Frugal Café Blog Zone

Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on October 21, 2011

Youth is like spring, an over praised season more remarkable for biting winds than genial breezes. Autumn is the mellower season, and what we lose in flowers we more than gain in fruits.
~ Samuel Butler

FOOD. GLORIOUS FOODS OF AUTUMN.

Summer is finally waving goodbye, and autumn is peeking around the corner. The many foods of the fall season, with their hominess, comfort, and warmth, are celebrated in today’s Fab Food Friday Fotos post. Recipes or recipe links are included with select photos when they’re available.

Braised Short Ribs with Autumn Root Vegetable Purée | Photo credit: esimpraim, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Such a yummy-looking photo… photographer/food blog mistress esimpraim provided the Dishing Up Delights recipe link for her Braised Short Ribs with Autumn Root Vegetable Purée dish, and she also wrote:

This is great for a group and another dish where the flavors get better with time so it’s best to prep it early. I’m not a fan of mashed potatoes, but I wanted something interesting for the short ribs to sit on. The root vegetable purée is very simple and sort of luxurious feeling with a healthy pat of butter. The slight sweetness of the purée compliments the sauce of the short ribs well. I was especially excited about this dish because it gave me a chance to use my new Dutch oven… it’s really the simple things in life that bring me the most pleasure

Autumn Harvest Soup with Carrots, Tomatoes, Onion, Garlic, & Kale | Photo credit: Leeks 'n' Bounds, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Pumpkin & Fruits | Photo credit: Petr Kratochvil, publicdomainpictures.net, Public Domain

Pumpkins and Fruit by Petr Kratochvil

Walnut Biscotti | Photo credit: Joana Petrova, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Photographer/cook Joana Petrova provided this recipe for this heavenly Walnut Biscotti:

Recipe from the cook book “Italy – Mediterranean Cuisine”
Serves 4.

Walnut Biscotti Recipe

* 50 g butter
* 100 g confectioner’s sugar
* 1 tbsp grated lemon peel
* 1 egg
* 3 tbsp blossom honey
* 100 g walnuts or almonds
* 1/2 tsp yeast
* pinch of salt
* 250 g strong bread flour

Using a balloon whisk, beat the butter in a bowl until it is light and foamy. Then add the sugar mixed with the grated lemon peel.

Break the egg and add to the butter mixture. Mix thoroughly.

Add the honey, the flour, walnuts (almonds), yeast and pinch of salt. Mix thoroughly until all the flour has been incorporated and you have made a smooth dough.

Form the dough into two long, thin rolls. Place on the baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes at 430F/220C.

Lay the bake rolls on the chopping board. Using a knife, cut diagonally into slices about 1/2 inch/1 cm thick. Return to the oven and dry for about 30 minutes at 260F/130C.

Chicken Schnitzel, Homemade Spätzel, Brussels Sprouts, Eats von Deutschland | Photo credit: Lonnon Foster, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Roasted Bay Laurel Nuts | Photo credit: Robbi Baba, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Concord Grape Pie | Photo credit: gezellig-girl, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Photographer/cook Gezellig Girl has posted two pie-making videos on her food blog, and wrote this about making a grape pie:

I don’t know why, but the idea of a grape pie was completely foreign to me. People have always made pies out of whatever fruit they had on hand — rhubarb, huckleberries, et cetera — but I think the association of grapes being the near-flavorless bits of watery fruit we get at the supermarket would make anyone wonder why you would bother.

The resulting pie (based on this deceptively-titled recipe), was decidedly not “the world’s greatest,” but it was definitely my greatest pie.

Hot Chocolate on an Autumn Afternoon, Small Cafe in Le Petite, France | Photo credit: Rose Trinh, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Venison Mince & Celeriac, St. John Bread and Wine, London | Photo credit: goose2222, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Autumn Picnic | Photo credit: Kaitlyn Rose, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

An autumn picnic… what could be nicer? Photographer Kaitlyn Rose described the contents of her charming picnic basket:

Picnic menu:

* Radish & mint sandwiches with lemon dressing on sourdough
* Fig jam and goat cheese on pumpkin pecan bread
* Asian pears
* Plums
* Grapes
* Orecchiette with artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, Italian parsley, garlic, feta, and lemon vinaigrette pasta salad

3 Varieties of Okowa Autumn Bento | Photo credit: panduh, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Photographer panduh wrote this about the autumn bento:

My girlfriend bought me this bento box with 3 different varieties of okowa (steamed mochi rice) and various autumn ingredients. I really like mochi rice so this was pretty good. Although I think the chestnuts were too freakin’ sweet.

Homemade Sauerkraut: Packing Cabbage | Photo credit: I Believe I Can Fry, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

I’ve not ever attempted to make my own sauerkraut, but it sounds super-cheap and easy to do, and a “must-have” at Oktoberfest dinners.

