Using the Best of Autumn’s Harvest

This is not an article about vegan, macrobiotic, gluten-free, fat-free, low-carb, high-protein or totally vegetarian food. It is about balanced, flavorful meals using fewer animal products and more plant-based fall ingredients.

Consider this: vegetables are versatile, alone or in combination, whether you’re making a soup, salad, side dish or main course. They offer endless nuances of flavor.

Writing this article brought me back to a meal I prepared for myself one evening last fall. I wanted comfort food. I spotted a package of cornmeal on a pantry shelf, and then found a box of mushrooms and a bunch of broccoli rabe in the refrigerator. Dinner started to take shape. It would be a soft polenta—instead of the firm one I usually make—topped with tomato sauce, or ragu.

I began to think of the possibilities. I could saute the rabe with garlic, olive oil and a dash of red pepper and do something similar with the mushrooms. Then I could spoon the polenta into a bowl, topping it first with the rabe and then with the mushroom and a dose of grated Parmesan cheese. I also had a small wedge of imported Gorgonzola. In Italy, Gorgonzola is traditionally served with most polenta dishes. A simple green salad drizzled with my favorite extra virgin olive oil and a dash of balsamic vinegar, and seasoned with a little salt and pepper, would go well with this meal. This all sounded good, but I am a big fan of protein in my meals. I thought for a minute of something I had read about polenta and beans nourishing peasants and laborers in the eighteenth century. I found a can of Roman beans in the pantry and decided to get creative. I washed and drained the beans and folded them into the polenta at the end. Perfect! That dinner became my inspiration for this article.

This past summer at Beyond the Plate, the first food symposium in Truro, registered dietitian Nicole Cormier prepared lunch. She is cofounder of The Local Juice in Hyannis and author of The Everything Guide to Nutrition. On the menu was her Summer Grain Bowl. With a light dressing, it was flavorful and totally satisfying. It reminded me of the tradition in Japanese, Korean and Hawaiian meals that emphasizes color, balance and flavor in one-bowl dishes. I wanted to know more about how Cormier created combinations for her bowls and how people can make seasonal meals.

“I like to think first of what is going to be my vegetable. Second, what’s going to be my protein,” Cormier said. “It is just the reverse of how most people think of what they are going to have for dinner. The first thing is to have at least one full cup of vegetables. For fall I like beets, cauliflower, slices of winter squash, maybe grilled or baked with a little seasoning. Same with Brussels sprouts or Swiss chard. Mushrooms also add a nice touch. Then pick a good handful of your choice of leafy greens and chop them. Beet greens work well, as do kale, spinach and arugula. Place them in the bowl first, and then add the warm ingredients, which will wilt the dark, leafy greens perfectly. Add a half-cup of grain protein next. It could be quinoa, brown or white rice, farro, wheat berry, or regular or toasted buckwheat. If you wish, add about six ounces of seafood or four ounces of poultry, pork or beef.” It’s a simple, delicious meal.

To add even more flavor, Cormier suggests adding “fresh herbs, spices, homemade dressing, citrus olive oil, or any type of vinegar. There are many choices. Designing your own nourishing meal bowl is creative and fun!”

Cormier’s work reminded me of Diet for a Small Planet by Frances Moore Lappe. First published in the seventies, the book kicked off a revolution in the way Americans eat; it is as relevant today as it was then. Her book’s philosophy goes to the heart of our culture and sheds light on why we are the way we are, including the current epidemic of obesity, diabetes and other weight-related illnesses. Unlike several other books, Frances Moore Lappe’s has a very positive message—we can improve our health by altering what we eat—and offers a different lifestyle that will enable us to change for the better as a society. Lappe and her daughter wrote an update in 2002 called Hope’s Edge: The Next Diet for a Small Planet.

With all this in mind, I came up with other tasty fall dishes that are not totally dependent on animal protein. Inspiration came from the farmers’ markets around the Cape, with their abundance and variety of local produce. My staple easy tomato sauce can be used by itself, with a dollop of ricotta cheese, or in a variety of recipes like the ones below. The Squash Lasagna is meatless, also using the Fifteen-Minute Tomato Sauce, but if you have a favorite meat sauce, it would also work. I like using my own fresh lasagna pasta instead of the thick ones available in grocery stores. If you want fresh, A Slice of Italy in Falmouth offers a variety of fresh and dried pasta along with sheets for the lasagna.

If you are not into foraging for your own mushrooms for the Mixed Wild Mushroom Ragout, you can find assorted fresh ones at the Falmouth Farmers’ Market on Thursdays. Silverbrook Farm has a great selection. For your polenta (cornmeal), Nedo Puliti at A Slice of Italy carries one imported from Italy. If you decide to make Lisa Golden Schroeder’s appetizer of grilled bread spread with the Crescenza-Stracchino soft cheese–topped wild mushroom ragout, Puliti also carries this short-shelf-life cheese.