Foods of Fall: Top Five Dishes

Early fall/late summer in Iowa is the best time to visit your local farmers' market. This time of year we can reap the benefits of the last of the summer harvest along with the return of spring vegetables due to cooler temps. Even if you can't make it to the farmer's market, you should take advantage of the wonderful seasonal produce available in the stores. Here are some of the most simple recipes that allow the awesome flavor of the ingredients to shine:

#5 Roasted Ratatouille Penne
You can really use any of your favorite veggies in this dish, but I recommend:
zucchini
eggplant
tomato
onion
Drizzle these with olive oil and bake at 425 F for about 20 min or until tender. Season with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, cook up your favorite shape of short cut pasta. Drain, stir in veggies and some parmesan cheese.

#4 Pan Seared Beets with Goat Cheese
This is great with any variety of beets. Scrub, trim, and skin the beets (be careful, they will stain your hands). Slice the beets to about 1/4 inch thickness. Heat a skillet over medium high heat, spray with cooking spray. Add beats in a single layer, turning after about 2 minutes per side, or when you can see the carmelization. Serve with crumbled goat cheese.

#3 Green Beans with Sweet Onions
Steam or boil fresh, trimmed green beans to the doneness of your liking. Meanwhile, in a skillet heat olive oil and butter (enough to coat your onions) over medium low heat and add thinly sliced onions. Saute, stirring often until onions are soft and golden, about 20 minutes (do not let browm). Add a sprinkle of sugar to the onions, along with salt and pepper. Combine with cooked green beans.

#2 Roasted Broccoli
Trim and separate broccoli into florets. Heat oven to 425. Place broccoli on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, add a sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes (to your taste), chopped garlic, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine. Bake for about 20 minutes or until broccoli is tender.

#1 Tomato Sauce (best you'll ever eat)
You will need quite a few tomatoes for this dish. For enough to feed two people (as a pasta sauce), I would recommend 5 good sized tomatoes. Core and coarsely chop tomatoes. Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add about one tbsp olive oil into pan, then add tomatoes. Cook, stirring frequently until tomatoes have cooked down and look thickend, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Enjoy simply over plain cooked pasta of your choice. The only thing I would even consider adding would be some chopped fresh basil, but trust me you won't need it.