A season to gather

I love autumn. Crisp evenings, the smell of dried leaves in the air, toasty-spice scented fall dishes, and dinner guests that are actually hungry (no more delicate summer appetites) inspire me to get cooking.

I also love the colors and flavors of fall produce. Peppery-earthy beets, caramelized-nutty squashes, crisp-juicy apples, and sweet-buttery toasted nuts are the perfect elements of delicious, seasonal meals. Summer might be over, but there is a lot of flavorful produce still out there. Before winter sets in, gather your loved ones and celebrate the season of harvest flavors.

Fall salads are a great way to showcase the season. I like to choose a feature ingredient like a root vegetable, or a hard-shell squash, and then pair it with a grain or legume, and then layer in other flavors and textures. The grand finale is to garnish with the delicious embellishments like crumbled cheeses, candied or toasted nuts, and pomegranate arils bursting with tangy juice.

A simple soup is a delicious canvas that become works of art with added garnishes. My favorite pumpkin soup recipe goes from weeknight-cozy to full-on glam with strips of chewy, candied-orange peel and spiced pepitas. Creamy mushroom soup goes from simple and homey to complex and exciting with a tangle of roasted maitake mushrooms and frizzled leeks.

Beet, lentil, fennel, and shaved apple salad with maple-lemon vinaigrette

I make salads with intention. Ingredients are fresh and chosen to complement each other. The earthy beets pair with robust lentils. Sweet fennel and vibrant apple lift the flavors while caramel-and vanilla-tinged maple balances the salad, making you crave another bite.

I use hearty salad greens in the fall. Delicate summer lettuces are not at their peak in autumn, and the heartiness of fall ingredients calls for full-bodied greens like kale, spinach, arugula, beet greens, and Swiss chard. Experiment with fall greens and see what your family enjoys.

Delicious add-ons would be crumbled feta or goat cheese, toasted walnuts or pecans, pomegranate arils, or toasted pepitas. This salad is perfect for a light fall meal, or as a starter.

2 pounds colorful beets (red, gold, and candy-striped)

Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper

1 cup French green lentils, picked over for stones (you will have leftover lentils to enjoy in other recipes)

1 celery rib

1 small carrot

2 cloves garlic, smashed but not peeled

2 tablespoons EVOO

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

2 medium fennel bulbs

2 medium tart apples

6 cups hearty fall greens (arugula, spinach, kale, Swiss chard)

Preheat oven to 375°F, line a baking sheet with parchment paper

1. Rub beets with EVOO and lightly season with salt and pepper. Create a pouch for beets with foil, and seal beets tightly. Place foil packet on lined sheet pan and roast in preheated oven for 35-45 minutes, or until a fork can be inserted with no resistance. Set aside to cool. When cool enough to handle, gently rub the skin off of beets and slice into medium sized dice.

2. Rinse lentils and place in medium saucepan. Add celery, carrot, and smashed garlic. Add cold water to a level of about 2 inches over the lentils. Simmer lentils over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes. Check doneness by tasting a lentil. Lentils go from undercooked to overcooked in a few minutes, so after initial check, recheck every 10 minutes. Once lentils are tender and can be easily smashed, they are done.

3. Whisk together EVOO and red wine vinegar. Strain lentils and toss gently with 1 tablespoon of EVOO and red wine vinegar mixture. Season with sea salt and pepper. Set aside.

4. Set up an ice bath with a medium-sized bowl and ice water. Using a mandoline, or very sharp knife, shave fennel into very thin slices. Place in ice water.

5. Using a mandoline or very sharp knife, slice apples, discarding the core. Toss with remaining olive oil and vinegar mixture.

For the maple-lemon vinaigrette

Zest and juice of 1 medium lemon

3 tablespoons good quality maple syrup

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon sea salt

Pinch of freshly cracked black pepper

½ cup good quality EVOO

1. In a small bowl, whisk together lemon zest, juice, maple syrup, mustard, salt, and pepper.

2. Stream in EVOO, while whisking until the mixture has emulsified. Store leftover vinaigrette, covered, for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

To serve the salad

Toss salad greens with a tablespoon of vinaigrette to coat. Arrange greens on a platter.

