Autumn Harvest

Wild Rice Cakes

Create a luscious soup, brimming with the bounty of the season. Visit Bad River Rice and learn how wild rice is harvested. Plus, tips and techniques for cooking with wild rice.

Honey

Honey flows from an extractor.

Honey has been called the nectar of the gods--and it's one of Michael's favorite things. Discover its sweet secrets. Follow the bees in the honey hive, learn how honey is harvested and try the delectable recipes that are drizzled with it. 

Italian Home Cooking

Discover the secrets for authentic southern Italian cooking, with a tour of one of New York's oldest Italian markets. Plus, learn Patty Beebout's tips and techniques for canning tomatoes and much more.

Harvest Basket and Simple Salsa

As autumn begins displacing summer, the garden is offering up the last few vegetables of the season. After many weeks of harvesting, you may have a few garden items that you'd like to share with others. One idea to use the bounty is to bring a simple salsa to a friend's house during a weekend visit.

To make a similar version, chop up a white onion, a red onion and several tomatoes; you might use a couple of cherry tomatoes, and one each of the red and green variety. Squeeze out the seeds. Add a few sprigs of parsley and cilantro to taste. To give the salsa some bite, chop up one jalapeño pepper and one serrano and habañero chile. Add the juice of a lime, and allow the mixture to sit in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.

Grilling Tomatoes with a Grill Pan

Grilled whole tomatoes, a summertime favorite, can be prepared indoors on your stovetop with the aid of a grill pan. The ridges on the bottom of the pan replicates the effect of an electric indoor grill or a charcoal outdoor grill. Rub ripe, juicy tomatoes with olive oil, and cook them in the heated pan until they're slightly charred and fragrant. For a delicious sandwich, layer grilled whole tomatoes with basil, olive oil and balsamic vinegar between two thick slices of hearty bread.

Grill pans are widely available in department stores, cookware stores and chef's catalogs.

SOURCES

11-inch square Calphalon grill pan
12-inch round Claphalon commercial nonstick grill pan

Available at cooking-supply stores

Garden Harvest

When late summer rewards gardeners with a bounty of fresh produce, they can finally savor the fruits of the labor that began last winter when they planned their gardens. Now is also the time for gardeners to contemplate their successes and failures, and start thinking about next year's gardens.

Enjoy a colorful array of eggplants, like violet-colored Japanese, orange-tinted Turkish, and crisp white varieties like Solanum melongena 'Snowy.' Or try exotic 'Blue Cocoa' string beans, which turn a familiar green when cooked. Experiment by making a simple stew of white and orange beets flavored with celeriac. Your own vegetable garden should foster pride and offer any culinary possibilities.

Preserve your cornucopia by canning, pickling, or freezing--come January, you'll be very happy that you did. And don't forget your friends, who will appreciate baskets of vine-ripened treats that are still warm from the summer sun. A summer harvest also frees up space for a late planting of baby lettuces and herbs, which mature quickly, or hearty cabbages and root vegetables like radishes and carrots, which can withstand the first frost.

SOURCES

Heirloom seeds

Southern Exposure Seed Exchange
P.O. Box 170
Earlysville, VA 22936
800-973-4703

Preserving Herbs with Salt

If the advent of winter leaves you longing for fresh herbs, this Tuscan technique will preserve plenty of basil, rosemary and sage--even as snow covers your garden. Alternate half-inch layers of herbs in a covered glass container, beginning and ending with coarse salt. The salt absorbs mold-breeding moisture and stalls the action of enzymes that turn fresh herbs brown. Refrigerate. Before using, rinse the herbs with water, and pat dry. You'll be savoring the flavors of August well into December.

From Garden to Table

Discover our freshest recipes and culinary good things from the best of Michael Vyskocil's Suite101 Recipes articles.