From the I Believe I Can Fry blog:

I love sauerkraut. I love it with hot dogs, kielbasa, as a side dish, or by itself. Most people think of sauerkraut as a pickled cabbage dish, when it’s actually a FERMENTED cabbage dish. Unfortunately, most store-bought sauerkraut has been heat-processed and canned, killing off the “good” bacteria so essential to our digestive health.

Thankfully, sauerkraut is incredibly easy to make at home; all you need is cabbage, some non-iodized salt, and a fermenting crock. You can buy a crock online or in stores, to the tune of about $150… or you can make your own for less than $5. Guess which option I chose?

I purchased a tall Golden Harvest glass jar (glass is preferred since it can be sterilized; plastic can get scratched and harbor bacteria), which came with a plastic screw-on lid. I drilled a 1/2″ hole in the lid and inserted a rubber grommet into the hole. I then added a three-piece airlock, purchased from a local homebrew shop. The airlock allows the gases created by fermentation to escape without exposing the kraut to the air.

Click here for the rest of the instructions for making your own fresh, homemade sauerkraut.

Cast Iron with Roasted Vegetables | Photo credit: Buchman Photo, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Parsnip Purée Topped with Almond Parmesan | Photo credit: sweetbeetandgreenbean, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

For the recipe and more instructional photos on making this autumn parsnip purée, visit the food blog Sweet Beet and Green Bean.

Fresh Brussels Sprouts on Their Stalks | Photo credit: dret, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

My German Pancake | Photo credit: brodoaktula, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Apple Jam (Study in Brown) | Photo credit: noramunro, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

With so many apple trees across the nation bearing fruit right now, this is a fab way to use some of them up — recipe link to The Belfry here, and this commentary about the apple jam:

Some York apples found their way into my kitchen recently, so this weekend I took a crack at apple jam à la russe.

York, or York Imperial, apples are an old variety originally from (surprise) York, Pennsylvania. They are somewhat mealy and bland when eaten out of hand, but they are good ‘keeping apples’ and they cook up nicely into sauce and pies, so they seemed like a good candidate for a jam experiment.

The macerate-and-cook method does in fact keep the apple chunks intact, so you get a proper jam instead of applesauce. Oh, and that 10-minute boil at the end? Turns the syrup into caramel. Yes, that’s right, this turns into caramel apple jam in the end. Oh, the humanity!

Jägerschnitzel with Bacon Mushroom Gravy and Spätzle | Photo credit: Daniel Eizans, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Awesome Jägerschnitzel (chicken) with a hunter’s sauce (bacon mushroom gravy). Jagerschnitzel is traditionally breaded pork, but we used chicken for our recipe.

Grilled Beef Teriyaki with Peanuts | Photo credit: Jon Sullivan, public-domain-image, Public Domain

Jon Sullivan, public-domain-image.com

Samuel Adams Octoberfest Ale | Photo credit: idovermani, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Autumn Kaiseki Dish | Photo credit: theefer, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Brief description provided by photographer theefer:

Kaiseki dish at Giro Giro, in Kyoto. Left to right:
Tofu mixed with minced meat, fresh khaki, delicious mushroom,
raw shrimp, chips of chestnut.

Bacon & Rosemary Chicken & Maple Mashed Sweet Potatoes | Photo credit: Emily Carlin, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

German Chocolate Cake | Photo credit: Kimberly Vardeman, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Apple & Pine Nut-Stuffed Winter Squash with Herbed Rice & Steamed Chard | Photo credit: williumbillium, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

World's Most Delicious Tomato Soup | Photo credit: romanlily, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Nothing says autumn quite like a big pot of homemade soup… this tomato soup recipe provided by photographer/cook romanlily sounds homey and delicious. Above is the soup as its cooking, below the recipe is the finished soup with the homemade toasted cheese croutons.

Photographer/cook romanlily provided this recipe:

Discard parsley after simmering.

It’s cold outside, and the the month ends in “r,” so I guess that means it’s time for the world’s most delicious tomato soup.

Administer salt and pepper liberally. Engage spoon!

This soup is the closest thing I have to a yearly ritual. It has become a spiritual practice to make it at least once each fall.

Tomato Soup with Toasted Cheese Croutons Recipe

* 3 Tbsp. butter, divided
* 1 small onion, chopped
* 1 medium carrot, diced
* 1 stalk celery, diced
* 2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
* 6 sprigs parsley
* 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
* 1/2 cup heavy cream
* Salt
* Freshly-ground pepper
* 1/2 sourdough baguette, sliced into 1/2″ rounds
* 2 Tbsp. olive oil
* 2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

In a large pot over medium heat, melt 2 Tbsp. butter. Add onion, carrot, and celery. Sauté until tender, but not browned, about 6 to 8 minutes.

