Fall Foods to Warm the Soul
The temperature is dropping, and while we aren't excited about it, the colder weather does give us the opportunity to indulge in some of my favorite hearty recipes. Think of the months ahead filled with holidays, parties and hearty homemade food! So say goodbye to summer; it’s time for real food.
Here are two late autumn early winter recipes to warm up your stomach, heart and soul:
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Warm Goat Cheese Salad with Pear and Walnuts
Ingredients (serves 4):
1 1/4 cup fresh white breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme or 2 teaspoons dried
11 ounces FRESH goat cheese, cut into 8 rounds of 1 inch thickness
1 egg, beaten to blend
2 tablespoons plus 3/4 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons walnut oil/olive oil
8 cups mix of rocket,watercress and cucumber strips
2 heads Belgian endive, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
2 large ripe pears, peeled, cored, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions:
- Mix breadcrumbs and thyme in a pie dish. Season goat cheese rounds with salt and pepper. Dip them into beaten egg, then breadcrumbs, coating completely. Cover and store in fridge until ready to grill. (can be prepared 4 hours ahead.)
- Whisk vinegar and mustard. Add in 1/2 cup oil gradually, keel whisking. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Make a bed of watercress and rocket in a large bowl, then endive and pears.
- Heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add walnuts and sauté until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Transfer to plate. Reduce heat to medium. Working in batches, add cheese rounds to skillet and cook until crisp and brown on outside and soft on inside, about 2 minutes per side.
- Toss salad with enough dressing to coat. Divide among 4 plates (or leave this part to your guests). Using metal spatula, place 2 cheese rounds in center of each salad. Sprinkle with walnuts.
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Roast Carrot & Fennel Soup
Ingredients (serves 4):
2.2lbs carrots, peeled, trimmed and sliced
2 bulbs of fennel, trimmed and sliced, tops reserved to serve
1 onion, sliced
Olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
7 cups of vegetable stock
7 Tablespoons of single cream , to serve
Flatbreads for dunking
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 195F/gas 5. Put the carrots, fennel and onion in a roasting dish and toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Roast for 20 minutes, then add the garlic cloves. Stir everything thoroughly and return to the oven for 20 minutes more, until the vegetables are soft and browned. Remove the papery skins from the garlic cloves.
2. Put the roasted veggies in a large pan with the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Simmer gently for 15 minutes, then liquidize with a stick blender, until completely smooth.
3. Serve with a swirl of cream, a scattering of fennel tops and the hot flatbreads.
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What are your favorite fall recipes? Let us know in the comments below!
