Quick & Easy Autumn Dining at Cafe Drake HRV

Above two photos: Vegan Dinners Never Tasted So Good. Good enough in fact we guarantee a meal free of carnivorous cravings. Brown rice, roasted veggies, baked buttercup squash, fried green tomatoes and tofu dressing/dipping sauce. To make the dressing just add all of this to a blender and press the button: 12 oz. of soft or silken tofu, 10-15 chopped cornichons (gherkins), 1/2 cup assorted fresh herbs (try basil and mint together, or oregano, parsley and thyme), 3 cloves chopped garlic, 3-4 chopped scallions (green and white parts), 1/2 cup vegetable oil, salt and black pepper to taste and a few splashes of white wine or cider vinegar.

Ripe for stuffing, autumnal squashes are easiest prepared by baking in a 400 degree F. oven until soft, sliced in half, seeds scooped and halves placed in a small casserole with an inch or so of water. Season when done. Or stuff. Or scrape flesh for soup. Or peel, chop and toss with pasta and cheese.

Salsa verte, or verde, no relation to the spicy Mexican sauce made from tomatilloes and green chilies, takes a couple of minutes to whip together, keeps well refrigerated for a week and is especially fond of fish and poultry. While a few fresh herbs are holding on in the Cafe Drake HRV gardens, we're keeping a steady supply on hand. Let's begin by throwing, once again, everything in a blender or food processor: 2 or 3 generous handfuls chopped parsley, about 4-5 T. fresh oregano leaves, 1/2 cup of chopped green bell pepper, salt and black pepper to taste, a couple of tablespoons rinsed capers, a generous slug or three of olive oil and a splash of white wine vinegar or lemon juice. Blend or process until semi-smooth. The French version - sauce verte - is equally delish but you'll need to swap the oregano for fresh tarragon leaves and add a couple of anchovies. Or not. The sauce may be further amended with 1/4 cup or so pitted and chopped green olives.

Let's make this Fall breeze of a Venetian pasta entree in steps: Local red bell peppers, onions and eggplant are first roasted with olive oil and salt and pepper until tender but not overly browned.

The roasted veggies are tossed with hot pasta, more salt and pepper and 1 cup ricotta cheese.

About 1/2 cup of reserved pasta cooking water is stirred into the pasta over a very low flame, creating a creamy sauce, rich but restrained. A final enthusiastic sprinkling of ground cinnamon ties the dish together, before being served in warm bowls, drizzled with more olive oil and grated Romano cheese.

As above, another Northern take on an Italian standard, minestrone. Cafe Drake HRV prefers the thinner Milanese version, less aggressive with garlic and tomatoes, more refined on the palette, appropriate when the appetite is lighter. A real recipe would be impossible for us as we make the soup differently with every pot, but the essentials involve briefly frying harder and more aromatic vegetables in olive oil as a starting point, using a good flavorful stock (either vegetable, chicken, turkey or beef), adding a few chopped tomatoes in the last half half hour of cooking, a slow but steady simmer on the pot and allowing free reign to your own creativity. For example, we mix and match the following veggies with impunity: sweet potatoes, turnips, rutabagas, carrots, parsnips, green bell peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, tiny green peas, fennel and string beans. Two musts are onions (or leeks) and garlic. We go light on the latter to appreciate the full flavors of the other ingredients. Start the longer cooking vegetables in the  beginning of course and add the pasta element about halfway through - broken spaghetti is a nice homey touch; arborio rice or orzo brings more elegance to the table.