Fall and winter’s saving grace in the vegetable department are the brassicas. This family of vegetables includes broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, broccoli raab, turnips, kale, mustard, and collards.

It’s great claim to fame is that almost all are cold tolerant. And although it’s true you won’t find someone harvesting them with a foot of snow on the ground, their tolerance for cold means that in many areas of the country they can be grown in cold frames even in the dead of winter. This is great because otherwise we’d be limited to winter squash or tubers like potatoes and sweet potatoes for fresh winter produce.

In addition to the expected complements of vitamins and minerals, these vegetables contain glucosinolate, which is an anti-oxidant and may reduce the risk of cancer, improve the lung function of people with COPD, and even undo diabetes damage. In other words they’re as healthy as all get-out.

But this family has a drawback, it tends to be bitter (and some folks are sensitive to this bitterness) and if not cooked properly (for the particular vegetable) they produce sulfur compounds. These compounds are particularly apt to show up by over-cooking broccoli, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts, which explains why so many people dislike these veggies. Nevertheless, done well they’re all delicious, they complement well the heartier flavors of cold-weather dishes such as beef stew and braised lamb shanks, and their fresh flavor is a welcome addition to winter meals.

Roasted Cauliflower has a wonderfully nutty, almost pecan-like, flavor. If you’ve never had roasted cauliflower prepare yourself for a treat, it becomes a totally different vegetable and one that even cauliflowers haters have come to love.

When I was a kid I loved Brussels sprouts - baby cabbages. Like cabbage itself, over-cooking results in particularly distinctive sulphur compounds - not happy-making. But cooked well as in this recipe for Braised Brussel Sprouts they’re incredibly good.

Broccoli is one of my go-to weeknight veggies. It’s steams in 15 minutes and is wonderful topped with butter and lemon juice, mayonnaise, or even store-bought blue cheese or Italian dressing. Just cook it and pour something on top - it’s great!

And let’s not forget brassica roots - specifically ruatabaga. Slightlu bitter but also sweet sweet, it’s wonderful paired with almost any winter dish, but I think especially good with roast birds: chicken, turkey, or duck. This recipe for Rutabaga with Maple Syrup and Bourbon is particularly good.

Kitchen Guy’s Chicken, Olive and Roasted Red Pepper Tart Recipe
Servings: 6

Ingredients
1 puff pastry, frozen sheet
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup chicken breast, cooked, shredded
1 cup chicken leg quarter, shredded
1/2 cup Kalamata olive, chopped
1 tablespoon tarragon, fresh, or 2 tsp. dried
1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly cracked
1 cup roasted red pepper, sliced

Method
Preheat oven to 400. Thaw puff pastry completely and unfold. Slice in half lengthwise to make two long rectangles. Place on a large parchment covered baking sheet, leaving at least an inch of space between rectangles. Use two baking sheets if you have to in order to avoid overcrowding. With a paring knife, score a 1/2–inch border around each rectangle to allow the edge of the pastry to rise. Brush both sheets of pastry with beaten egg. Arrange chicken, peppers, olives and tarragon on the pastry, keeping toppings inside the border. Sprinkle with cheese and black pepper. Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, until edges of pastry are golden brown and cheese is melted. Cut each rectangle into 3 pieces and serve hot.

Kitchen Guy’s Smokin’ Chili Recipe

Ingredients
2 pounds ground chuck
1/2 pound ground pork sausage
1 medium red onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp. cumin
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 1/2 Tbsp. Mexican oregano*
2 tsp. Tabasco sauce
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
4 large chipotle chiles, rinsed
2 cups Cheddar cheese
*Italian oregano is okay, too.

Method
Heat a large stockpot with oil. Saute the onions and garlic. Add the ground chuck and pork sausage and cook until meat is browned and onions and garlic are soft.

Add the diced tomatoes and stir. Add seasonings. Then add tomato sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer.

Add the chipotle chiles, taking care not to break them open. Let the mixture simmer over medium low heat for about 30 minutes. Remove the chipotle.

Serve with cheddar cheese and sour cream.

For me, the official end of summer never happens until the harvest and my joy at seeing farm stands bursting with color.  The season and whole new year for me as a Jew starts during this season and at Rosh Hashana.  The holiday’s food is sweet - to remind us that this will be a good new year with nothing bitter or sour.  Honey is the favored dipping sauce for bread (the challah) and apples. This year I have so much to be thankful for, especially having my family close. We will be celebrating Rosh Hashana with one big meal and I will prepare the kinds of dishes that make the most of the sweeter, traditional flavors including seasonal ingredients.

Rosh Hashana 2008
Round challah with seven seeds
Vegetable Chopped Liver
Moroccan Carrot Salad
Georgian Chicken in Pomegranate and Tamarind Sauce
The Best Honey Cake Yet