• Fourth of July Cookout
• Fresh Summer Dessert Recipes
• Casual Cookouts
• Great Grilled Summer Supper
• Cooking with Sweet Bell Peppers
• Cherry Clafouti Dessert
• Baking Seasonal Peach Cobbler
• Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich Recipe
• Sweet Cabbage Relish and Refrigerator Pickles
• Country Apricot Tart
• Summer Heirloom Tomato Salad
• Cooking with Summer Tomatoes

Kitchen Tips for Using Cherries

Storing Fresh Cherries on Ice

Whether from a pick-your-own expedition at a local farm or from a purchase at the market, fresh cherries can quickly wilt from the summer sun and heat. If you plan to serve cherries fresh, place them in a bowl filled with ice cubes or crushed ice. The ice will keep them crisp and cool until you're ready to devour them. As the ice melts, replace it with a fresh supply.

Pitting Fresh Cherries

Fresh cherries are packed full of flavor. But removing the pits can be a cumbersome task. Make the job easier with a cherry pitter. These ingenious gadgets, available in fine cookware stores or online at www.cooking.com, can expertly pit dozens of cherries without making a mess of you and your kitchen. If you don't have a professional cherry pitter, try using a paper clip to pit cherries. Simply unbend the clip and use one of the ends to poke through the stem end of the cherry until you reach the pit. Push the pit through to the bottom of the cherry and remove the pit. Since cherry juice will leave stains, cover any clothing with an apron and wipe off stains immediately.

Growing Blueberries

Everything's coming up blueberries at the DeGrandChamp Farms in South Haven, Michigan. These blue beauties can be seen glistening in the sun on a warm summer's afternoon. Blueberries rank next to strawberries and peaches as one of the most popular summertime fruits. Here are a few tips on growing your own blueberries:

• Plant blueberries along foundations or in a border garden. They not only produce delicious fruit, but they also are covered with pretty white, bell-shaped flowers in the spring. In the fall, the leaves turn a deep crimson creating a spectacular autumn display.
• Select the type of blueberry plant that best suits your climate and the location you plan to grow them. For gardeners in moderate to cold climates, consider the hardiness factor of the plants before you purchase and plant them.
• Pollination is essential to successfully growing blueberries. Cross-pollination between to different varieties is important in order to set a good crop of berries.

Two hardy varieties to consider for small backyard gardens in cold climates are 'Northblue' and 'North Sky.' They will survive winter temperatures to 35 degrees F. below zero. They also are sometimes called "half plants" because they only grow about 2 feet tall, but each plant will produce 4 to 7 pounds of berries. Blueberries from mail-order companies are usually shipped bare-root. Upon receiving them, check to be sure the root system is moist.

Green Salad

The bounty of summer usually involves quantities of fresh, flavorful salad greens taken directly from the fields, garden or farmer's market to your dinner table. Salads are a healthy option for mealtimes; those dark, leafy greens are excellent source of important vitamins and minerals such as beta-carotene, calcium, iron, and vitamin C. The darker the leaves, the higher they are in vitamins and minerals.

Whether you purchase your greens or grow your own, cleaning them is an important part of preparing a tasty salad. To clean greens, fill a kitchen sink with cool water and dunk the leaves into the water bath; repeat this process until no traces of dirt remain on the leaves (it may be necessary to change the water during the process.) Transfer clean greens from the sink to a salad spinner and spin the leaves until all are dry.

Once the leaves are dry, transfer the greens to a large salad bowl and season to taste with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle the greens with either a commercially prepared or homemade salad dressing or vinaigrette. Toss the greens with the dressing, making sure each leaf receives a coating of dressing. If you like an extra-crispy salad, chill the washed and dried greens in the refrigerator one hour before you toss them with the dressing. Serve immediately.

Grilled Tomatoes Appetizer

The American love affair with tomatoes has always been present. Especially when scientific research shows the health benefits from this tasty fruit. The tomato has traditionally been a popular source of vitamins A and C and minerals. Recently, researchers discovered that tomatoes were natural sources of the element lycopene. This antioxidant has been shown in tests to dramatically reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and many cancers, including prostate and colon cancers.

