8 SIMPLE SEASONAL RECIPES TO JUMP START SEPTEMBER

Simple and seasonal recipes in September to make your life easier while discovering new flavours.

September rhymes with the beginning of the school year and we already think that it’s the end of summer. It’s not quite the case, at least not until September 22!

The weather is still nice and warm at the beginning of the month, even if the leaves are slowly starting to change color.

You can continue to pick your own fruits and vegetables from nearby farms or from your own garden.

Preparing seasonal dishes doesn’t have to be complicated or time consuming. Here are some ideas for seasonal recipes to make at home for a smooth start to the new school year this September.

Seasonal fruits and vegetables

If you’ve read our article on July recipes, I don’t need to explain to you the benefits of eating seasonal fruits and vegetables.

Besides, it’s a great way to introduce new foods to your child’s palate while following the rhythm of the seasons. To make the experience more interesting and fun, prepare some of these recipes with your child. It’s an activity that’s can be beneficial on both a sensory and emotional level.

Here is a non-exhaustive list of vegetables and fruits that you can eat in September.

Vegetables

• Spinach
• Zucchini
• Green bean
• Broccoli
• Artichoke
• Carrot
• Asparagus
• Corn

Fruits

• Pear
• Lemon
• Apple
• Plum
• Grape
• Quince
• Nectarine
• Almond

September Recipes – Appetizers

If the temperature allows it and it’s still more or less the season, I invite you to consult our article on August recipes for fresher appetizer ideas.

But like every year in Montreal, the month of September has many surprises in store for us in terms of temperature. If this is the case, here are some seasonal appetizer recipes to make in September.

Corn Soup

We don’t often think about it, but corn is full of vitamins A and B as well as potassium. It has antioxidants (carotenoids) that are essential for eye health and the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease.

This corn soup recipe can be served as a starter or as a main course. Preparation time is not very long, about 15 minutes and cooking time is about 45 minutes.

Your child can prepare this recipe with you as it comes from the book: I Can Cook! by Annabel Karmel.

Ingredients for 6 people

• 1 medium onion
• 2 medium potatoes
• 1 small clove of garlic
• 3 cups vegetable or poultry stock
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup cooked chicken strips
• 314 mL (12 oz.) corn kernels (canned), drained
• 6 tbsp. 35% cream

Steps

• Finely chop onion and garlic.
• Peel the potatoes and dice them.
• Melt the butter and fry the onion and garlic in it for about 12 minutes.
• In a saucepan, add the potatoes, broth and milk. Bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat, cover and simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes.
• Add the corn to the liquid. Cover the pot again and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes until the potatoes are cooked. You can add 2 to 3 tablespoons of hot water if the soup seems too thick.
• Let it cool a little.
• Pour half the soup into a bowl and blend the other half.
• Bring the two halves together, add the chicken strips and the cream and reheat for a few minutes. Enjoy!

Optional: you can add a few sprigs of dill for color and flavor.

Tip: this soup goes very well with fresh bread rolls, the recipe for which can be found HERE.

Carrot soup with coconut milk

I’ve started using coconut milk in a lot of recipes, especially to cook my rice in my rice cooker. Have you ever tasted it? It’s really delicious. Contrary to what you might think, you don’t taste the coconut too much.

I often replace liquid cream by coconut milk, it’s healthier. You can find canned coconut milk everywhere now. For a better price, it’s always better to go to an Asian supermarket. However, in Montreal, I found that Maxi had better prices compared to other supermarkets.

The following recipe from Journal des Femmes (French) has a preparation time of about 15 minutes and 40 minutes of cooking time. This leaves you enough time to give your child a bath, for example.

Ingredients for 4 persons

• 5 large carrots
• 1 onion
• 20cl of coconut milk
• Fresh coriander
• 1 chicken stock cube
• 1 tsp fresh chopped ginger
• Pinch of cumin
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil

Steps

• Finely chop the carrots and onion.
• Lightly caramelize them in a saucepan with a little olive oil on high heat for 5 minutes.
• Add the fresh ginger and cumin.
• Add 1L of chicken stock (1 cube diluted in 1L of water) to cover the carrots. Do not drown them.
• Cover and cook over low heat for 35 minutes or until the carrots are cooked.
• Blend in a food processor.
• Add the coconut milk and continue to cook for 5 minutes on high heat, whisking vigorously. This action will give the soup a velvety appearance.
• Serve with salt and pepper and a few coriander leaves.

When the carrots are cooked, nothing is lost, they still have wonderful properties such as improving eyesight thanks to their alpha and beta-carotene. This derivative of vitamin A also promotes the growth of baby’s bones and teeth.

translated from cuisine de bébé

Seasonal main dishes

In September, the weather is still nice. We take advantage of it to have BBQs. However, on school nights and the cooler nights, we may want to have something more substantial that will also make a perfect lunch for the office or school. It will certainly make a change from sandwiches.

