SEASONAL RECIPES Cooking with 5 fall ingredients

There’s a poem I love called “September Tomatoes,” by the Massachusetts based poet Karina Borowicz. It closes beautifully: “My greatgrandmother sang with the girls of her village / as they pulled the flax. Songs so old / and so tied to the season that the very sound / seemed to turn the weather.”

Borowicz captures in her poem what I try to capture in my kitchen this time of year: the palpable shift from one time of year into another.

My favorite fall recipes:

Apples

My take includes warm wedges cooked in brown butter that can veer savory with sage or sweet with brown sugar. You can serve the savory ones alongside roast chicken or pork chops, or on toast that you’ve slathered with goat cheese or ricotta.

Butternut squash

Any winter squash for that matter, offers similar versatility. You can grate the flesh and mix it with Parmesan, thyme, a bit of flour and egg and fry the mixture into irresistible fritters that are perfect to serve with cocktails at your next dinner party.

Brussels sprouts

These can also take on so many forms and lend themselves well to strong flavors. One of my favorite techniques includes mustard in three forms: mustard seeds that add crunch and pop (these are optional, but do try them if you can find them); Dijon mustard, creamy but sharp; and grainy mustard, sort of a cross between the first two.

Cauliflower

With its sturdy florets (and, incidentally, now available in a range of colors), can also stand up to big flavors. I like to roast a whole head broken into pieces until they’re browned and crisp at the edges and toss with butter and hot sauce, like chicken wings sans the chicken. Or roast and drizzle with a simple cheddar cheese sauce (like nachos sans the chips).

Grapes

While available all year, hit their peak in the fall. Besides just eating out of hand, try cooking with them. I like to throw them on a sheet pan with bitter broccoli rabe and fennel-scented Italian sausages and roast the whole tray.

From my kitchen to yours, fall.