make Dum Aloo’, says Soma. ‘In West Bengal, it used to be a must dish served for weddings with “Radhaballavi” (lentil stuffed puri), and I loved the slight & subtle sweet taste of that kind of dum aloo.’ This is a cherished recipe from her mum, which brings a lot of memories.

 

Pumpkin / Squash

Smoky Squash Bisque ~ Laura at The Spiced Life (SW Ohio, USA)

A perfect winter warmer for the cooler months ahead of us: a gorgeous soup with roast squash or pumpkin, with Mexican flavours of chipotle in adobo sauce, dried Mexican oregano, sour cream and finished off with a squeeze of lime. I just love it! 

 

Labra ~ Sunita at Sunita’s World (UK)

Labra is a traditional dish from Sunita’s home in Assam, India. This very special dish, apart from accompanying meals at home, it also forms an important part of community feasts , especially during pujas, says Sunita. Labra basically consists of a medley of vegetables, and this is how Sunita and her mum always make it.

 

Gnocchi di Zucca (Pumpkin gnocchi) ~ Orchidea at Viaggi & Sapori (Sweden)

How good is this! Delicate and tasty pumpkin gnocchi with a simple sauce of extra-virgin olive oil and parmesan, spiced with a shaving of nutmeg. Traditionally, gnocchi are made with potatoes, but this variant of the classic recipe is very popular in Italy during this period of the year, says Orchidea. You can also use pumpkin for making ravioli, risotto and much more, she says.

 

Red Bean and Squash Soup ~ Lisa at Lisa’s Kitchen (London, Ontario, Canada)

Only just a sight of this pretty chunky soup would brighten up my day, not to mention my lunch, on a cool autumn day! Simple and quick to make, it is flavoured with garlic and dried basil, which complement the mixed veg well.

 

Pumpkin Sprouted Lentils Soup ~ Priya at Priya’s Easy N Tasty Recipes (Paris, France)

Here is another autumnal treat with pumpkin: Priya’s healthy soup with pumpkin and sprouted lentils will give you energy and warm you up.

 

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A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who took part, and happy cooking! Seasonal, of course! 🙂 See you next month for Eating with the Seasons: DECEMBER! 

 

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