Fall into autumn cooking with these 3 recipes

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Fall is a busy time of year, with back-to-school and work life picking up. But I also think of it as a season when you finally want to turn on the oven again, and spending time in the kitchen can be a pleasure.

The days and nights of a quick salad and throwing food on the grill are in the rearview mirror, and as the nights turn cooler, we crave something a bit more substantial. These recipes are more complex than the quick meals of summer that so many of us have been enjoying these past few months.

The idea of a fall dinner party or weekend dinner with friends or family may seem overwhelming given this busy season, but all these dishes are appealing both for their taste and the fact that they can be prepped and organized ahead of time and finished up at the last minute.

The first dish takes its flavors from a trip I took to Turkey many years ago. I was so inspired by the range and beauty of Turkish stuffed vegetables. This stuffed pepper — peppers are still in farmers markets — is bursting with big flavors like cinnamon, mint, and cumin, and can be made ahead of time and just popped in the oven an hour before serving. (Hint: Leftovers are delicious the next day, drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice and served hot or at room temperature!)

The next dish takes buttery white beans and sautés them with aromatics and herbs, tomatoes and a splash of white wine. The white beans are placed on a serving platter and topped with grilled fish (or chicken or vegetables) for a simple but hearty fall dinner. The beans can be made entirely ahead of time, leaving you only to fire up the grill for the fish.

And finally, a dish I never thought I’d make at home: gnocchi. These ricotta and lemon gnocchi are far simpler to put together than you might imagine. Make the dough, let it sit for one minute or overnight, roll out the dough into ropes, and cut your gnocchi. The gnocchi can be made ahead of time and then tossed with a beautiful brown butter and fresh sage leaves (such a great fall flavor) or tossed with your favorite tomato sauce.

Settle in. Turn on the oven. It’s a new season.

Turkish-inspired stuffed peppers

with rice, ground meat, mint and cinnamon

The inspiration for these stuffed peppers came from a trip I took to Turkey many years ago. The stuffed eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes were all so appealing with their spices and bold flavors. Peppers, at this time of year, are like an artist’s palette — bright red, yellow, green, purple. Find very fresh peppers and make the dish ahead of time. All you have to do is pop them into the oven an hour before serving, and you’re free to make a salad, heat some bread, or enjoy a drink with family and friends.

Although this recipe calls for ground meat, you can easily omit it to make this a vegetarian dish.

Serves 6.

Ingredients 

• ½ cup uncooked rice, or 1 ½ cups leftover cooked rice
• 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped, or 1 tablespoon dried mint, crumbled
• 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ½ pound ground beef or pork, optional
• ½ cup raisins or golden raisins, optional
• 3 cups of your favorite tomato sauce, homemade or jarred
• 6 medium peppers, red, green, yellow, purple or a combination

Instructions 

1. Cook the rice according to the directions. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat the 1 ½ tablespoons of oil over low heat. Add the onions, garlic, half the mint, cinnamon, and cumin and season liberally with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, for 6 minutes. Remove the onion mixture to a bowl.
3. In the same skillet set over medium-high heat, add the ground beef and cook, stirring, until browned, about 5 minutes. Use a spoon to break up any clumps. Reduce the heat to low and add the onion mixture to the ground beef; cook, stirring the mixture together, for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the raisins, cooked rice, ½ cup of the tomato sauce, and the remaining mint, cinnamon and cumin and more salt and pepper. Taste for seasoning.
4. Cut about ¼-inch off the top of the peppers and, using your hands, remove the core and the seeds. Cut about ⅛-inch off the bottom so the peppers sit flat.
5. Place the remaining 2 ½ cups of tomato sauce in the bottom of a baking dish or ovenproof skillet.
6. Divide the stuffing mixture between the peppers, pushing down to get a good amount of stuffing into each one. Dome the top with the stuffing and carefully nestle the pepper in the pan with the tomato sauce. Any remaining stuffing is delicious heated up. Cover and refrigerate for up to 8 hours.
7. To cook: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of oil over all the peppers. Place on the middle shelf and bake for 30 minutes; reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake another 20 to 30 minutes. The peppers should be quite soft (but not falling over or falling apart) and the tomato sauce should be bubbling. Serve hot or at room temperature. Any leftover peppers are delicious served cold or at room temperature, drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice.

White beans with tomatoes and herbs with grilled fish

White beans (cannellini or white kidney beans) have a buttery texture and an earthy, almost creamy flavor that picks up other tastes easily. Here they are cooked, then sauteed with onion, garlic, fresh herbs and tomatoes with a splash of white wine.

If you have the time, soak dried beans overnight and simmer them up the next day. They will be far more flavorful with a good bite. However, if you’re limited on time, feel free to open a can of white beans, rinse well in cold water, and then rinse again.

