Fresh herbs, fall veggies, great food brighten autumn

How long has it been since you’ve roasted a whole chicken? If it's been a while — or you've never done it — it's simple beyond belief. Just sprinkle the cavity with salt and stuff with some apple and onion wedges, a couple of garlic cloves and a handful of thyme or rosemary (or make your favorite stuffing‚ rub skin with salt and pepper and bake on a rack at 450 degrees for 30 minutes.

For the next 30 minutes baste often with a heated mixture of 4 tablespoons butter, 1/4 cup honey and 1/4 cup cider vinegar, baking until juices run clear when thigh is pierced.

Turn off the oven, place chicken on a heat-proof platter, tent with foil and return to oven to rest 10 minutes or so while you make the corn cakes. You’ll already have made the sweet potato salad and dazzling anise cake in advance. Here are the recipes.

Sweet Potato Salad

2 pounds sweet potatoes, cooked, peeled, diced

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 green bell pepper, sliced into thin strips

1 small “coin” candied or preserved ginger, finely minced

1/2 cup tarragon vinegar

1/4 cup salad oil

2 teaspoons honey

1 clove garlic

A pinch each of sweet marjoram and thyme

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine sweet potatoes in bowl with onion, ginger and green pepper. In jar, combine vinegar, oil, honey, herbs, salt and pepper; cover and shake well. Pour over veggies, toss lightly. Remove garlic clove.

Marinate in refrigerator 3 hours or longer. Serves 4-6.

Corn Cakes

Make a thin pancake batter, stirring in 1/4 cup minced scallions with tops, 1 tablespoon minced parsley, salt, pepper and 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan.

For a group, make large pancakes. Melt a teaspoon of butter in the pan and when hot, pour in the batter and cook the bottom side as usual until bubbles form and bottom is golden brown; turn over just to sear the top and remove immediately to a hot platter.

Spoon prepared filling over half of each pancake, fold over. Continue until batter is used up and serve, cutting each folded cake in half for two people.

Have small bowls of honey, chived sour cream or butter for individual topping selections.

Green beans are rife now, so serve them often, as per this good dish.

Green Beans with Garlic and Tarragon

3 pounds tender young green beans

2 tablespoons fine olive oil

6 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup dry bread crumbs

1/4 cup minced parsley

2 tablespoons chopped tarragon leaves

Salt, pepper to taste

1/4 cup butter

Steam green beans 6-8 minutes till tender crisp; drain, refresh with cold water, drain again. Set aside.

Heat olive oil in skillet over low heat. Add garlic, bread crumbs, parsley, tarragon and seasonings. Cook just 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add butter, cook until butter melts; add green beans to the pan.

Cook, stirring until beans are re-heated, arrange in a serving dish. Serves 12.

Tip: This recipe works wonderfully with other veggies, cooked according to their density. Small zucchini perhaps less, carrots considerably longer.

If you prefer your veggies simply steamed with a little butter, consider this great go-with that contains plenty of herbal savor.

Herb/Butter Rice

2 cups uncooked rice

6 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons EACH fresh thyme, tarragon, rosemary, sweet marjoram

1/4 cup minced parsley

2 tablespoons chopped pimiento or roasted bell pepper

Cook rice according to package directions. Add butter, herbs and pimiento, tossing until butter is melted and rice is coated. Spoon into serving dish. Serves 8.

In lieu of rice, try small, young potatoes with garden herbs, in this crispy dish.

Herb-Roasted Potatoes

1 envelope onion soup mix

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup melted butter

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1 teaspoon chopped fresh marjoram

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 pounds small new potatoes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine soup mix, oil, butter, thyme, marjoram and pepper in baking dish. Add potatoes, tossing to coat well. Bake 1 hour, turning occasionally, or until potatoes are tender. Sensational!

Filling:

Melted butter for pan

2 cups fresh or frozen (thawed) corn kernels,

2 cups finely diced red bell pepper

2 cups finely diced zucchini

Salt and pepper to taste

Anise Butter Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon finely ground anise seed

2 sticks unsalted butter

2 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 cup apricot preserves

2 teaspoons Pernod (or capful of anise extract)

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly butter a 10-12-cup bundt cake pan, dust with flour and set aside.

In large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, soda, salt and anise seed powder.

In large mixer bowl, beat butter until light and fluffy, gradually add sugar, beating until well blended. Beat in vanilla and eggs, one at a time, beating 3 minutes after final addition.

Stir in sour cream (may appear curdled, it’s OK). Fold in dry ingredients until just blended.

Pour into pan; bake 55 to 65 minutes until tester comes out clean and cake begins to pull away from sides. Cool on rack 5 minutes before un-molding. Cool right side up.

In small heavy saucepan, combine apricot preserves and Pernod; melt over low heat, strain and brush over the cooled cake.

Note: you can make a buttercream frosting flavored with anise seed if you wish, or substitute orange marmalade with Cointreau or Grand Marnier liqueur for the apricot topping. Or simply dust cake with powdered sugar and serve with whipped cream!

Finally, we give you another surprise veggie dessert. The tomato harvest serves well in this one!

Fresh Tomato Cake

(Serves 12)

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon allspice

3/4 teaspoon grated orange rind

1/2 teaspoon ginger

2 eggs

1/2 cup raisins or currants

1/2 cup chopped dates

1 1/4 cups fresh tomato puree

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, baking powder, soda and salt in bowl; set aside.

In separate large bowl, cream butter, brown sugar, allspice, orange rind and ginger until light and fluffy. Add eggs, beat well. Stir in dates, raisins and tomato puree.

Mix well, then add dry ingredients gradually, mixing well after each addition. Pour into greased and floured 5X9-inch loaf pan. Bake 1 hour, 10 minutes, or until cake tests done.

Cool in pan 5 minutes, then remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Note: This cake can be sprinkled with powdered sugar for a dessert, or served with thick soups or stews as a fabulous go-with.

(Editor’s note: For many years, Valle Novak has written gardening and cooking columns for the Daily Bee. “Weekend Gardener” and “Country Chef” became renowned for their humor, information and common sense advice on how to do everything from planting to cooking. While she recently retired, she has shared a number of columns to delight her many fans. This is a compilation of two such columns, originally published Sept. 30 and Oct. 14, 2007.)