Add tomatoes, parsley and stock. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer and cover. Skim foam and fat from top of soup and cover. Simmer until carrots are tender, about 25 minutes. Remove parsley sprigs from soup and discard. Puree soup in batches in a food processor or blender. Return to pot and stir in cream and remaining Tbsp. of butter. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Meanwhile, toss cubes of bread with olive oil and Parmesan. Place on a sheet pan and bake at 400º for about 10 minutes, until golden brown and crispy. Pour soup into mugs and place a few croutons on top.

Makes 8 servings.

Here’s the finished tomato soup in all its savory, cheese crouton-filled glory…

World's Most Delicious Tomato Soup... Finished Tomato Soup with Toasted Cheese Croutons | Photo credit: romanlily, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Autumn Breakfast at Anna Blume Restaurant, Berlin, Germany | Photo credit: Pelle Sten, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Bavarian Pretzels, Bavarian Alm Restaurant Near the Harz in Germany | Photo credit: architekt2, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Stuffed Acorn Squash | Photo credit: Amber Karnes, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Photographer/cook Amber Karnes provided the recipe link for this amazing stuffed acorn squash, which has bell pepper, asparagus stalks, and chopped mushrooms in the stuffing.

Fried Trout with Bread, Potatoes, & Vegetables | Photo credit: Vera Kratochvil, publicdomainpictures, Public Domain

Fried Trout by Vera Kratochvil

German Sampler for Two: Chicken Paprikaschnitzel, Bratwurst, Fried Potatoes, & Spoetzel, Mary's German Restaurant, Collierville, TN | Photo credit: ilovememphis, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Greek Lemon Potatoes | Photo credit: dejahthoris, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Greek-lemony goodness to warm up the autumn chill… photographer/cook dejahthoris provided the recipe link from Food.com for this inexpensive potato dish.

Oktoberfest Bratwurst | Photo credit: DerekThomasLA, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Spiced Roast Parsnip Soup | Photo credit: Fahara, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Recipe link provided by photographer/cook Fahara:

As featured in ‘Soup Glorious Soup‘ on Souperior.

Sun-dried Tomato, Mushroom, Artichoke, & Olive Risotto | Photo credit: penguincakes, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

This sun-dried tomato risotto recipe with all the fab fixin’s from photographer/cook penguincakes is posted on Vegan About Town food blog.

Potato Meat Pie | Photo credit: Tonny Watanebe, publicdomainpictures, Public Domain

Potato Meat Pie by Tonny Watanebe

Japanese Autumn Drinks | Photo credit: Ganjin, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Photographer Ganjin commented:

Even the simplest foods and beverages are influenced by the seasons in Japan. Here bottled tea and a can of beer in fall colors (and fall taste?).

Autumn Raspberries | Photo credit: Richard Smedley, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Autumn in a Pot - Pot Roast, Carrots, & Potatoes | Photo credit: kendiala, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Photographer/cook kendiala provided the recipe for this Autumn in a Pot roast dish:

Classic Beef Pot Roast – from Cooking Light, October 2006

Cuts of beef that perform well for pot roasting go by many different names: Blade roast, cross-rib roast (or shoulder clod), seven-bone pot roast, arm pot roast, and boneless chuck roast are all acceptable cuts for this traditional recipe.

Autumn in a Pot

* 1 teaspoon olive oil
* 1 (3-pound) boneless chuck roast, trimmed
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 2 cups coarsely chopped onion
* 1 cup dry red wine
* 4 thyme sprigs
* 3 garlic cloves, chopped
* 1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
* 1 bay leaf
* 4 large carrots, peeled & cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces
* 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled & cut into 2-inch pieces
* Fresh thyme leaves (optional)

Preheat oven to 350º F.

Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chuck roast with salt and pepper. Add roast to pan; cook 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove roast from pan. Add onion to pan; sauté 8 minutes or until tender.

Return browned roast to pan. Add the red wine, thyme sprigs, chopped garlic, beef broth, and bay leaf to pan; bring to a simmer. Cover pan and bake at 350° for 1-1/2 hours or until the roast is almost tender.

Add carrots and potatoes to pan. Cover and bake an additional 1 hour or until vegetables are tender. Remove thyme sprigs and bay leaf from pan; discard. Shred meat with 2 forks. Serve roast with vegetable mixture and cooking liquid. Garnish with thyme leaves, if desired.

Yield: 10 servings (serving size: 3 ounces roast, about 3/4 cup vegetables, and about 3 tablespoons cooking liquid).

Mini Pecan Pies | Photo credit: Katy Warner, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Pecans are among my favorite taste sensations of autumn. Photographer/cook Katy Warner provided the recipe for these mini pecan pies.

