September 16, 2007 Fall Cooking

Fall is my favourite season for so many reasons. The obvious one is the fantastic array of brilliant colours – the reds, oranges and yellows ablaze against a stark backdrop of brown, deep evergreen and clear blue Northwestern Ontario sky. Who can’t appreciate that? Another is that indefinable musky smell that permeates the air – kind of a combination of apple tang, wood smoke and falling leaves tinged with the crisp hint of winter. I love it. But what I love even more is the sense of optimistic expectancy and the hustle and bustle of activity that seems to infect everyone. Gone are the carefree, hazy, lazy days of summer. For many, autumn heralds spiritual, mental and physical revitalization. It signals the time to return to school or work, plunge into new projects, meet new people, even change eating habits because now the weather’s cool enough to actually turn on the stove and COOK! Which (although a more visceral one) is the principal reason for my ongoing love affair with this season. Appetites, mine included, return with the cool weather and there is something very satisfying about creating homemade muffins and breads, chilies, soups and stews – foods that, as my mother used to say, stick to the ribs. Hence, my following recommendations, all of which, incidentally, are available at the Thunder Bay Public Library.

COMPANY’S COMING: COOKING FOR THE SEASONS by Jean Pare. c2002
Although this book offers year-round inspiration for seasonal cooking, its section devoted to fall contains some wonderful recipes. End a chilly day with cheesy asparagus chowder or acorn squash soup with Parmesan herb bread and a roasted vegetable stew or pork chop bake.Yummy! There are also some great harvest preserves ideas and Thanksgiving recipes which are sure to tempt event the most finicky of palates.

THE COMPLETE HUNTER VENISON COOKERY. c1997
In our neck of the woods, Fall signals the beginning of hunting season. This book offers a full-range of delectable recipes using deer meat and also includes a chart that outlines the various big-game cuts that you can substitute for the most common deer cuts. Its comprehensive section on sausages and smoke-house specialties, with detailed instructions for special processes like stuffing sausages and smoking jerky, makes it the perfect, all-round cookery source for the avid hunter!

SPIRIT OF THE HARVEST: NORTH AMERICAN INDIAN COOKING by Beverly Cox and Martin Jacobs. c1992
Spirit of the Harvest’s authentic recipes, detailed, full-colour photographs and informative text beautifully present the distinctive and delicious cooking of North American Indians from coast to coast. This carefully researched cookbook incorporates many indigenous ingredients hailed today for their healthfulness and flavour – wild rice, corn, beans, sunflower seeds, venison, buffalo, fowl and fish. Many recipes come from noted cooks who are members of the different tribes and all recipes can be easily prepared using modern kitchen techniques.

THE MANY BLESSINGS COOKBOOK: A CELEBRATION OF HARVEST, HOME AND COUNTRY COOKERY by Jane Watson Hopping, the Pioneer Lady. c1993
This is rapidly becoming one of my favourite cook books. It’s an old-fashioned celebration of the bountiful season of autumn containing over 100 scrumptious, traditional recipes (Effie’s Late Fall Deep Dish Pear Pie is mouth-watering!) along with poems, illustrations and anecdotes presented with all the heart-warming charm that readers have come to expect from the Pioneer Lady. Read, cook and enjoy!

PERFECT PRESERVES by Hilaire Walden. c2002
The title really says it all. Here is the perfect guide to the many methods for preserving all kinds of foods right in your own kitchen. Drying, curing, pickling, canning, crystalizing, freezing, smoking, potting, making chutney, relishes, jams, jellies, marmalades, fruit cheeses, curds and butters – it’s all included – and once you’ve mastered the basics, you’ll also find delicious recipes for using your preserved foods. Don’t forget, few gifts are received with as much enthusiasm as homemade food and jars of preserves!

Memories that evoke the special spirit of autumn are often made while sharing harvest feasts with family and friends. These are the moments that are remembered and recounted from generation to generation around crackling fires, football games, pumpkin gathering, Thanksgiving celebrations and Hallowe’en parties. So, this fall, visit the library, check out some of the great seasonal cookery books and add to your family’s list of cherished reminiscences.

Jill Otto, Library Technician