Persimmons

I didn't notice them at first, but when the people ahead of me in line raved about the American persimmons for sale by Coyote Hill Farm at the farmers market, I decided to try them. I had had Asian persimmons when we lived in California but had never tried the native American ones. These were much smaller, maybe around 1 1/2 inches in diameter.

In general, I have to say I'm not convinced they were worth it. Each fruit had several large seeds in it, and while the flesh is very sweet, it's sticky and there isn't that much of it. That said, I know some people love persimmons, so if you find them and don't mind the fuss, give them a try.

After we ate a couple straight, I decided to try to separate the seeds from the pulp and do something with the pulp. It wasn't all that easy. I tried putting them through a food mill, but the seeds were large enough that they got in the way. I eventually ended up pulling the seeds out with my fingers and then putting the flesh through the mill to puree it. That worked reasonably well, but I wouldn't want to do it with a large quantity (I had a pint or so of fruits). This yield around 1/2 to 2/3 cup of puree - though it was really more the consistency of paste than puree.

Since the amount of puree I had wasn't large, I decided to mix it with some applesauce. I did about a 1:4 ratio of persimmon puree to applesauce. It was quite tasty, and turned the pale yellow applesauce a pleasant pale orange color. I think this might make nice fruit leather as well. You could certainly go heavier on the persimmon in the mix if you had enough.

Roasted Garlic Southwest Chicken Soup

Substantial, warming, and full of flavor. If you don't have roasted garlic on hand and don't feel like roasting some just to make this soup, go ahead and make the soup anyway. Substitute 6-8 cloves minced fresh garlic and add it with the onions.

Olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 large red bell pepper, diced (frozen is okay)
2-3 cups corn kernels (frozen is okay)
Chicken stock
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin, or to taste
1 head roasted garlic, cloves peeled and minced
1 lb cooked chicken, shredded or diced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
Optional toppings: chopped pickled chili peppers, cilantro, sour cream

Heat a little olive oil in a soup pot. Add the onion and cook for 3-5 minutes, until translucent. Add the pepper and corn,. Add the chili powder and cumin and cook for another minute. Add chicken stock to cover the vegetables. Simmer until vegetables are tender. Add the garlic and chicken, plus more stock if needed. The soup should be hearty, not too watery. Simmer another few minutes, then add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat. Stir in the cheddar until it melts.

Serve hot. Add toppings at the table if desired.

Serves 4-6.

Simple Roasted Brussels Sprouts

The preparation and seasoning of these sprouts is utterly simple, but they are packed with flavor. This might be my new favorite way to eat them. I topped mine with a sprinkle of fleur de sel before serving, just because I had some, but they don't need it.

1 lb Brussels sprouts, trimmed (large sprouts halved)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Fancy salt for topping (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Place the sprouts in a bowl and drizzle generously with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Spread the sprout on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Roasted for 25-30 minutes, until nicely browned and crispy on the outside and tender when pierced with a fork. Serve hot, topped with a bit of fancy salt if desired.

Serves 3-4.

Cherry Pie Filling from Frozen Cherries

I have always made cherry and berry pies with frozen fruit, not precooked, and they always come out runny. This year I decided I would try cooking the cherry filling ahead of time. It was a bit of extra work, but since I had time, it was totally worth it. This resulted the best cherry pie I have ever made.

3 lbs frozen sour cherries, pitted and thawed (retain the juice)
3/4 cup sugar (more if desired)
1/3 cup corn starch

Allow the cherries to thaw completely. Drain off the juice and reserve it.

In a Dutch oven, combine the cherry juice, sugar, and cornstarch. Cook over medium heat, stirring well, until the sugar and cornstarch are totally dissolved and the mixture reduces and thickens substantially. Stir in the cherries and remove from heat.

To make pie, fill pie shell with the mixture and top as desired; bake for 10 minutes at 450 degrees followed by 40-50 more minutes at 350 degrees.

Makes enough for one relatively deep 9-inch pie.

Parmesan Thyme Roasted Cauliflower

I'm not usually a cauliflower person, but this is excellent. Roasting makes cauliflower deeply flavorful, and the Parmesan and thyme add additional savory layers. (Note that the cauliflower in the photo looks quite dark because I used purple cauliflower. If you use the white kind, it should be nicely browned in places but not dark.)

1 lb cauliflower, cut up
3 Tbsp walnut oil
Salt and pepper
2-3 Tbsp grated Parmesan
A sprinkling of dried thyme

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Toss the cauliflower in a bowl with the other ingredients and make sure it is well coated. Spread it out on a baking sheet in a single layer. Roast for 20-30 minutes, until tender when pierced with a fork. Serve hot.

Serves 3-4.

Grilled Scallions

Grilling in November - what? But here we are, it was over 70 today and the rest of the week is supposed to be beautiful as well. So, grilling. The biggest challenge was seeing the grill in the dark...

As for scallions, well, they are one of the few fresh vegetables left in the garden - though local shiitakes still seem to be available as well and are always excellent on the grill. In the spring I made grilled ramps and loved them so much that I had been meaning to try scallions. I finally got around to it. I served these with Romesco Sauce (which I have a stash of in the freezer), but pesto (which I also have a stash of) would also be great.

5-6 large scallions per person
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Romesco sauce, pesto, or other topping of your choice

Cut the roots of the scallions and trim the green part so they end up around 12 inches (shorter is okay if you have smaller scallions).

Spread the trimmed scallions in a single layer in a baking dish or large plate. Brush or spray all over with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Grill over medium-high heat for about 1 minute per side (check after 30 seconds if you have thin-ish scallions). When browned nicely in places and floppy, they are done.

Serve hot. Pass sauce at the table.

Roasted Chicken Legs with Cherry Tomatoes, Garlic, and Mushrooms

Since we picked all our remaining tomatoes before the freeze, we have quite a few ripening inside still. In fact, we suddenly had more cherry tomatoes ripe on the counter than we were going to be able to use in salads. They were perfect in this one pan oven roasted dinner, which has a Mediterranean flair.

2 lbs chicken legs or other bone-in cuts, skin on
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
1 pint shiitakes or other mushrooms, cubed
1 head garlic (or more to taste), cloves separated and peeled
1 1/2 cups cooked chick peas or white beans
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried thyme

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper.

Combine cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic, and beans in a mixing bowl. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil and toss to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Spread the tomato mixture in the bottom of a large baking dish (10x14 inches) or a half sheet pan with a good rim on it. Place the chicken pieces on top of the veggies. Sprinkle all over with thyme.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is golden.

Serve pieces of chicken with a spoonful of juicy veggies.

Serves 4-6.