You can serve these beans as the base for grilled fish, chicken, or grilled or roasted vegetables. I served them with a piece of grilled bluefish and it was a terrific combination, but any firm-fleshed fish or chicken filet would work.

Serves 3 to 4.

Ingredients 

The white beans:

• ½ cup dried white beans, or 1 1/2 cups canned white beans, rinsed in cold water and then rinsed again, and drained
• Optional (if making dried beans): 1 small onion, halved,
• 1 bay leaf, 6 peppercorns and salt
• 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion or leek, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 medium ripe tomato, chopped, or 1 cup canned tomato, chopped
• ¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1 ½ tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary, or 1 ½ teaspoons dried
• About ½ cup dry white wine, optional

Grilled fish

• About 1 pound firm fish like cod, bluefish, halibut, or salmon, or 1 pound boneless chicken thighs or breasts
• Salt and pepper
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges

Instructions 

1. Make the beans: Soak the beans in 4 cups of cold water in a medium bowl for at least 2 hours. Drain and place in a medium pot and cover with 4 cups of water. Add the onions, bay leaf, peppercorns and salt and bring to a boil over high heat; reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for about 45 minutes to an hour, or until the beans are just tender. When you blow on a bean the skin should begin to shrivel; taste for doneness. Remove from heat and let sit in the hot cooking liquid. Drain the beans but keep about ½ cup of the cooking liquid.
2. If using canned beans, drain the beans into a fine sieve and rinse under cold water. Drain and rinse again. Drain.
3. In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over low heat. Add the onion or leek, the garlic and salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, for 10 minutes. Add the drained beans and the tomatoes and herbs and cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Raise the heat to high and add the wine and/or the reserved cooking liquid. If using canned beans no need to add the cup of bean water and cook for about 5 minutes, until simmering and the liquid is somewhat reduced. Taste for seasoning.
4. Meanwhile, heat a charcoal or gas grill until hot, around 400 degrees. Season the fish (or chicken) with salt and pepper and grill about 5 minutes per side, depending on the thickness and type of fish or poultry. I used a bluefish filet; it took about 4 to 5 minutes per side.
5. Spoon the warm beans on a serving platter and top with the grilled fish. Surround with the lemon wedges.

Lemon ricotta gnocchi with brown butter and sage

If you’re thinking, ‘Make gnocchi at home? No way!’ I fully understand. I used to feel that way, too.

I’m not sure why it took me this long to try it, but once I did, I realized it was far easier than I imagined. You make a simple dough with fresh ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, flour, lemon zest and let it sit for about 15 minutes. You then roll out the dough into long “ropes” and cut small gnocchi. The gnocchi is then cooked in boiling water and is ready. It’s light, pillowy and simple. You can make gnocchi several hours or up to a day ahead of time, and then, just before serving, combine with your favorite tomato sauce. Or melt butter until brown and nutty with fresh sage leaves and toss with the gnocchi.

Serves 3 to 4.

Ingredients 

The ricotta gnocchi:

• 1 cup, plus 6 tablespoons ricotta (whole milk ricotta is preferable)
• 1.5 ounces grated Parmesan cheese (about ⅓ packed cup)
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1 cup, plus 2 tablespoons flour, plus more for dusting the dough
• Olive oil for sheet pan

The sauce:

• 2 cups of your favorite tomato sauce

Or…

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 10 fresh whole sage leaves
• Grated Parmesan for serving

Instructions 

1. In a large bowl, mix the ricotta, Parmesan cheese, egg, salt, pepper and lemon zest with a wooden spoon until fully incorporated. Alternatively, you could use the dough hook of a stand mixer and beat for a minute. Slowly add the flour, about ⅓ cup at a time, and beat until fully incorporated and the dough feels soft.
2. Using well-floured hands, transfer the dough to a sheet of parchment or plastic wrap, dust the top of the dough with a touch of flour and wrap tightly into a round disc. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes, or overnight.
3. Spread about 1 tablespoon of olive oil on a cookie or baking sheet.
4. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat.
5. Working on a well floured surface, divide the dough in half. Roll each half of the dough out into a thick rope about 20 inches long and ¾-inch thick. Cut each rope into about 22 pieces.
6. Working in batches, place half the gnocchi into the boiling water and cook until they float to the top of the water. Cook another 2 minutes after they have floated to the top. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on the oiled cookie sheet. Repeat with the remaining gnocchi. You can make the gnocchi ahead of time by several hours up to this point. Loosely cover with another sheet of parchment paper.
7. Heat the tomato sauce if using over medium heat until bubbling and toss the gnocchi in and dust with more Parmesan cheese.
8. Alternatively, heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until bubbling and beginning to turn a nutty golden brown. Add the sage leaves and cook for 1 minute. Toss the gnocchi into the skillet with the brown butter and sage, coating thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper and add more Parmesan cheese before serving.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

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