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Beef Braised in Red Wine
Winter has arrived with the call for us to make the coziest dinners of the year, and this is a recipe you will want to make well into January and beyond. Beef braised in red wine becomes incredibly tender and will entice you to settle in for a warm night at home. The long braise means plenty of hands-off cooking time during which to enjoy other pursuits while everything cooks up to perfection in the oven. Alongside aromatics, I prefer to include whole baby carrots in this dish and a generous handful of sweet cherry tomatoes, which burst in the pot. Give everything a good stir before nestling the carrots…
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Root Vegetable Gratin
Spiraled in a baking dish, root vegetables form the base of a delicious gratin that can be served as fittingly for Thanksgiving or any holiday as it can be for an indulgent weeknight dinner. Potatoes give a familiar and comforting flavor while beets, turnips, rutabaga, and other varieties lend a bit more interest, with the choice of customization completely yours. Red beets are particularly delicious, though they do cause the entire dish to become quite tinged with their color. For this reason, you may wish to opt for the golden variety. As a holiday dish, this one disappears quickly and can take the place of mashed potatoes if you are…
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Roasted Carrot Soup
When carrots are roasted, their natural flavor intensifies and carries a savory soup in a way I love even more than butternut squash. Try this recipe if you enjoy roasted vegetables, hearty soups, or are looking for a plant-based dish for lunch or dinner. Traditional or vegan grilled cheese croutons or sandwiches served on the side make this the coziest meal. Even though the heat stayed with us well into September, there were breaks when cool days called me to make a pot of soup, dream of crispness in the air, and even think a bit ahead to the Thanksgiving holiday. Fortunately carrots develop more sweetness as we head toward…
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Autumn Harvest Salad with Cheddar, Grapes, Pear, and Maple Crunch Topping
Autumn arrives with an abundance of cool-weather greens and a new crop of fruit, both of which are made better with the toasty edge this maple crunch topping lends to a seasonal salad. The ingredients are fit for a cheese plate, so opt for the best aged cheddar you can find. Bosc pears add their bronze color and characteristic juiciness to the mix, and a dressing with reduced apple cider contributes more classic fall fruit goodness. When making the maple crunch topping, feel free to use your preferred nuts and/or seeds or make use of what you already have on hand in the pantry. A combination of pecans, walnuts, pumpkin seeds,…
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Skillet Cornbread Topped with Tomatoes and Rosemary
Skillet cornbread may be the best kind to serve, as it cooks up with a toasty bottom and tender middle. I love to top mine with garden tomatoes and chopped rosemary to hold onto every last bit of summer. Since corn is available through September, fold some into the batter for added texture and flavor using the recipe below. Recently I recommended this as the ultimate side to my summer Cobb salad, and with Labor Day weekend here, this is a crowd-pleasing addition to the menu. By the start of September, our vegetable gardens have become looser, more natural and sprawling, and our dishes follow suit. The actual amounts of…
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