Grilled Tomatoes
SERVES 4 AS APPETIZERS

• 3 large tomatoes (about 8 oz. each) or a variety of smaller tomatoes (about 1-1/2 lb. total)
• 4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 small green, yellow, purple, or red sweet pepper, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut each tomato into 4 slices, about 1/2 inch thick. If using smaller tomatoes, halve each one. For each of 4 servings arrange 3 tomato slices, overlapping slightly, in a foil-lined, 15x10x1-inch baking pan. (Or if using smaller tomatoes arrange in a single layer in a foil-lined 15x10x1-inch baking pan.) Sprinkle with shredded cheese, finely chopped pepper, and toasted almonds. Bake about 15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly. Carefully lift the tomatoes out of the pan with a large metal spatula to individual plates, allowing excess juices to drain off. To prepare on a grill, arrange the ingredients as directed above in a shallow disposable foil pan. In a grill with a cover arrange medium-hot coals around the edge of the grill. Test for medium heat above the center of the grill. Place the pan with the tomatoes in the center of the grill rack. Grill, covered, for 12 to 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

Blueberry Crumb Pie

Memorial Day in the United States has been referred to as the unofficial start of summer. Speaking of summer, county fairs can't be too far behind. One of the charms of county fairs is the annual pie-baking competition. If you've never attended one of these old-fashioned pie bake-offs, you can great some great ideas for spectacular pies just by looking at the results of the participants. Following is a recipe for a Blueberry Crumb Pie worthy of a blue ribbon.

Blueberry Crumb Pie Recipe
I received this recipe from one of my neighbors; it's a perfect picnic pie.

MAKES ONE 9-INCH PIE

Ingredients:

• 1 9-inch piecrust, well chilled
• 3 tablespoons sifted all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar, or to taste
• 3 pints fresh blueberries, picked over
• 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1-1/2 cups Crumb Topping (recipe follows)

Directions:

1. Roll out the piecrust dough to a thickness of 1/8" and line a 9" pie pan with it. Crimp edges; chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Combine the flour and sugar, and toss with blueberries. Fill the piecrust with the blueberry mixture; dot with butter and sprinkle with lemon juice. Cover with Crumb Topping. Bake for 50 minutes, or until the fruit is tender and the juices are bubbling. Let cool before serving.

Crumb Topping Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup dark-brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup rolled oats

Directions:

Combine flour, sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Rub butter into flour mixture with your fingers until large crumbs form. Add rolled oats; stir until combined.

Grow Thyme in Your Garden

A member of the mint family, thyme adds a charming look to any herb garden. Its small leaves, wirey stems and creeping growing habit make it a perfect herb to grow either indoors or out.Here are some of varieties of thyme used in cooking:

• Common thyme, or English thyme, has stems that grow about 1 foot tall. Common thyme has a soft, floral fragrance. It produces tiny lavender or pink flowers in the middle of the summer.
• Lemon thyme is a low-growing, evergreen perennial herb that has a soft, lemony fragrance.
• Argenteus, or silver thyme, has tiny silver-and-green variegated leaves with a light, lemony scent.
• Nutmeg thyme is a low-growing, creeping variety of thyme that has a distinctive nutmeg smell. You can use it in a variety of baked goods, such as cookies or quick breads, to simulate the flavor of ground nutmeg.

One of the great features of thyme is that it can be easily propagated from seed. Look for seeds at your local garden center or plant nursery. You can sow thyme seeds directly into the garden or you can sow them indoors and then transplant the young plants into the garden later in the spring. Thyme is also easily grown from cuttings--just take small 6- to 8-inch cuttings of stems, place them in a planting tray filled with sand or potting soil and water well. Thyme establishes new roots fairly easily and quickly. If you like to use thyme in your recipes, just remember to harvest the herb early in the morning--this is when the thyme leaves have their highest concentration of aromatic oils. You can use the leaves fresh in a pasta dish or in desserts. The leaves can also be dried or frozen for future use.