Toss beets and lentils with vinaigrette and arrange over greens.

Lightly toss fennel and apples with vinaigrette and arrange on platter.

Add garnishes such as crumbled goat or feta cheese, pomegranate arils, toasted walnuts or pecans, toasted pepitas.

Butternut squash, farro, diced pear, and pistachios with pomegranate vinaigrette

Just the mere mention of butternut squash gets people excited. Something about the creamy, nutty, and sweet flavor stimulates the appetite. I feel the same way about this salad. Chewy, nutty farro with crisp pears, tangy pomegranate, and buttery pistachios give me the salad thrills. I can even make a meal out of this salad.

Cooking grains is tricky business. You want to use what is called the “rice method” versus the “pasta method.” You want to rehydrate the grains in water and finish them with steam. There is no excess liquid and no draining at the end of cooking. That would result in soggy grains. You want moist and fluffy grains. I partially cover the pan and simmer low and slow until the level of the water is just about even with the grains. Then, I turn off the heat, cover the pan to capture the steam, and allow the grains to finish cooking off the heat for about 20 minutes. No strainers and dumping steaming liquid and most importantly, no soggy grains of farro, rice, barley, or quinoa.

For this recipe, I cook the farro in apple cider for extra flavor. You can use water, vegetable stock, or a mix.

3 cups vegetable stock, water, or apple cider (not juice) or a mix of these

1 cup farro

1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into medium dice

EVOO

Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

2 ripe pears (I like Asian pears for their crispy texture and ability to stand up to big flavors), cored and cut into medium dice

½ cup toasted pistachios, lightly chopped

Garnishes: crumbled blue cheese, goat cheese, toasted pepitas, pomegranate arils

Preheat oven to 400°F. Cover a sheet pan with parchment.

1. In a medium, partially covered, saucepan, simmer vegetable stock, water, or cider and farro for about 20 minutes or until the level of liquid is even with the grains. Turn off the heat and cover the pan tightly. Don’t peek for 20 minutes. You should have delightfully chewy and moist not soggy farro. Transfer farro to a bowl. Drizzle with EVOO, and season with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.

2. While the farro is cooking, roast the squash. Toss squash with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast on lined baking sheet in preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until tender but not mushy. Cool completely.

For the vinaigrette

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 medium shallot, minced

2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses

2 teaspoons honey

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 medium shallot, minced

2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses

2 teaspoons honey

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

1. In a small mixing bowl, whisk orange juice, vinegar, shallot, pomegranate, honey and EVOO together until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Assemble the salad by tossing farro, squash, pears, pistachios and vinaigrette. Garnish if desired. Store leftover salad, covered, in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days.

Pumpkin, ginger-orange soup

I love the sweet, earthy flavor of this soup. It makes a quick, simple, and healthy weeknight dinner and can be turned into a work of art with garnishes.

Butter or extra virgin olive oil

3 leeks (white parts only), sliced thinly

1 medium white onion, diced

3 celery ribs, sliced thinly

2 medium apples, cored, peeled, and dice

2 medium carrots, diced

Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup dry white wine (Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc)

Zest of 1 orange and ½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice

2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger

3 cans of pumpkin puree or scooped pumpkin flesh from a 5-pound sugar pumpkin

8 cups chicken or vegetable stock

½ teaspoons nutmeg

1. In a large Dutch oven or stock pot, melt several tablespoons butter or cover the bottom of the pan with olive oil over medium low heat. Cook leeks, onion, celery, apples, carrots, stirring occasionally until softened and lightly caramelized (about 20-30 minutes). Season vegetables with salt and pepper.

