Falling Around

It’s raining out for the second time in less than three days and I’m a happy person. I suppose you’re thinking “easy for her to say-she lives in sunny southern California”. Yes, it makes me happy to see it pouring out and I’m thrilled to light a fire in the hearth and cook something heartwarming.

I will confess that I haven’t been a very inspired cook lately. I have no real excuse, just haven’t made anything new. I’ve been relying on old stand-bys like Butternut Squash Soup. It was the perfect lunch served with crostini topped with an Italian cheese-Quadrella di Bufula- nice and creamy (similar to Taleggio) with a little tang.

I obviously have a winter squash thing going on. These were delicious sliced in half, seeds scooped out and the inside filled with cream, freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano and a sprinkle of nutmeg. Bake for about 50 minutes and you have a simple side dish for roasted pork or chicken.

We absolutely love fennel and I cook with it often. It’s so tasty tossed with olive oil and roasted along with onions and garlic. Another evening I made a gratin-dare I say I used cream and parmigiano cheese again? And this easy pasta dish is the perfect combination of tomatoes roasted along with sliced fennel.

And lest you think I haven’t done any baking, what’s more in with the season than an apple tart? This is one of my favorites Apple Almond Tart and if you make the crust ahead of time, it doesn’t take much effort to get this beauty into the oven.

Happy Fall!

Photo credits for these gorgeous autumn veggies goes to J.