Autumn fare

We've been treated to a fabulous autumn here in Alsace - it's been warm and sunny for weeks on end and the colours in the forest across from the house are unbelievable. Down in the veggie garden I've got some great autumn salad leaves - my chicories are set to challenge even the kind of stuff on offer in the market in Florence (photographed this time last year) and it's been so warm that even the red peppers have ripened - a first! Best of all I've had a bumper harvest of Mexican green tomatoes (tomatillos), epazote (Mexican wormseed) and pumpkins, all of them spontaneously seeded from last year's compost heap. Here's a handful of recipes to make the best of the remaining produce before winter sets in.

 
A great salad for autumn with its combination of bitter leaves (chicory, radicchio, rocket/rucola), soft and salty goats’ cheese, sweet figs and crunchy pumpkin seeds. 

Serves 6
Dressing
150ml olive oil
50ml (4 tbsp) lemon juice
salt and pepper
a pinch of sugar
a handful of pumpkin seeds
a bag of mixed salad leaves (chicory, radicchio, rocket etc.)
6 ripe figs, halved
12 soft fresh goats’ cheeses (e.g. Chèvretines)
optional (if available): some nasturtium flowers or marigold petals to garnish

• Mix together all the ingredients for the dressing (I use a hand-held liquidizer which gives a good emulsion)
• Toss the pumpkin seeds in a small heavy pan without any extra oil till fragrant and lightly toasted – they will start to pop around. Be careful they don’t burn
• Wash and spin the salad leaves and arrange them decoratively on plates, or on one large platter
• Cut the figs in halves or quarters, depending on size
• Arrange figs and goats’ cheese decoratively on top of the leaves and drizzle with dressing
• Scatter pumpkin seeds on top


SCHIACCIATA
Tuscan wheat and polenta flatbread with walnuts

Makes 1 flat loaf about 30 x 25cm
500g strong white bread flour (Type 55 in France)
75g polenta flour
50g chopped walnuts
20g fresh yeast, or 1 sachet easy-blend dry yeast
2 tsp salt
about 400ml warm water
olive oil
coarse salt and mixed dried herbs 

• Mix together the flours and walnuts, yeast and salt in a large bowl 
• Add the water and work up to a smooth, rather soft dough – it will be messy, and it is easier to do this in the electric mixer or food processor than by hand
• Encase the whole bowl in a large plastic bag and leave to rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, or in the fridge for 4-6 hours or overnight, if this suits you better
• Brush a heavy, preferably black, baking tin with cooking oil
• Heat the oven to 200oC 
• Tip the dough out onto the baking sheet using a dough scraper. Oil your hands and press it gently down and out to the edges to fill the whole baking tin 
• Leave it to rise again at room temperature for about 15 minutes. It should be about 2 cms high
• Brush with olive oil and sprinkle generously with coarse salt and herbs or seeds. 
• Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until the top is beginning to go a nice golden colour. 
• Reduce the heat to 180oC/350oF and bake for 10-15 minutes more, or until evenly golden. Lift it up to see that the bottom is well cooked and golden too. 
• Lift the bread off the baking sheet and cool on a rack. 
• Cut in large squares or strips and serve warm


COURGETTE (ZUCCHINI) AND PUMPKIN TOURTE

This is a recipe adapted from Anna del Conte's Classic Food of Northern Italy published by Pavilion. The courgettes and pumpkin are sliced very thinly, mixed with (raw) rice, Parmesan, eggs and herbs, and baked in a filo (or strudel) pastry case. When I read the original recipe, I was a bit sceptical about whether the raw rice would cook through in the pie - wrong again! A great little pie for lunch - or good with chicken, lamb or pork.

Serves 4-8 depending on your menu
500g mixed courgettes and pumpkin, weighed after trimming
125g round-grain (risotto) rice
5 tbsp olive oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
plenty of fresh tarragon leaves, finely chopped
3 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan or Grana Padano
salt and pepper
5 sheets filo or strudel pastry
olive oil to brush the pastry/leaves

