Fall Food....

It's freezing out!!! And the crisp weather of fall makes me crave warm fall foods. I was inspired by some of the flavors that I had been introduced to while in Italy, so I decided that the chilly weather was grounds for some experimentation in the kitchen! I made roasted red skin potatoes with fennel seeds and rosemary, faro with roasted veggies and white beans. All the dishes were a hit with my dinner guests and they offered up flavors that warm you to the bone. But the highlight of the night wasn't necessarily the meal....it was the breathtakingly beautiful sky as the sun was setting. Mother Nature is truly the greatest artist....

Roasted (Red Skin) Potatoes with Fennel + Rosemary:
6 medium red skin potatoes cooked (in microwave) and sliced (into wedges)
Salt
Pepper
Fennel seeds
Fresh rosemary
Olive oil (good quality!!!!!)
Roasted in the oven on 350 for an hour or until crisp.

Faro with Roasted Veggies:
3 cups faro (I cheated and used Trader Joes 10min Faro)
To the faro, I added diced, roasted....
-zucchini
-red pepper
-red onion
-fennel (not the bulb, but the stalks)
Season with salt, pepper, garlic and fennel fronds
Drizzle with generous amount of olive oil
Juice of one juicy lemon

Umbria-Inspired White Beans
16 oz bag of white beans (cannelini) soaked overnight
In a soup pot, sauté diced
-red pepper
-garlic
-red onion
And then add in soaked, drained white beans
Cover with water
Add tablespoon of salt, fresh sage, fresh rosemary, fresh thyme,
Bring to a boil and cook until tender
*add crushed red pepper to taste
Garnish with flat leaf parsley



Thanks to Central Italy for the inspiration!