Herbed Grilled Tomatoes

If all you've been cooking on your grill has been meat, consider cooking vegetables on the grill. Here's a recipe for Herbed Grilled Tomatoes that will change the way you think about cooking vegetables. When preparing vegetables for grilling, keep the following points in mind:

• Test for medium or high temperature on the grill. Brush the vegetables with olive oil or unsalted butter. Season to taste with coarse salt and black pepper.
• Place the vegetables on a lightly oiled grilling tray or vegetable-grilling basket, on a piece of heavy foil, or directly on the grill rack (perpendicular to the grates, directly over preheated coals). Grill vegetables, uncovered, until tender when tested with a sharp knife, turning occasionally. Monitor the grilling closely so that the vegetables don't char.

Herbed Grilled Tomatoes Recipe
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 4 small tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons dairy sour cream or plain yogurt
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped dry bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon finely grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Prepare a charcoal or gas grill.
2. Remove the cores from the tomatoes; cut them in half crosswise. Spread the cut side of each tomato with the sour cream or yogurt. Sprinkle each tomato half with basil. Sprinkle the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese on top of the tomatoes. Arrange the tomato halves in a foil pie pan.
3. If using a charcoal grill, arrange the preheated coals around a drip pan in a covered grill. (If using a gas grill, place a drip pan over indirect heat.) Test for medium heat above the pan. Place the foil pan containing the tomatoes on the grill over the drip pan. Cover and grill the tomatoes for 10 to 15 minutes or until the tomatoes are heated through. Serve warm.

Roasting Fresh Peppers

Roasting Fresh Peppers

Fresh large peppers, both hot and sweet, have a tough, translucent outer skin that should be removed, unless you plan to serve them raw. The easiest method of loosening the skin is by blackening the skins over a gas burner, under the broiler, or over a grill. Peppers can be roasted, peeled, seeded, and the membranes removed as described below about 1 to 2 days in advance of their use in your cooking. Roasted peppers can also be placed in a container, covered with olive oil, and refrigerated for up to 1 week. Before using, drain the olive oil from the peppers.

Place the peppers directly on the burner cover of a gas-stove burner over high heat or on a grill. Turn the pepper with kitchen tongs so that each section of the pepper skin puffs up and turns black. (Be careful not to let the peppers overcook.) If you don't have a gas stove, place the peppers on a baking pan, and place them under the broiler in the oven, turning each side as it becomes puffy and black. Use the same technique if you're using a grill.

Once the peppers have blackened, transfer the peppers to a large bowl, and cover the bowl immediately with aluminum foil. The juices from the roasted peppers will collect in the bowl. Let the peppers sweat in the covered bowl until they are cool enough to touch. The steam will help to loosen the skins of the pepper. (If you have very sensitive skin, always wear thin plastic gloves when working with peppers.) Remove blackened skin from peppers and discard. Not all of the skin will easily peel away from the pepper, so it's acceptable to leave a few pieces of blackened skin on the pepper. Avoid rinsing the peppers with water.

Apple Recipes

Applesauce, apple fritters, apples with pork chops and sauteed cabbage, baked apples with cider sabayon...the list goes on and on. At this time of year, you're probably searching for a few great apple recipes to add to your files. In celebration of the fall apple harvest, we've included links to 10 of our favorite apple recipes from several years of Michael's cooking adventures on Suite.

DESSERTS

• Apple Fritters - Fritters are great for breakfast; these apple fritters are just the thing to get your day off to a sweet start.
• Applesauce Cake - As a cake that everyone will love, this applesauce cake is the perfect ending to a fall dinner.
• Baked Apples with Cider Sabayon - The comfort-food classic baked apples receives a French flair with a cider-based sabayon.
• Caramel Apple Pie -This recipe takes the traditional apple pie and updates it with the addition of nuts and a creamy caramel sauce.
•  Glazed Apple Tart - Featuring puff pastry and apples, this tart is simple to make and even more delicious to eat.
• Homemade Applesauce - Make the most of the apple harvest by preparing a batch of your own preservative-free applesauce.
• Inverted Apple Pie - We all know pies aren't usually served upside down. Not this one--surprise guests with an upside-down apple pie.
• Oven-Dried Apple Chips - You wouldn't know it from their taste, but apple chips are a healthy snack. Find out how to make these super-easy apple chips.