Artichoke Pasta

Artichoke is a vegetable that is too often forgotten on our plates, yet it is full of iron and magnesium. Thus, it’s a food that prevents the risks of cardiovascular diseases and helps to boost energy.

An artichoke is an intimidating vegetable. It looks like an overgrown succulent but edible.

My mom loves to eat artichokes, but always cooked and never canned. Either by sucking on the tips of the leaves after dipping them in a little vinaigrette with shallots or otherwise in pasta. I am not fond of artichokes except in my mother’s pasta recipe that I am sharing with you today.

How to cook an artichoke

I always saw my mother cooking artichokes as is in a pressure cooker with water. This way, it’s easier to remove the leaves afterwards and shave the ‘beard’ off the heart of the artichoke.

You can add salt and lemon to the cooking water so that the artichoke does not oxidize.

Cook until simmering. Then stick a knife in to check the tenderness of the heart. If it comes out easily, it is cooked.

The pasta and the sauce

The ingredients for this artichoke pasta are simple. Since this is my mom’s recipe, I can’t give you exact quantities, so it will be up to you to judge and test.

• Barila or fresh pasta.

It takes a long time to make fresh pasta. Although the purpose of this article is to share quick and easy recipes to make, if you want, you can check out our fresh pasta recipe HERE.

• Fresh Artichokes
• Garlic
• Onions
• Olive oil
• Crème fraîche (not sour cream) or liquid soy cream
• Salt and pepper
• Coriander (optional)
• Parmesan cheese (optional)

After removing the hair from the artichoke heart, cut it into small pieces. Fry them in a pan with oil, onions and garlic. Once the onions are tender, add the cream.

Mix the sauce with your pasta. Add salt, pepper and a handful of coriander and cheese to taste.

Corn on the cob

Contrary to what one might think in Europe or at least in France, corn on the cob is not only reserved for livestock. Often called Indian wheat or Italian wheat, corn on the cob is in fact native to the Americas. For example, it’s a food that is found in abundance in Mexican dishes.

In North America, it is a classic partner to our summer BBQs.

Corn on the cob can be boiled in water or roasted on the BBQ. It’s an easy food to eat when camping as you simply put it on a grill over the fire. However, don’t forget to remove the leaves first!

In order to choose the right corn, make sure that the leaves are smooth and green and the kernels are bulging.

Here’s a very simple recipe to make that I discovered on Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Béatrice Bernard-Poulin (@beatricebp)

I made a slight change for the boiling. Instead of adding brown sugar to the water, I put in lemon juice.

Steps

• Cook the corn for 8 minutes in boiling water.
• Remove from water and place on your plate (pretty obvious).
• Drizzle olive oil over the cob.
• Add a pinch of salt and quite a bit of pepper.
• Sprinkle with sheep’s milk feta cheese.

I used sheep’s and goat’s milk feta. By the way, I explain in my Mile End Greek Restaurant article how to choose feta and its history.

Finally, add a dose of fresh basil on the cob and voilà!

We enjoyed this recipe with chicken that had been cooked on the BBQ and sautéed in a pan with onions with BBQ sauce. It was a pure delight, especially since the feta cheese mixed with our chicken in the end. What a treat!

Squash carbonara

At the end of September, the temperatures start to drop, the days become shorter. It’s the beginning of fall and squash season.

Butternut squash has a bright orange flesh that is rich in carotene. It has a buttery feel that it leaves in the mouth hence the name.

How to choose your butternut squash

The squash needs to feel heavy for its size, must be firm, and without spots. If your finger digs into the rind, the squash is not ripe enough.

One with a large neck and a small bulb will have a smaller seed cavity, which will yield the most flesh.

It’s possible to store a squash up to 6 months in a cool place away from light. Do not put it in the refrigerator unpeeled. Once peeled, it can be kept in the refrigerator for 5 days.

Ingredients for 4 people

• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup of grated Manchego cheese

You can use Monterrey Jack, Comté or Pecorino as a substitute.

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• Himalayan salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 8 slices of bacon, diced
• 1/3 cup chopped shallots
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp. coarsely chopped sage
• 1 tbsp. fresh basil
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and sliced
• Chicken broth (optional)

Steps

• In a bowl, mix the eggs, half of the cheese and 1 tbsp of olive oil until you can no longer see the egg white. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Cook the bacon in a pan with the remaining olive oil until crisp (about 10 minutes on low heat).
• Transfer the bacon slices to paper towels.
• Remove half the fat from the pan.
• With the rest, add the shallots, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.
• Reduce heat and add sage, basil and peas. Cook for 3 minutes.
• Add bacon and butternut squash strips. Cook over medium heat and stir well for 7 minutes.
• Lower the heat and slowly add the egg mixture. Stir continuously so as not to scramble the eggs.
• The sauce should have a velvety texture.
• Serve with the remaining grated cheese and a pinch of pepper.

