Fresh from the farm to your holiday table

I love fall at the farmers market, with its sensational flavors and colors. And planning a holiday menu is easy when you concentrate all your shopping there. 

September is a special time for farmers markets because the best of both summer and fall are available. You can expect summer berries, peppers, tomatoes, and zucchini. These sit alongside fall apples, pears, hardshell squashes, carrots, parsnips, and potatoes, while hardy greens and herbs round out the bounty. 

For my holiday feast this year, I am planning a fragrant chicken dish that takes advantage of farmers market produce. It’s called “Country Captain,” and it was a tradition for my friend Julia’s family, served on Rosh Hashanah. 

Country Captain is a cozy dish with gentle-savory tang from tomatoes, warm spices, and pops of sweetness from dried fruit. While not a Jewish dish, it has distinct Jewish ties. Jewish involvement in the spice trade spans centuries, highlighted by Sephardic merchant networks in colonial times. Jewish traders leveraged international diaspora connections to move high-value, non-perishable goods across global trade routes. Country Captain is a low-country Charleston recipe that traces back to the colonial era. Charleston was a major seaport and hub for trade.  

The Country Captain recipe first appears in print in 1857. While it appears in Charleston cookbooks much later, the recipe was embraced by both Sephardic and Ashkenazi communities there. 

I like to embrace the season and garnish Country Captain with pomegranates and roasted grapes. While not traditional, they are riffs on the original dish and focus the recipe on the holiday. 

I hope you enjoy the flavors and love that come with holiday meals and traditions. Shanah Tovah U’metukah. 

Country Captain Chicken 

This iconic warm and inviting dish features fresh vegetables and chicken braised in a mild and aromatic curry sauce. The recipe beautifully blends traditional Southern ingredients with flavors from the historic global spice trade. 

Country Captain is perfect for a holiday since you can easily multiply the dish to accommodate your guest list. Each diner can customize their own plate by adding the chutney (see recipe below). 

Serves 5 

EVOO 

Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper 

3 pounds bone-in and skin-on chicken thighs (or breasts) 

2 medium yellow onions, diced 

3 celery ribs, diced 

3 medium carrots, diced 

4 red bell peppers, diced (I like to use red and yellow) 

1 dried chile (such as guajillo or pasilla-this adds an earthy flavor) 

2 heads of garlic, sliced in half crosswise to expose the cloves 

Several chunks of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced 

2 tablespoons curry powder 

1 tablespoon garam masala 

½ cup dried currants or raisins 

4 cups chopped fresh tomatoes with their juices (go crazy here and get heirlooms in bright colors) 

1 cup chicken stock 

Garnishes: apple chutney, toasted almonds, pomegranate arils, roasted grapes 

Preheat oven to 325°F. 

1. Heat a large Dutch oven or sauté pan, lightly coated with EVOO. Season thighs with salt and pepper. Brown thighs in pan until deeply browned and caramelized. Set aside. 

2. Add onions, celery, carrots, and bell peppers to the pan, in batches (do not overcrowd the pan) and sauté until golden. 

3. Add dried chile, garlic, ginger, curry powder, and garam masala. Stir to combine and allow the spices to bloom. Cook the veggies with the spices for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

4. Add currants or raisins, tomatoes, and stock. Bring to a simmer. 

5. Arrange thighs, skin-side up, in the pan. Cover and braise for about 20 minutes until chicken thighs are cooked through (internal temperature of 175°F). 

6. Remove thighs and reduce braising liquid until thick and glossy. Remove garlic and ginger and discard. 

7. Arrange thighs on a platter and pour braising liquid over. 

8. Sprinkle pomegranate arils and toasted almonds over the top. Arrange roasted grapes on the vine (see recipe below) over the chicken. 

Apple Chutney 

Choose the best apples, and customize the flavors to suit your palate. Be sure to use apple cider, which is raw and unfiltered. It has a crisp taste, unlike apple juice, which is pasteurized and much sweeter. 

3 large apples (I like Honeycrisp) peeled, cored, and diced 

1 small red onion, diced 

1 teaspoon sea salt 

½ cup raisins 

1/3 cup apple cider (not apple juice) 

¼ cup apple cider vinegar 

¼ cup best quality honey 

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger 

1 cinnamon stick 

Pinch of crushed red chiles (optional) 

Simmer apples, red onion, salt, raisins, cider, vinegar, honey, ginger, cinnamon stick, and chiles 

until apples are tender and the mixture is thick, with apples remaining chunky. 

Leftover chutney can be stored, covered in the fridge, for up to 1 week, or frozen for 3 months. 

Roasted Grapes 

Jammy, gorgeous, and delicious. I like to keep the grapes in clusters on the vine, and roast them with fresh thyme and rosemary sprigs. Grapes are at their best early in the fall during the harvest, and serving them in a savory recipe is a fun treat. 