• Slice the courgettes and pumpkin very thinly – I use the slicing blade of a food processor (a mandoline also works well)
• Put them in a large bowl and mix with the (raw) rice, oil, eggs, tarragon, cheese and salt and pepper to taste
• Mix well with a spatula or with your hands, cover the bowl and rest the mixture for at least 2 hours so the rice absorbs some of the liquid – mix it up occasionally, as the liquid sinks to the bottom
• Heat the oven to 180C/350F
• Line a 22cm/8.5 inch cake tin (NOT one with removable base, as the filling leaks) with baking parchment, making sure it completely covers the bottom and sides – trim with scissors if necessary
• Brush the filo/strudel sheets one by one with olive oil and lay them in the tin, with any surplus hanging over the edge
• Tip in the filling, bring any surplus pastry up and over the filling to enclose it
• Brush with more oil and bake for at least 1 hour or until the pie is golden and somewhat risen (indicating that the rice has swelled up and absorbed the liquid)
• Remove tourte from tin, discard paper and let the tourte rest for a few minutes
• Cut in segments with a very sharp knife or electric carving knife


LEMON-SCENTED BRAISED PORK

Serves 8
1.5 kg pork (shoulder, neck or boned loin)
salt and pepper
butter + oil
2 large onions, finely chopped
½ a lemon, sliced thinly
a large bunch of lemon balm (about 100g), leaves only
sprigs of thyme or rosemary
optional: 200ml crème fraîche liquide (whipping cream)

• Heat the oven to 150oC
• Heat the butter and oil to a sizzle in a heavy casserole with lid – it should be big enough for the meat
• Season the pork and sear it all over in the hot butter/oil
• Lift out pork and put it on a plate
• Add chopped onions and lemon balm to pan, stew gently till onions are soft and golden
• Put pork back in casserole on top of onions, lay lemon slices on top of pork, cover casserole with foil and a lid and let it braise gently in the oven for 1-1 ½ hours
• Lift out meat, discard lemon slices and keep it warm
• If you want to make a creamy sauce, discard thyme or rosemary sprigs, tip the cooking juices into the liquidizer and blend with the cream till smooth – add salt and pepper if needed – return to pan and bubble it up, check seasoning
• If you don’t want a creamy sauce, simply slice the pork and serve it with its juices and herbs – it’s wonderful cold too!

TARTE AUX POMMES A L’ALSACIENNE
Alsatian apple tart 

The classic Alsatian autumn tart of apples fanned out over a pastry base, framed in an egg and cream mixture. Nice served just tepid, with ice cream. 

Serves 6-8
250g shortcrust (pie crust) pastry 
(or a ready-rolled 30cm round of pastry, shortcrust/pie or puff)
6-7 dessert apples (Braeburn, Cox, Maigold, Gala etc.)
juice of ½ a lemon
2 tbsp sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp flour
2-3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
150ml (1/2 a cup) crème fraîche épaisse (thick sour cream)
icing sugar to dust on top
 vanilla or cinnamon ice cream to serve

• Roll out pastry (or remove from package) and lay it in a buttered 30cm quiche pan with removable base
• Cut to fit, prick the pastry with a fork and put it in the fridge
• Heat the oven to 200oC/400oF 
• Peel and halve the apples and remove cores with a melon baller or teaspoon
• Make finely spaced slashes in the apple halves with a sharp knife without going right to the bottom
• Arrange the halves (sliced/slashed but still intact) decoratively in the pastry case and sprinkle with lemon juice and sugar – fill in any spaces with leftover apples – the bottom should be completely covered
• Bake the tart in the lower part of the oven for about 20 minutes or until the pastry is a little cooked (lift the base and see)
• Meanwhile, beat together the eggs, flour, sugar, cinnamon and cream with a fork until well mixed
• Reduce the oven temperature to 180oC/350oF, pour the egg and cream mixture over the apples and put the tart back in the oven
• Continue baking for 15-20 minutes or until set and lightly golden
• Sprinkle the cooled tart with icing sugar and serve with ice cream


HONEY ICE CREAM WITH CARDAMOM

My husband came back from a business trip to India recently bearing a box of green cardamon pods. I've been using some to perfume the classic honey ice cream - a quick and easy recipe which gives a soft ice cream that doesn’t need stirring during freezing as the honey and the eggs stop it from getting too hard.

Serves 6
4-5 green cardamom pods
150g runny honey (e.g. acacia)
2 eggs + 1 yolk
300ml whipping cream

• Crush the cardamom pods lightly and shake out the seeds
• Put the seeds with the honey in a small pan and heat the honey gently to just below boiling point 
• Beat the eggs and yolk in a bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy
• Pour on the hot honey and continue beating the mixture until thick, pale and doubled in bulk, and the beaters leave definite tracks – at least 10 minutes
• Whip the cream till stiff, but don’t turn it to butter 
• Fold the two preparations together
• Freeze the ice cream, either in a bowl, or in a loaf tin (for slicing) or in individual coupes or containers