If you want it to be creamier you can add chicken broth 1 tsp at a time.

Dessert ideas to enjoy in September

In September, you can still make some easy recipes with seasonal fruits. No more fresh smoothies or sorbets. It’s time for warm pies!

Apple Pie

September in Montreal means apple picking. It’s the most popular family activity to do around the city which is full of orchards.

I couldn’t write this article without mentioning apple pie! Although I prefer the one found in France in bakeries, here is an easy recipe that you can try again with your child.

Preparation time: 30 minutes plus 30 minutes rest. Baking time: 1 hour.

Ingredients for 8 people

For the dough

• 1 2/3 cup of flour and a little more to sprinkle on the work surface
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 1/2 cup of butter cut in cubes
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tbsp cold water

The filling

• 900 gr of apples to cook
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp. cold water

Preparation of the dough

• Pour the flour, sugar and salt in a large dish.
• Add the butter cubes and mix with your fingers until you obtain a semolina.
• Mix the beaten egg by kneading it with the dough until it becomes soft. Add water if it remains too dry.
• Form a disk about 1.25 cm thick. Wrap it in plastic wrap and let it chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Preparation of the filling

• Peel the apples and remove the cores.
• Cut them into slices.

Tip: to prevent them from turning black, soak them in a bowl of water with 1 tbsp of lemon juice. Don’t forget to drain them and dry them with a clean cloth afterwards.

• Mix the sugar and cinnamon together.
• Place half of the apple slices in a round or oval baking dish and sprinkle with half of the cinnamon sugar.
• Add the remaining apples and then the remaining cinnamon sugar.
• Sprinkle the top with diced butter.

On the work surface

• Dust your work surface with flour. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin until it is wider than your dish.
• Using a brush, coat the edge of the dish with the beaten egg.
• Roll up the dough on the rolling pin and gently place it on the dish to cover it completely.
• Remove excess dough with a knife. You can use it to make patterns and place on top of the dough with beaten egg yolk.
• Press the dough with your thumb on the edge of the dish and incise it so that the steam can escape.
• Bake for 20 minutes at 200°C (400°F). Reduce to 180°C (350°F) for 40 minutes.

You can serve it with custard or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

If you feel like trying a French apple pie, here is a recipe to try HERE (in French).

Carrot cake

A vegetable in a cake, why not? We do make pumpkin pies.

Its origin varies, but the era remains the same: the Middle Ages. Sugar being scarce and expensive and carrots being naturally sweet and mild, they were often used as a substitute in cooking.

Because of its slight spicy taste, this cake has a soft and chewy consistency.

Ingredients for 8 to 10 people

For the cake:

• 3 large carrots, peeled
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 1 pinch of salt
• 2 tbsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tbsp spice mix (1 tsp ginger powder and 1 tsp cinnamon)
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup sunflower oil
• 3 medium eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the glaze:

• 4 tbsp softened butter
• 1 cup mascarpone cheese
• 3/4 cup + 1 tbsp confectioners’ sugar
• 3 to 4 drops of vanilla extract

Steps

• Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
• Grease a 20 cm (8 inch) round pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
• Place grated carrots in a dish and add sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, spice mix and raisins. Mix together.
• In a separate bowl, mix the oil, eggs, vanilla extract and then mix with the carrot batter. Pour the mixture into the pan and bake for 40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare the icing by mixing the butter and mascarpone with a wooden spoon.
• Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and mix again until creamy.
• When the cake is cooked, let it cool before spreading the icing on it with a spatula.

Plum Pie

The plum is a summer fruit that can be found on our shelves from July to September. It can be eaten fresh, in juice or dried. When it is dried, it is called a prune.

Juicy and thirst-quenching, the plum contains many vitamins, and is rich in fiber and water. It is known to help with intestinal problems and to fight against cell aging.

Here is an interesting pie recipe to make on the BBQ. The preparation takes about 20 minutes and the cooking up to 20 minutes.

Ingredients for 4 persons

• 250 gr puff pastry cut in 4 strips of 6,25cm x 20cm
• 60 ml (4 tbsp) of honey
• 4 plums cut in half and sliced
• Seeds of a green cardamom capsule
• 30ml (2 tbsp) sugar
• Butter

Steps

• Preheat BBQ to high temperature on one side only. Clean and oil the grill. You can also do it in the oven if needed.
• Place the puff pastry on a parchment lined baking sheet.
• Brush the dough with honey (about 1 tbsp) on each slice.
• Cover each slice with plum slices.
• Crush the cardamom seeds in a mortar and add the sugar. Crush again. Sprinkle over the plums and add a few knobs of butter on top.
• Cook the whole thing with the plate for 15 to 20 minutes on the BBQ, with the side turned off. Serve.

What recipes do you like to cook in September? Share them in the comments below.