Other fab recipes I’m dying to try from her food blog Cookie Madness include Maida Heatter’s 86 Proof Chocolate Cake, Vegan Chocolate Truffles, Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Italian Cream Cake.

Mini pecan pies made with phyllo dough shells. super-yummy and so easy to make! recipe found here:

Mini Pecan Pies

* 15 Mini phyllo dough shells
* 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
* 1 large egg
* 1/3 cup dark corn syrup
* 1/3 cup sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 tablespoon melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place pecans on a foil-lined cookie sheet and bake for 5-8 minutes or until toasted and aromatic; Remove pecans from cookie sheet and set aside to cool. Place mini Fillo shells on cookie sheet.

In a small mixing bowl, lightly beat the egg with a fork. Stir in corn syrup, sugar, vanilla, melted butter and toasted pecans. Spoon a heaping teaspoon of pecan mixture into each mini shell. Place cookie sheet with mini pies into oven and bake for 12 minutes. Let cool completely before serving.

Makes 15 Mini Pies.

Fall Apples | Photo credit: USDA, Public Domain

Pork Chops with Sweet Potatoes & Apples | Photo credit: Tom Ipri, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

The recipe and video demo on AllRecipes.com for this autumn-inspired Pork Chops with Sweet Potatoes & Apples dish was provided by photographer/cook Tom Ipri.

Squash, Corn, & Black Bean Soup | Photo credit: bookchen, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

This hearty soup is all autumn — photographer/cook bookchen provided the original recipe and suggested alterations:

The Greengrocer’s Kitchen, by Pete Luckett. pg. 138. This turned out really well; I made several batches, and guests asked for the recipe every time.

Squash, Corn, and Black Bean Soup Recipe

* 3 T. (40 mL) olive oil
* 2 onions
* 2 garlic cloves, chopped finely
* 1 T. (15 mL) paprika [I suspect that 1 T. is far too much. See note below.]
* 1.5 lb. (750 gm) winter squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
* 12 oz. (375 gm) plum tomatoes, chopped coarsely
* 3 cups (750 mL) chicken or vegetable stock
* 1 cup (250 mL) corn
* 1 cup (250 mL) cooked or canned black beans
* 1/4 cup (50 mL) chopped fresh cilantro
* Salt and freshly ground pepper

My changes/additions: Instead of stock, I used mainly water and some fresh-pressed apple juice/cider (the “homestyle” kind, not the ultrasweet and watery stuff). Also added: sun-dried tomatoes, minced fresh ginger, dried basil, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, coconut milk, more onions, more garlic. Used less paprika (I started with half tablespoon, and kept adding to taste).

No fixed quantities for the amendments. Perhaps several pieces of the tomatoes, snipped with scissors into the soup. An inch-long thumb-sized piece of ginger. Maybe one teaspoon or more of each of the herbs. A drizzle of the sauce and vinegar. And depending on whether your coconut milk is in a block or can, a few shavings or a few drizzles per serving. Keep tasting as you add and cook. It may well be that if you start off with good chicken/veg. stock, you won’t need all this additional stuff.

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, and sauté the onions and garlic for 5 minutes, until softened. Stir in the paprika, and cook over a high heat [I use med. heat for this] for 1 minute. Stir in the chopped squash, cover, reduce the heat, and cook for 10 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and stock, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10-15 minute, until the squash is tender. Transfer half the soup to a food processor or blender, and purée. [I entirely puréed it for one batch, and didn't purée it at all for this batch; It's better un-puréed.]

Return it to the pan, stir in the corn and black beans, season to taste with salt and pepper, and cook for 5 minutes longer. Stir in the cilantro, and serve.

Serves 6.

Octoberfest Hot Dog with Kraut & German Potato Salad, Oktoberfest Zinzinnati | Photo credit: justnora, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Autumn Stew - Argentine Pumpkin Stew with Sweet Potatoes, Corn, Peaches, Lamb, & Beef | Photo credit: tamara, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Vintage 1980 Ad: An Oktoberfest Welcome from Piller's, Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest Program | Photo credit: jbcurio, Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved

Food photos selected and posted are credited and have Creative Commons-licensed content with some rights reserved for noncommercial purposes, unless otherwise noted.

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Past three months of Fab Food Friday Fotos posts:

Endive Au Gratin, Pot Roasted Beef Brisket, Banana Spice Minicakes, Eggplant Fries, Cheesy Tot Pizza, Winter Pesto Pasta, Bacon-Stuffed Portobellos, Lemon Date & Cheese Danish Braid, Salads, & Frugal Recipes

Roasted Garlic Soup, Chocolate Scotcheroos, Lutong Bahay, DIY Kettle Corn, Paleo Chili, Asian Lunches, Veggie Dishes, Red Potato Skewers, Turnip-Carrot Mash, More Cheap Recipes

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