2. Add garlic and cook for another minute.

3. Add wine, zest, orange juice, ginger, pumpkin puree, stock, and nutmeg.

4. Bring soup to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally.

5. Using an immersion blender or food processor, puree soup until creamy.

6. Return to a simmer and season to taste.

7. Garnish with candied orange peel, and toasted pepitas.

Candied orange peel

Making candied orange peels is a bit of a project, but a delicious one. I use it to garnish salads, Persian rice dishes, olive oil cakes, and this delicious pumpkin soup. Candied orange peels can be added to cake batters, challah dough, and babka.

3-4 navel oranges (organic if possible)

½ cup sugar

2 teaspoons honey

Juice of 1 lemon

1. Peel oranges and remove as much of the bitter white pith from the peel as possible. Slice peels into matchstick size pieces.

2. Place peels into boiling water and cook for 1 minute. Drain peels and repeat the process (this removes any bitterness from peels).

3. Dissolve sugar and honey in enough water to cover orange peels. Cook, watching the pan closely, until water has evaporated and a thick syrup has formed. Add lemon juice and stir to combine.

4. Spread orange peels on parchment and allow to dry.

5. Store peels covered in fridge for up to 1 month, or freeze for 3 months.

Creamy mushroom soup

Mushrooms are like a cashmere sweater. Just pure delicious comfort. It is something you reach for over and over again. I like my soup to have a little texture and leave some of the mushrooms chunky. I also like to dress up the soup with roasted maitake mushrooms. Maitake mushrooms are special and frilly. They are very earthy and have little petals that crisp up wonderfully in the oven or sauté pan. You can use many mushrooms to garnish your soup with.

I add a touch of soy sauce to my mushroom soup as it adds a punch of umami flavor. This soup can become a work of art with frizzled leeks, roasted mushrooms, and an added drizzle of cream.

6 tablespoons butter or EVOO

4 large shallots, minced

2 leeks sliced thinly

2 pounds mixed mushrooms, sliced thinly

Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

6 cloves garlic, minced

1-ounce dried porcini mushrooms

1/3 cup cognac

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 cup cream (optional)

6 cups vegetable or chicken stock

Several sprigs of fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

1-2 teaspoons lemon juice or rice wine vinegar

1. Melt butter or coat the bottom of a Dutch oven or large saucepan. Add shallots, leeks and mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are lightly caramelized. Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper.

2. Add garlic and cook for a few more minutes until fragrant.

3. Add dried porcini mushrooms, cognac, soy, cream (if using), stock, thyme and bay leaves. Simmer for 20 minutes until the mushrooms have softened. Remove thyme and bay leaves.

4. Using an immersion blender or food processor, puree the soup to the desired texture. I like to leave some mushrooms chunky, for texture.

5. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and lemon juice or vinegar.

6. Garnishes-roasted maitake or other mushrooms, frizzled leaks

Frizzled leeks

Frizzled leeks make everything taste great and look fancy. I like to cut the leeks into long and elegant strips. Serve them on salads, over fish, chicken, steak, and mushroom soup (above).

2 leeks, light green and white parts only, sliced thinly, washed and dried

EVOO

Sea salt

Line a small baking sheet with paper towels

1. Heat 1 inch of oil in a sauté pan or saucepan over medium-high heat.

2. Fry leeks in batches until light brown and curly. Transfer to lined baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Leeks will crisp up as they cool.

Store frizzled leeks, wrapped, at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Toasted pepitas

Pepitas are hulled pumpkin seeds. They are completely edible and have delicious nutty flavor. Loaded with fiber and protein, pepitas are a great garnish for salads, granola, yogurt, muffin topping, challah topping and this pumpkin soup.

½ cup pepitas

Sea salt

1. Toast pepitas in a dry, medium sauté pan over medium heat until they start to crackle and pop.

2. Sprinkle with salt and continue cooking for another minute. Transfer to a bowl to cool.

Toasted pepitas can be stored, covered for up to 2 weeks.

Laura Frankel-a noted kosher chef, and cookbook author-serves as Director of Culinary Operations at CJE SeniorLife-Tamarisk NorthShore. She is also a product development specialist and has worked as culinary director for a media company.