October Food Letter
October Food Letter
Jump to RecipeEvery month in 2009, I am writing a post detailing some specific things about food in the upcoming month.
Fall is upon us and it’s finally starting to cool off to a livable temperature in DC. Fall is by far my favorite season of the year. What’s not to love? There’s apple picking, pumpkin carving, and Halloween!
What to eat in October
Watercress – Watercress is such a great ingredient. It can add a ton of flavor and color to any dish. Its peppery, tangy flavor is especially great in soups, salads, and sandwiches though.
It’s the lunchtime green!
Cantonese Watercress Soup – I’ve definitely never seen a recipe like this before, but it caught my eye not just because of the great photo, but also because it uses a lot of the green stuff! (@ Soy and Pepper)
Cucumber and Watercress Salad – I can taste this salad as I read it. It takes just a few minutes to toss together and I bet it is really refreshing. (@ Sidewalk Shoes)
Dill Biscuits with Smoked Salmon and Watercress – I love smoked salmon so much and I have a feeling that it would be especially great paired with some watercress on a homemade biscuit! (@ Closet Cooking)
Butternut Squash – A strangely-shaped vegetable, no doubt, but a very delicious one also.
Preparing the Butternut Squash – A great little video if you need some help on how to break down one of these guys. (@ Youtube)
Butternut Squash Soup with Cinnamon Croutons – This looks like a fantastic fall soup. I can see this being great on a cool fall night. (@ Pig Pig’s Corner)
Butternut Squash Fries, Three Ways – Like one way wouldn’t be enough! Sometimes potatoes get a little boring and these look like a great alternative. (@ Peanut Butter Boy)
Butternut Squash Risotto – This looks filling and delicious. I’m such a sucker for a good risotto. (@ Recipe Girl)
Pumpkin – Well, most people just sit these out and use them as decoration or make pumpkin pie out of the canned stuff (which is delicious). Here are some other uses though.
Cinnamon and Chili Pumpkin Seeds – It’s pretty common to make roasted pumpkin seeds as you are carving out your gourd. This is a good twist on the standard. (@ ZOE)
Pumpkin Curry – This has chicken in it also, but I figure you could leave it out if you wanted to go all veg. Looks fantastic though. (@ Life Loves the Curious)
Pumpkin and Prosciutto Lasagna – I love every single thing in this recipe. It is outstanding. (@ Cooking Books)
Walnuts – Walnuts aren’t something that I cook with very often, but every time I do have them I always say to myself, Wow. I should cook with more walnuts! So here are some ideas!
Candied Walnut Salad – You put walnuts in sugar and cook them and then they are even more delicious. The salad makes them healthy right?! (@ Our Best Bites)
Brussel Sprouts with Walnuts – Ok. There is also wonderful little gnocchi in this recipe. Everything looks just stunning. I want this tonight for dinner. (@ Seven Spoons)
Fruit Salad with Walnuts – This looks pretty straightforward. Simple and delicious! (@ Lucullian Delights)
October Holidays
Ray Kroc’s Birthday (Oct. 5th). Ray Kroc is the founder of McDonald’s if you didn’t know. So maybe have a hamburger today, but I recommend not having it at The Golden Arches. Sorry Ray man.
Columbus Day (Oct. 12th). Maybe you are lucky enough to not have to work on this Monday? That would be sweet.
Halloween (Oct. 31st). Quite possibly my favorite holiday. What’s not to love about Halloween? I have a black cat for goodness sake! I always like to make up a big batch of Intestines for Halloween.
That’s it for this food letter. Have a great October everyone!
Photos by Ulterior Epicure and Pieter Musterd
Thought you’d appreciate the below event- I am going to check it out because a) I love Six Point beer and b) I love Co. pizza. You should come up to NY and come meet Jim Lahey! I’ve got a free place to stay for you 4 blocks away from the pizza joint.
Pizza plus Beer
What: Jim Lahey hosts as you try Six Point selections carefully matched with five different pies (including new cauliflower version).
Why: Everything’s Co-pacetic.
When: Sat., noon-4 p.m.
Where: Co., 230 Ninth Ave., at 24th St. R.S.V.P. to [email protected].
I just have to put in my two cents and wholeheartedly recommend the butternut squash fries. I had bought a butternut squash a couple of weeks ago with no clear plan in mind (man, those things last forever!) and one day, I just cut into it, hoping I would think of what to do with it once it was stripped down. I noticed it had a similar texture and color to raw sweet potato (almost), so I just made it like I make my sweet potatoes… sliced up and tossed with olive oil and a sprinkle of mrs dash, baked until golden brown. Best thing ever! I am seriously going to make those things at least twice a week for the rest of the fall.
Thanks so much for the Candied Walnut Salad link. I was trying to find a recipe like that to bring to a dinner tonight, and it’s perfect!
Oh, and I love your website!
What a great idea! Lots of good recipe links here. Thanks for including mine :)
I might just ruin this all for you, but nothing says fall like deep fried apple hand pies. I mean c’mon.
Got your email, haven’t had a chance to respond, but am interested. Will email you fri.