Look out Meg Ryan fans, it's Fall.
prime time baby! it's stew/soup/baking season.
Hey There!
Happy FALL!
Or, I guess happy late fall, or maybe just happy autumn?
You know, I’m not too sure because the season officially started two weeks ago, but I started celebrating nearly a month ago.
Anywho, welcome to the warmest season!
By warm, I mean spice-wise, but also it’s still mostly 90-degree days in Texas,
but who’s surprised?
It’s been a while since I’ve written and have fully swung into fall cuisine.
Soup season. Baking season. Squash season. and all the warm spices to my heart's content.
This is also a season where the majority of recipes look like brown-ish slop…but hey, it’s delicious!
Fall is also such a great TV and film season. Film and food go hand in hand so well.
First example that comes to mind: Ratatouille, c’mon it’s a masterpiece.
In honor of Fall, here are a couple of dishes I’ve made within the new season and the films they remind me of.
Dish #1 - I don’t have a title for this recipe.
I truly have no idea what the heck to call this.
I braised some cabbage in my fridge with garlic, salt pepper, and a little bit of lemon juice. Roasted some chickpeas and sweet potatoes in a lot of warm spices (I blacked out, I couldn’t tell ya what I put in there) till they were mega crispy.
Topped it with a gorgeous dressing made from tahini, Louisiana hot sauce, red wine vinegar, and maple syrup, and finished with a hefty amount of cilantro. It was comforting but also felt very chic, even though the primary ingredients aren’t very glamorous.
Whenever I cook with cabbage, I always think of the scene in Charlie & The Chocolate Factory (1971) when Charlie’s grandparents are all eating cabbage soup. Which isn’t even soup, it’s just cabbage and water. ALSO, I STILL DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY ALL FOUR HAVE BEEN BEDRIDDEN FOR TWO DECADES. If anyone has the answer please fill me in.
As a kid, I thought it looked SO GOOD, but girl, it’s literally just cabbage. Now the cabbage seen above though, was actually SO GOOD.
Dish #2 - Lentil Orzo Stew with Labne.
I kid you not, this dish HEALED my body and soul last week.
Last Monday, I woke up with vertigo, had a constant headache all day, and felt overall just bad. But it wasn’t contagious bad, just unwell. I knew I needed to make a soup/stew as soon as I got home from work, and sure enough, I was cured.
This stew contained brown lentils, kale, carrots, onion, homemade chicken stock, a little bit of tomato, and orzo. I also added lots of ginger, garlic turmeric, cumin, sumac, and cinnamon.
After a lot of staring and reminiscing, this dish reminds me of the dish in Nacho Libre Nacho makes during the intro credits. It’s some brown liquid (with a head of cabbage) to which he adds sour cream, and then it boils down to a brown paste? The math doesn’t add up honestly.
While this movie does not scream fall, it screams childhood and comfort—which in a way, screams fall.
Dish #3 - Pumpkin Banana Bread Squares
I froze my pumpkin and my bananas. Preserving them both in the freezer and then reheating was a total game changer and made these squares extra spongey and moist. Super comforting. Super delicious.
I also topped it with some Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Cream Cheese.
Honestly, I don’t really get the hype…but one of the employees/my newfound friend said it was their favorite….sorry Haleigh.
Spoiler: this dish specifically does not remind me of any films.
HOWEVER, fall baking as a whole always reminds me of When Harry Met Sally. There was a season in college (mostly in the fall/winter time) where I’d put on When Harry Met Sally and whip up some kind of baked good if I was feeling sad or had a bad day.
It’s some of the finest fall cinematography I have EVER seen. Plus Meg Ryan’s entire wardrobe is stellar.
All in all, I hope fall has been treating you well, and on behalf of everyone in Texas, praying for cool weather to match the season.
With Love,
Cara