1-pound grapes (I like red or black grapes for their sweetness and dramatic color) 

EVOO 

Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper 

Several sprigs of thyme and rosemary 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 425°F 

1. Wash grapes, keeping them attached to the vines in clusters. Place on lined baking sheet. 

2. Sprinkle grapes with EVOO, salt, and pepper. Arrange thyme and rosemary over grapes. 

3. Roast grapes in pre-heated for 20 minutes until the grape skins have started to blister and char, and the grapes smell very jammy. 

Fragrant Saffron Rice 

A chicken dish with so much flavor and color deserves a side with excitement. I love anything with the beautiful golden color and bitter-honey-like flavor of saffron. Note: rinsing the basmati rice ensures that you will have fluffy and separate grains. 

Serves 6+ 

EVOO 

1 small yellow onion, diced 

2 cloves garlic, minced 

Pinch of saffron threads 

2 cups basmati rice, rinsed several times 

3 cups chicken or vegetable stock, simmering 

Pinch of sea salt 

Garnish: 1/3 cup currants, toasted coconut flakes 

1. Heat EVOO in a medium saucepan, over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently until they are translucent. 

2. Add saffron, rinsed rice, simmering stock, and salt. 

3. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. 

4. Simmer rice until the level of stock is even with the rice. Turn off the heat and cover the pan. 

5. Allow the rice to steam for 20 minutes. 

6. Fluff the rice with a fork. Stir in currants. 

Keep warm to serve. 

Carrot, Beet, and Plum Tzimmes 

For a few weeks in September, the markets, and some grocery stores, carry a small plum called an Italian Prune Plum or Stanley Plum. Deep, almost-black purple on the outside with yellow flesh, these compact, thin-skinned plums are very special. Since they can be dried to a prune, they are deliciously sweet. 

Fresh plums, used in place of traditional prunes, make the most of the harvest, and give this tzimmes a modern twist. The plums hold their shape and add a sweet, citrus-fresh flavor.  

EVOO 

1 large yellow onion, diced 

Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper 

2 pounds colorful carrots, sliced into ½ inch thick pieces 

1-pound red beets, peeled and cut into medium dice 

1 cup pitted dates 

10 prune plums (called Stanley Plums or Italian prune Plums), cut in half and pitted 

1 cup fresh figs, stemmed and cut in half 

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

½ teaspoon cardamom 

1¼ cups apple cider (not apple juice) 

1 fat strip of orange zest 

¼ cup honey 

1. In a large sauté pan or Dutch oven lightly coated with EVOO, sauté onion until deeply 

caramelized. Season with salt and pepper. 

2. Add carrots and beets, dates, plums, figs, cinnamon, cardamom, cider, orange zest and honey. 

2. Cover and braise for 30-40 minutes, until vegetables are tender. 

3. Uncover and continue cooking until braising liquid has reduced to a glaze. 

Apple Upside Down Cake 

Farmers market apples are picked on the day, or the day before, you visit the market. The variety of apples is staggering and fun to explore. I suggest you try some new varietals and find new favorites. 

Semolina flour adds a coarse texture to the cake that will absorb any moisture from the apples and will keep the cake from becoming soggy. And using burnt-honey caramel adds a smoky and pleasant bitterness that is complex and delicious. Be sure to stand by the pan while cooking the honey as it can go from delicious to charred in a minute. 

For the topping 

½ cup honey 

¾ cup light brown sugar, packed 

2 tablespoons apple cider 

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon 

2 medium apples (I like Honeycrisp) 

1 teaspoon lemon juice 

Lightly spray a 9-inch cake pan with EVOO. Line with parchment paper. 

1. Simmer honey in a small saucepan over medium heat until the honey has darkened and 

reduced (do not walk away, as the honey can quickly burn). 

2. Add brown sugar, cider and cinnamon. Simmer until the sugar has dissolved. Allow the 

caramel to cool slightly. 

3. Peel, core and slice apples into ¼ inch slices. Toss with lemon juice. 

4. Pour enough of the caramel to cover the bottom of the lined cake pan. Any leftover sauce can  be served with the cake. 

Arrange apples in caramel sauce. Set aside. 

For the cake 

¾ cup all-purpose flour 

½ cup semolina flour 

¾ cup granulated sugar, divided 

1 teaspoon baking powder 

½ teaspoon sea salt 

¼ teaspoon baking soda 

1½ teaspoons cinnamon 

¼ teaspoon ginger 

Pinch of ground cloves 

2 large eggs, at room temperature 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

½ cup EVOO (best quality) 

Preheat oven to 350°F 

1. In a small bowl, whisk flour, semolina flour, ¼ cup sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, 

cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Set aside. 

2. In a larger bowl, whisk eggs, vanilla, and EVOO together. 

3. Add flour mixture into egg mixture and mix until just combined. 

4. Pour cake batter over apples 

5. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until cake tester inserted near the center comes out clean. 

6. Cool cake on a rack for 5 minutes (if the cake cools too much, the caramel will harden and the 

cake will be stuck.) Run a spatula around the outside of the cake. 

7. Invert the cake onto a serving plate.  

8. Smear any sauce left in the pan over the cake. 

9. Cool before serving.  

10. Leftover caramel sauce can be gently warmed and poured over the cake. 

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