Rodgers - Autumn Gatherings

We all have friends who start announcing the shortening of daylight as soon as they come back from summer vacation. Look how soon its getting dark! As soon as the temperature drops a degree, they remark, Oh, its going to be an early winter! When tomatoes and basil dwindle at the farmers market, they lament. They act as if summer is the only season that is worthwhile. Not so

When I notice a nip in the air, I dont complain. I welcome the change in the temperature and humidity, the coloring of the leaves, the mums in the garden. But most of all, I rejoice in cooking with the seasons produce.

This is the season of some of my favorite fruits and vegetables. When I was growing up in California, my suburban hometown still showed its agrarian roots with farm stands along the roads and with old fruit trees growing in backyards. Autumn meant a variety of fruits and vegetables that were entirely different from the summer bounty but no less delicious: puckery pomegranates (to eat one, Mom made me wear an old shirt that could take the staining juice); honeyed persimmons that Grandma Rodgers would transform into cookies; sticky-sweet figs that would ripen on the tree and drop to the ground so we never had to pick them; tart, thick-skinned lemons for the best lemon desserts you ever had.

I had never bought persimmons, figs, or lemons until I left California and moved to New York City. I was shocked at the price I had to pay for that first lemon. To this day, transplanted Californians are never happier than when we get a box of lemons (preferably Meyer) mailed from home. (Well, unless you send us a box of Sees candies, but I digress.) And when I moved east, I discovered a whole new world of fall favorites particular to the region, including earthy parsnips, juicy apples, and foxy Concord grapes.

As the weather turns cooler, we cook differently, too. Instead of grilling outdoors to keep the kitchen cool, I look for recipes for roasting, baking, and braising. These warm the kitchen with heat from the stove and fill the house with rich aromas as well. After a summer with a parade of vegetable-based salads, I really look forward to that first bowl of rib-sticking chili or an Oktoberfest dinner of sausages simmered in red cabbage. These slow-cooked dishes are perfect for weekend entertaining, and many of them are even better when made a day or two ahead and reheated.

Although my close circle of friends includes many incredible cooks, both professional and untrained, when we get together, you might be surprised at the food we serve. Invariably, the dishes are delicious but simply prepared. The main course might be an artful, long-braised stew or a no-fuss roast surrounded by vegetables that pick up the meats flavor. Our shared time is about being together, not about how many pots and pans are dirtied. We have learned how to make food that is packed with flavor but doesnt always call for lots of work in the kitchen. And cooking with produce at the peak of its flavor is one surefire way to make your meals as tasty as possible.

While Autumn Gatherings is about casual meals to share with your friendsand about encouraging your friends and family to use the best seasonal producelets not forget two important autumn holidays at which food plays a big role: Halloween and Thanksgiving. Theres obviously more to Halloween food than trick-or-treat candy, as recent statistics show that it is the number one holiday for party-giving. Youll find some ideas here for your partys menu (although I will tell you up front that I personally dont go for grotesque decorations and prefer just to serve lots of good food without silly garnishes). And, of course, Thanksgiving is about traditions, but Im offering some dishes that are brightened with contemporary flavors, along with a wonderful roast turkey. And dont ignore the other events that make the season unique. Youll find recipes for a tailgate cookout, and even an Oktoberfest supper. (I may put a little more emphasis on the latter because my great-uncle Bill was the leader of an oompah band and produced our local Oktoberfest, where I worked selling sausages with my cousins.)

In the food-writing business, in order to satisfy deadlines months before publication, I sometimes have to cook with out-of-season ingredients. Now, you can get just about anything you can imagine every day of the year at my local supermarketsbut that doesnt mean that it will have any flavor. Being forced to create a summer recipe with peaches in November made me realize how I longed to return to the parsnips, cranberries, and potatoes I had just bought at the farm stand. In this book, I use produce in the traditional harvest cycles, not in the modern its always summer somewhere mentality. Even if you add variety to your meals with Holland red peppers in November, I encourage you to cook with sustainable, local foods as much as you can. Your food will be so much better for it.