MAIN COURSES

• Pork Chops with Apples and Sauteed Cabbage - You just can't go wrong when you pair tasty apples with sauteed pork chops and cabbage--the makings of a classic autumn dinner.
• Pork Tenderloin with Apples - Looking for a quick-to-prepare dinner? You'll find it in this recipe, which features a main course and accompanying side dish in one place.

Tips for Using Potatoes

Potato Pancakes

While you're preparing your mashed potatoes for dinner, why not make an extra batch, so you can have leftover potatoes to make these simple yet tasty potato patties for the next day. Simply combine 2 cups of chilled leftover mashed potatoes with 2 beaten eggs and 4 tablespoons of chopped scallions, white onions, chives, or any type of herb you desire. In a skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter. Shape the potato mixture into round patties. Slide the patties into the skillet, and cook about 5 minutes on each side until golden brown on both sides.

Tips for Potato Storage

1. Store potatoes in a cool, dry area. Under proper storage conditions, potatoes will stay fresh for up to 3 months.
2. Never wash potatoes before storing them. Washing will only decrease the storage life of potatoes. If they have some dirt or soil clinging to the skin, gently rub it off with a towel.
3. Never store uncooked potatoes in the refrigerator. The refrigerator can cause the potato flesh to turn a dark color when the potatoes are cooked.

Before serving mashed potatoes, add one or more of the following ingredients for a lively variation to traditional mashed potatoes:

• chopped oven-dried tomatoes
• chopped fresh spinach
• freshly grated Parmesan or cheddar cheese
• chopped roasted garlic cloves
• finely chopped fresh herbs (such as basil, oregano, parsley, rosemary, chives, or thyme)
• cooked, crumbled pieces of bacon
• finely chopped sauteed leeks or shallots
• sour cream, low-fat yogurt, cream cheese

Autumn Menu Ideas

Autumn can seem like an all-too-short interlude between summer vacations and Christmas. Yet this season is one of the best times of the year for trying out some new recipes. Take advantage of this season to enjoy dinner with family and friends, maybe even indulge in one last grilling venture outdoors before the weather turns cold.

Autumn is resplendent with the colors of changing leaves and a medley of familiar flavors. Experiment with cooking butternut squash and mixing fresh salad greens with a tangy apple-cider vinaigrette. If you like beets, you can always make roasted beets for a simple appetizer. Gold pears cooked with onions can make a flavorful base for a seasonal salad; for dessert, try sauteeing them, glazed with golden honey.

Cooler days also bring with them a need to make hearty meals. You can combine potatoes with fresh herbs and make a flavorful version of mashed potatoes. Roast chicken can be paired with a rice pilaf. Of course, who can ignore the ultimate of autumn fruits--apples. Baked with sugar and spices or rolled in sheets of puffed pastry, the ideas are limitless. So take advantage of these autumn months and make a meal brimming full of the bounty of the season.

Roasted Garlic

Garlic is indispensable to most professional chefs. Sharp and spicy when used raw, it turns almost nutty when sauteed. When roasted, garlic becomes sweet and mild and can take on many different personalities. Roasting garlic is a simple process; you'll enjoy caramelized cloves that are as soft as butter. Roasted garlic cloves are delicious when spread on toasted bread, on top of grilled meat or fish and as a flavoring for sauces.

RECIPE
Roasted Garlic

• 6 to 8 heads of garlic
• Olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• Juice of one lemon (if you want to store the roasted garlic)
• Fresh parsley, if desired

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Place the garlic bulbs in a baking dish; drizzle with olive oil. Spinkle the bulbs generously with salt and pepper.
2. Place the baking dish in the center of the oven; roast the garlic heads until they are soft when poked with the point of a sharp knife, about 1 hour.
3. Cut off the tops of the garlic heads and squeeze out the soft cloves from their papery shells. Use immediately, or if you plan to store the roasted garlic, squeeze the garlic cloves into a jar; cover the jar with olive oil and add lemon juice on top of the cloves. Flavor with fresh parsley, if desired. Seal the jar and store in the refrigerator, tightly covered. The roasted cloves will last about ten days if kept in the refrigerator this way.