Nestled cozily between the summer and winter, the season of fall has immaculate vibes as the weather cools down, the leaves start to change color and school returns to being back in full session. Consequently, the food that defines fall is starkly different from what is popular over the summer. As ice cream and barbecue staples fall out of fashion, notes of pumpkin spice and warm soup return to the forefront of the cultural palette. Here are three recipes that capture the spirit of fall.
Pumpkin bread adapted from Rookie with a cookie
Ingredients:
Small amount of butter and flour
1½ cups white granulated sugar
2 eggs
Splash of vanilla extract
1½ cups pumpkin puree
⅓ cup vegetable oil
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Coat 5-by-9 inch baking pan with butter and then dust with flour.
3. Whisk eggs and sugar together in a large mixing bowl.
4. Add vanilla, pumpkin puree and oil to the bowl and whisk together.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon together.
6. Add flour mixture to the wet ingredients and fold together until just combined.
7. Add batter to baking pan.
8. Bake pumpkin bread at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 62 to 67 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.
Chicken Soup adapted from Adam Ragusea
Ingredients:
Whole raw chicken (roughly 4 pounds)
Celery
Onions
Garlic
Carrots
(Any other desired vegetables)
Salt
Black pepper
Directions:
1. Place chicken in large pot.
2. Remove giblets from chicken (they should be in a bag inside the chicken) and place in the pot.
3. Fill pot with cool water and make sure the chicken is covered.
4. Cover pot and cook on high heat until bubbling.
5. Reduce to a simmer and let cook for one to two hours until the chicken is tender and starts to fall apart.
6. Prepare desired vegetables and cut into slightly larger than bite size pieces (they will shrink) and mince the garlic finely.
7. Once the chicken is falling off the bone, remove everything from the pot.
8. Add the vegetables to the broth along with a couple pinches of salt.
9. Let vegetables simmer for 30 minutes to soften.
10. Remove all the chicken from the bone with your hands and add back to the soup before serving.
11. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper.
Chicken Marsala adapted from Pasquale Sciarappa Recipes
Ingredients:
Two to three chicken breasts
One shallot
Three cloves garlic
10 oz mushrooms
All-purpose flour
Salt
Pepper
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Light olive oil
Pasta
Marsala wine
Chicken stock
Cornstarch
Water
Directions:
1. Dice shallot and three cloves of garlic.
2. Wash and then slice mushrooms into thin slices.
3. Slice chicken breasts into two thin cutlets and pound to even thickness throughout.
4. Prepare bowl with a pile of flour seasoned with salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder.
5. Dry and then coat each chicken breast cutlet in flour mixture.
6. Coat pan with a thin layer of olive oil and fry chicken in it for three to four minutes on each side or until golden brown.
7. Coat a different pan with a thin layer of olive oil and fry shallot and garlic until aromatic.
8. Add mushrooms to the garlic and shallot along with salt and cook mushrooms to desired tenderness.
9. Boil pot of water and cook pasta according to the package instructions.
10. Once chicken and vegetables are cooked, add 1 cup marsala wine to a pan and boil for two minutes to cook the alcohol off.
11. Add 2 cups of chicken stock and a cornstarch slurry to the wine, containing 1 tablespoon each of cornstarch and water, to thicken the sauce.
12. Add vegetables and chicken to the sauce and let simmer for a few minutes before serving.