Bon Appétit! 5 Fall Dishes in Salem, Family Recipes and Holiday Treats

In September, we try to milk every last bit out of summer. It isn’t until October when we really start feeling the effects and cravings of autumn. The leaves crunch beneath our feet, and our mouths begin to water for all things sweet and savory.

We’ve got two major holidays on the radar. First up at bat, there’s Halloween, where we’ll buy lots of candy and pretend it’s for the kids. Then, we’ll stuff ourselves like a turkey dinner come round Thanksgiving. Before you know it, it’ll be Christmas and we’ll have abandoned all hope at maintaining our figures til’ Spring.

But for now? We feast. We wake up to pumpkin spiced pancakes, chow down on turkey cranberry sandwiches for lunch, spicy, chunky chili for dinner and top it all off with baked homemade apple pies washed down with hot apple cider. Poke me, I’m done.

While you’re getting ready for a fall full of good food, make sure you stop downtown and stock up on ingredients, menus and inspiration.

First, whet your appetite and grab yourself a premium tea blend from , cozy up to spiced wine at Cafe Polonia, sip hot toddies at  and mark your calendar to snatch the first beaujolais nouveau of the season thanks to  

And now, for the main course...

• Vegetable/Chicken Pot Pies - has homemade pot pies filled to the crust with fresh, organic produce from local farms. Vegetables include sugar peas, broccoli, butternut squash, carrots, onions and mushrooms. Stocks are made fresh and from scratch at the store, infused with spices like rosemary and thyme. Pies are available both fresh and frozen to satisfy mouths both now and later!

• Hunter's Chicken Stew - Deano Bacon, a commercial airline pilot and Salem resident, has a chicken stew recipe handed down from his mother called 'Hunter's Chicken.' A country-style stew full with fresh vegetables, bacon, chicken and herbs, it's the perfect cure for those increasingly chilly evenings. "This time of year, it's all about comfort food. Hunter's Chicken is hearty, satisfying and warms the belly." See Deano's family recipe below.

• Pumpkin Chutney - Have you heard the news? The will be extending into the winter! This gives us endless opportunities to try new exciting recipes and resurrect old favorites. On your next visit, pick up a pumpkin and peel, seed and cube for a colorful, sweet chutney. Edible Boston has the recipe. Don't forget to save the seeds to season and bake to perfection! They make a great snack for the big game, or a scary movie night.

• Kornigou - Writer and Cafe Polonia pierogi extraordinaire Jonathan Simcosky delves into the dark days of the dead and serves up a kornigou recipe in the October issue of Art Throb. "Though recipes for these cookies baked in the shape of antlers commemorating the god of winter shedding his horns are hard to come by, we think a traditional Breton butter cookie – aka sablee – spiced and formed into triangles does the trick (and are a treat)," Jonathan explains. To get the recipe and learn more about the thin veil between the living and dead, pick up the October issue of the Street Guide or read online.

• Tricks and Treats - Sweet teeth aren't strictly limited to masked, sugar-binging children. This time of year brings gusts of dead leaves and nostalgia back into our lives with cravings for all things tempting. has a wide selection of sophisticated Halloween treats, coffee grinds, autumn brews and witch-crafted wines. While you're at it, make sure to breathe new life into your kitchen counters with unique and functional cooking accessories to assist you throughout the culinary season.

Bon Appétit, Salem!

Bacon Family Hunter's Chicken Stew Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup of white wine
2 cans of chicken broth/bullioun (1)

4 on-the-bone chicken breasts w/skin
6 bacon slices

10 celery stalks, sliced
10 carrots, diced
1 lb of mushrooms
10 shallots, quartered
6 garlic cloves, diced
10 heirloom tomatos, diced/1 lg can Italian tomatos diced

flour for dredging
fresh herbs, salt/pepper and brown sugar for seasoning

Preparation: 

1. Fry bacon in heavy skillet with olive oil and butter on medium heat. Leave bacon grease.

2. Dredge chicken in flour and cook until both sides are browned.

3. Saute celery stalks and carrots til soft. Add mushrooms, then shallots, garlic cloves and tomatos. While cooking, season with fresh herbs, salt/pepper and a dash of brown sugar. Add white wine and broth.

4. Combine ingredients in pot and let simmer on low heat for four hours. 

* Deano's tip: "This time of year, I love improvising with root vegetables. Add parsnips, turnips or whatever else you may have lying around from the market."

Have you own fall recipes? Send them to us.