Early Fall Fabulous Recipes

IN CHARLES’ WORDS:

Autunno.

No question, Fall is my preferred season, the temperature suddenly cools, humidity forgotten. The air is cleansed. Beyond the open windows, a swirling ballet of leaves dances on the wind, myriad colors mix with the bounty of summers just picked harvest. Natures finest reward. Perfezione! So, today, let’s make, fresh picked pumpkin soup! Who could ask for a more delicious, nutritious starter when the chill hits town?

I couldn’t! I could eat vats of it. With a meal, or as a meal in itself with the beloved Tuscan Schiaciatta con l’uva, a grape sweet bread, the simple, simply delicious recipe Nancy shares with us today. YUM! YUM! YUM! And, for the main course, Nancy’s choice of chicken breasts with freshly picked assorted mushrooms and carrots seasoned with a variety of fresh herbs in Torre di Gamberiaia Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Nancy and Mario’s Tuscan olive grove. Add a dash or three of freshly harvested sea salt, our Rivesaline Il de Ré Sel Saveur! My mouth is watering. Mangiare!

FROM OUR NANCY:

Fall in New England: for some it means sweater weather, trips to Vermont for leaf peeping, the excitement of Halloween and Thanksgiving – for others, it’s the dreaded precursor of a long, cold New England winter to come. Either way, Fall is an excellent inspiration for a whole new group of food ideas and recipes.

In New England pumpkins and squash are the first things that come to mind, while in Tuscany grapes are being harvested, funghi (mushroom) hunting is in full swing, and chestnuts are falling to the ground.

The curried butternut squash soup recipe from that classic cookbook The Silver Palate is one of my favorite fall recipes. But for this post I decided to go with a classic Italian style pumpkin soup.

I had always thought of pumpkin as an American vegetable, one usually reserved for Jack-O-Lanterns and pumpkin pie. I recently discovered that pumpkins have been in use in Italy since at least the 1500’s, when they were introduced by the Spanish. In fact, Pellegrino Artusi’s cookbook from 1891, The Art of Eating Well, contains a recipe for pumpkin soup, “Zuppa di Zucca Gialla”, a simple soup made with a roux of butter and flour, pumpkin, and broth.

Artusi’s The Art of Eating Well, published in 1891, is widely considered to be the first “Italian” cookbook, as it encompasses recipes from not just one region, but from all of the regions of Italy,

I have chosen to use Kabocha Squash, as it is most like the pumpkin I have found in Italy, and to Artusi’s simple recipe I have added some fresh herbs and spices and replaced the roux with a white potato to add thickness.

In Tuscany early Fall brings another abundant crop, grapes of all kinds, many destined to become wine. A great tradition that goes along with the grape harvest in Tuscany is the appearance of the beloved Schiaciatta con l’uva, grape sweet bread, present everywhere during the season. Whether it is a bread or a cake you can decide, but one thing is for certain, you will not stop eating it until the last piece is finished. Although simple, it will take some time for the three dough rises, so it is best to start this first thing in the morning.

The grapes used in Tuscany are generally canaiolo, uva fragola or Sangiovese, none of which were available here, but I did luck out and find some Concord grapes and frankly, they were marvelous. Baking is not my specialty but this Schiaciatta con l’Uva is easy. The dough is very forgiving, and the end result so delicious, that it is a good choice for a beginning bread maker.

The dough can be mixed in a stand mixer, as I have done, and then kneaded by hand. You will need a warm place to put the dough so it can rise – I turned my oven on the lowest temperature and then turned it off and left the dough to rise inside with the door open.

Finally, for our main dish, Chicken with Mushrooms is a wonderful choice as you can use as large or small a variety of mushrooms as you have access to. The creamy finish and the fork tenderness of the chicken breasts make this elegant entrée suitable for any Fall dinner party with friends. All it needs is a simple side of buttered rice to and steamed carrots, both of which will absorb that creamy, woodsy mushroom sauce.

CHICKEN WITH MUSHROOMS

• 4 skinless boneless breasts of chicken, or chicken tenders
• ½ cup flour
• ½ tsp. garlic powder
• ½ tsp. Rivesaline Il de Re’ Sel Saveur, thyme and rosemary salt
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 large shallots, chopped (or substitute onion)
• 2 TBS Torre di Gamberaia Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 4 TBS butter
• 16 oz. Baby Bella mushrooms
• Mix of 8 oz specialty mushrooms, portobello, shitake, oyster, maitake, etc.
• Several sprigs of thyme
• 1-1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Freshly ground black pepper

You will need two pans for this, one saute’ pan and one dutch oven or pan large enough to hold the entire ingredients.

Warm the butter in the sauté’ pan and sauté’ the mushrooms in the butter until soft and they have released their liquids, then continue cooking until most of the liquid has been absorbed.

Pound the chicken breasts with a meat pounder until they are even and half their original thickness. This will tenderize the chicken and make it cook more evenly.

Dredge the chicken breasts in the flour mixed with garlic powder and Il de Re’ salt. Warm 2 TBS. olive oil in the dutch oven. Sauté’ the floured chicken breasts until browned on both sides and then remove to a plate.

In the same pan using the same oil, add an additional 1 TBS olive oil and sauté’ the onion and garlic together until soft. Add the wine, bring to a slight boil, then add the chicken broth thyme and cream, and continue on high heat to bring the mixture back to a boil.

Add the mushrooms and chicken to the dutch oven, bring to a boil again, and simmer on low heat for 15-20 minutes. The sauce should be reduced to a creamy thickness.

Add black pepper. Serve with white jasmine or basmati rice and steamed carrots.

SCHIACCIATA CON L’UVA

• 2-1/4 tsp. (or one packet) quick-rise yeast
• ½ cup lukewarm water (between 110-115 degrees Fahrenheit)
• 2-1/4 cups all purpose or bread flour
• ½ tsp  Rivesaline Il de Re’ Fleur de sel salt
• ½ cup Torre di Gamberaia extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup sugar
• ½ cup additional flour (for kneading the dough)
• 1.5 lb concord grapes

Dissolve the yeast in the water. It should bubble up and become foamy after about 10 minutes, then you will know that the yeast is alive. Mix the flour and salt in the standing mixer with dough attachment (or bowl). Add the yeast water and combine on low speed until mixed. The dough will be wet. Using a spatula, scrape the dough together and form it into a ball and put it into a clean kitchen cloth, place in a bowl, and leave in a previously warm oven or other warm spot to rise for one hour.

Place some flour on a wooden or stone surface and knead the dough again, add 1/3 of the olive oil,  and ¼ cup of the sugar. Shape into a ball again, wrap in the cloth again and place in a warm place. Let it rise again for another hour or more. If it seems too sticky, add a bit of flour a tiny bit at a time.

Use some of the oil to grease a 9 X 12 baking pan. Divide the dough into two balls and using your hands, press one dough ball out into a flat rectangle (you might not use up the entire pan surface). Top the dough with half the grapes, spreading them out evenly. Place some flour on a wooden or stone surface, and roll out the second ball of dough, using a rolling pin or, in a pinch, a wine or olive oil bottle. Place the second piece of dough carefully over the first (I found that folding it first was helpful). Press the rest of the grapes into the top layer or dough and sprinkle with the rest of the sugar.

Leave this to rise again for an hour or two, then bake at 375 F (350 for convection oven) for 30 minutes, but keep an eye on it as over temperatures vary.

Cool, slice into squares and enjoy!

Check back for more great recipes. And don’t forget to visit Nancy’s olive oil site at: Torre Di Gamberaia and Rivesaline Salts