Autumn Wrapsody Recipes

AUTUMN WRAPSODY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Toss the squash, bacon, sage and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast, turning once, until the squash is tender and the bacon is crisp, 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, fill a small bowl with ice water. Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Hold the whole chives together with tongs and dip in the boiling water 30 seconds. Remove and dip in the ice water to cool, then remove and drain on paper towels.
• Whisk the chopped chives, vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl. Add the squash-bacon mixture, the turkey, pear and kale; toss. Season with salt and pepper.
• Warm the tortillas in a dry skillet over medium heat, 30 seconds per side. Spoon one-quarter of the turkey-squash mixture down the center of each wrap. Top evenly with the gorgonzola and nuts. Roll each into a cone shape and tie closed with a whole chive.

AUTUMN IN MODENA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 320 degrees F/160 degrees C.
• Wrap the beetroot in foil, place on the oven rack and bake for 2 hours; set aside. Increase the oven temperature to 356 degrees F/180 degrees C. Place the onion and pumpkin on a baking sheet, drizzle over 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil and bake in the oven for 1 hour. Fifteen minutes before the pumpkin and onion are ready to remove from the oven, place the beetroot directly over the gas flame wrapped in foil and grill for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, put the dried apricots in a medium pan, pour in the dark cherry balsamic vinegar and maple syrup and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes until the liquid has been absorbed by the apricots.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil in a saute pan on low heat. Smash the garlic clove with a knife, add to the pan and gently saute for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the garlic from the pan, add the chanterelle mushrooms and a pinch of salt, turn the heat up to medium high and saute for 5 minutes.
• To another saute pan, add the almonds and toast for 3 to 4 minutes on medium-low heat. Then, add the sunflower seeds and a pinch of salt and cook for a further 2 to 3 minutes.
• To assemble the dish, carefully remove the pumpkin from the skin and place on a serving plate or platter. Remove the onion from the skin and place on top. Peel back the foil from the beetroot, slice into pieces and add to the platter. Empty the apricots onto the board, roughly chop and sprinkle over. Place the almonds and sunflower seeds in a mortar and pestle, roughly grind and sprinkle over. Arrange the chanterelle mushrooms on top and around the vegetables and apricots. Pour over the balsamic vinegar. Finally, using a vegetable peeler or a truffle slicer, shave over the black truffle.

AUTUMN SPICE GLAZE

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and heat over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes. To glaze, brush mixture on turkey every 30 minutes (or every 15 minutes if cooking a bone-in turkey breast) after the first hour of cooking.

BOHEMIAN WRAPSODY

Steps:

• In a small skillet over medium heat, mix the first 5 ingredients. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. Browning's good, just be careful not to burn, so you may have to lower the heat toward the end.
• While that's cooking, place the butterflied sausages in another skillet over medium heat, cut side down, and cook until very deep brown. Flip and brown the other side of the sausages; probably about 10 minutes total. (Times are approximate).
• When the above two items are nearly done, grill the tortillas over the direct flame of your stove's gas burner, flipping over frequently -every few seconds- until the aroma is all up in your nostrils in a good way. (I have cats, so know what "a bad way" is all about.) You want the tortillas to ever so slightly begin smoking and getting brown spots on them. You can do them on an electric burner as well, but do be careful not to burn.
• Remove tortillas from flame/heat and move directly to a plate. Place the sauer kraut in a strip down the center half of the tortillas and plop the sausages on top of that. Squeeze a bit of mustard on top, wrap up like a burrito, and --
• "I see a little silhouetto of a man. Scaramouche, scaramouche will you do the fandango? Thunderbolt and lightning, very very frightening, ME!".
• -- I mean, ENJOY! ;o).