What is Good to Eat in September
A bit of what you fancy for the autumn…
I often think September is my favourite month, it’s not too hot, not too cold, the kids (not mine) go back to school, the game season begins in earnest and wild mushrooms are in plentiful supply.
As a chef, writing menus in accordance with the season falls into two categories; easy (late spring/summer and early autumn) and bloody hard (november/december/january/february/early march)
Winter food shouldn’t be hard, in fact, I love to cook winter dishes but the meat, fish and vegetables at that time of year are very drab in colour and the punters don’t like drab. September is good, there are good late summer fruits to be had, blackberries (I’ve got my eye on a glut of freebies) and elderberries are worth the trouble to pick as are mushrooms if you know what you are doing.
Chefs can’t wait for the cepes to arrive in their kitchens, the chanterelles and girolles have done their job until now but the noble porcini is a thing of beauty. Throw some in a risotto, a soup or pan-fried with some chicken or game and there isn’t much to beat it. Chicken of the woods is another curious fungi, one for slicing with a questionable taste of chicken it is good in braises and soups or cooked slowly in butter and olive oil.
As far as wild vegetables and herbs are concerned there isn’t much to shout about, there’s a bit of wood sorrel and samphire still lingering about but that’s about it. Better to wait for the trees to begin to shed their fruits-ah, the joy of a sweet chestnut smashed against your schoolboy knuckles!
If you like fish then try some bass, crab or mackerel, for a meat alternative there is rabbit and wood pigeon. Start thinking about drying some herbs or, if you are growing tomatoes then you may have a few green ones to deal with. These make excellent chutney.
Me? well I am having a few days off so I shall bring out the tagine pot and enjoy a moroccan number after a day spent photographing or digging, or both!
Miles,
I have tried some blackberries out in the wild the other day and was disappointed as they were quite sour. I hope that you will be more lucky with your freebees.
You are getting me into the mood for casseroles already.
Still thinking cooking then on your days off!
September 2, 2007 @ 9:49 am
Miles,
I remember finding a cep on an organized mushroom expedition which the local council ran once or twice a year. For Lincolnshire folk, have a look in the What’s On leaflet and you will find details. Unlike our continental friends, most Brits wouldn’t know a cep if they fell over it. Some years ago Antony Carluccio was coming out of his Covent Garden shop as I was going in … I was drawn in by the scent of white truffle. They were kind enough to explain all about this white gold even though they knew I wouldn’t be buying. I have settled instead for the infused oil now readily available, to ‘lift’ a homemade mushroom soup.
Do truffles grow well in polytunnels?!
Cid
p.s. your culinary articles are poetic and devine … they go very well with some excellent tea.
September 2, 2007 @ 11:47 am
Cid,
You are quite right about most English folk not knowing more about mushrooms which is a great shame. The smell of proper wild mushrooms, i.e not cultivated oyster and brown cap labelled as ‘wild’ can be quite something.
As for your truffle oil then I don’t blame you for using it, especially over some mushroom soup. I recall with some dismay a time when chefs latched on to cheap truffle oil and literally poured it over everything, thinking it sounded expensive. Truffle oil can be either wonderful or really quite nasty. It is worth spending an extra couple of pounds/dollars/euros/yen/baht etc (I am aiming for a worldwide audience here!) to get a good quality oil. Dark truffle oil is good, I use it to finish dishes, never at the start. So a couple of drops in some scrambled eggs, a risotto or pasta can yield great results.
As for growing them in polytunnels, I wouldn’t be too keen on the tree branches ripping the polythene!
Thanks for the compliment, it’s very encouraging. You can’t beat tea and reading about food-just wish you could get hold of some of the tea that I drink by ‘Mighty Leaf’-glorious stuff.
miles
September 2, 2007 @ 4:03 pm
Miles,
A nice young man once gave me a bag of Mighty Leaf mint tea … I have no idea where he got it from
such are the shady dealings of the culinary world. As his rain coat opened I thought I was in for a cheap Rolex, instead a solitary ML bag appeared!
Cid
September 2, 2007 @ 6:12 pm
Cid,
Beware of men in rain coats, especially in the middle of a hot spell!
Ciderella you shall try the chamomile!!
regards
miles
September 2, 2007 @ 7:21 pm