The pre-Hanukka period, when the air begins to turn cool and crisp, is for many Israelis the time to plan latke and sufganiyot parties. For Americans this is the pre-holiday season, when many are shopping for Thanksgiving dinners. According to Jessica Prentice, author of Full Moon Feast, now is the Hunter’s Moon, as “it was a time when northern dwellers of many cultures would work to ensure that their store of meat would last the winter... by hunting wild game.”For me this is the orange season, not just because fresh oranges are becoming more abundant in the market. Orange is the dominant color on our plates. We’re feasting on sweet potatoes, orange squashes, lots of carrots, which seem particularly sweet now, and luscious persimmons, including the most delightful ones – those from our own tree.Sweet and satisfying, orange produce is so good that you don’t need to fuss with it much. Sweet potatoes taste good baked and served alone or with a small pat of butter. Winter squashes, especially the sweeter ones like butternut, are wonderful roasted in pieces with a little oil so their natural sugars caramelize lightly. The common carrot also turns out uncommonly tasty when prepared this way. Salt and freshly ground pepper are all the seasonings you need, but for extra flavor, a touch of sweet spices, especially ginger, cloves and allspice, complement orange foods well.I often combine my orange veggies with green foods, not just for contrasting color, but also for their nutritional boost. Green foods give warm orange foods a lovely fresh accent; the pungency of green onions, the lively flavor of cilantro, the herbaceous taste of parsley are a pleasing foil for the vegetables’ sweetness. Dill and mint go well with orange vegetables, and so does hot green pepper.Orange vegetables make great purees. They simply need to be cooked, mashed and seasoned, and heated with milk or cream and, if you like, with a touch of butter. Marion Burros, author of Cooking for Comfort, makes her carrot puree this way, with the addition of a bit of mashed potato and aromatic, fresh thyme.I also enjoy spicy purees made from orange vegetables, like a carrot and winter squash puree I had at Sassi, a Libyan-Jewish restaurant in Los Angeles.This appetizer was flavored with fresh garlic, jalapeno peppers and cumin. California chef John Ash’s sweet potato puree cooked with sauteed shallots, curry, white wine and cream also appeals to me. In his book, From the Earth to the Table, he recommends this puree as a side dish or thinned with broth to make a soup.Indeed, orange vegetables are combined with pungent seasonings in many cuisines. In Thailand and Laos, wrote Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid, authors of Hot Sour Salty Sweet, winter squash cooked with coconut milk as soup is flavored with shallots, fresh coriander leaves, green onions and fish sauce.Chinese cooks might flavor steamed winter squash with black bean sauce and ginger-root, wrote Nina Simonds in Chinese Seasons, along with green onions, garlic, soy sauce and rice wine.A popular Japanese way to prepare a satisfying winter squash dish, according to the authors of The Complete Book of Japanese Cooking, Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz and Misuko Endo, is to simmer the squash in water with soy sauce, sugar and ground chicken, and to flavor it with fresh ginger juice.Perfectly ripe persimmons are so good on their own that I rarely use them in recipes, except for winter fruit salad. Still, persimmons paired with nuts turn ordinary green salad into a festive first course. Annie Somerville, author of Fields of Greens, makes an exquisite fall salad using thin slices of persimmons with lettuces, pomegranate seeds, avocado, toasted pecans and citrus vinaigrette. Ash tops his greens with persimmon, pear and fennel slices and moistens the salad with dried fig vinaigrette.Use these vitamin-A-rich seasonal treats to add a sweet touch to your autumn and Hanukka menus.Faye Levy is the author of the award-winning Faye Levy’s International Jewish Cookbook.SWEET POTATO SALAD WITH GINGER AND SAFFRON Serve these gently spiced sweet potatoes, flavored with sauteed onions, fresh ginger and saffron, as a side dish with roast chicken or braised beef. You can also spoon them over greens dressed lightly with vinaigrette as a warm salad appetizer.450 gr. sweet potatoes 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil 1 large onion, chopped salt 1⁄8 tsp. saffron threads 2 tsp. chopped gingerroot or 1⁄2 tsp. ground ginger 1⁄2 cup water 1 tsp. paprika 4 to 6 pitted black olives, halved (optional) 1 to 2 Tbsp. strained fresh lemon juice 2 Tbsp. chopped parsley cayenne pepper Peel sweet potatoes and cut in 2-cm. dice. Heat oil in a heavy medium saute pan, add onion and saute over medium-low heat 5 minutes. Add ginger and saute, stirring, for 1 minute.Add sweet potatoes, water, saffron and salt and bring to boil. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until sweet potatoes are nearly tender. Add paprika and olives. Simmer uncovered about 2 minutes or until most of liquid evaporates and sweet potatoes are tender. Turn off heat, stir in lemon juice and 1 tablespoon parsley. Season to taste with salt and cayenne pepper. Serve at room temperature, sprinkled with remaining parsley.Makes 4 servings.CARROT PUREE WITH LEMON-MINT BUTTER Butter flavored with fresh mint and grated lemon turns carrot puree into a holiday dish.2 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint leaves4 Tbsp. butter, softened 1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest 1⁄2 tsp. strained fresh lemon juice, or to taste Salt and freshly ground pepper 800 gr. to 900 gr. carrots, cut in 1-cm.slices Thoroughly mix mint with butter. Stir in lemon zest. Gradually stir in lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.In a medium saucepan cover carrots with water, add a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat 25 minutes, or until carrots are very tender when pierced.Using a slotted spoon, drain carrots and transfer to a food processor or blender.Puree until smooth. If using a blender, puree in small amounts and use a little liquid with each batch. Return puree to saucepan and heat it until hot. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon-mint butter. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve immediately.Makes 4 servings.ANNIE SOMERVILLE’S PERSIMMON SALAD WITH ORANGE DRESSING Persimmons, pomegranate seeds and pecans make a lovely topping for greens. If you don’t have pomegranate seeds, substitute dried cranberries.2 Tbsp. fresh orange juice 1 Tbsp. Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar 1⁄2 tsp. grated or minced orange zest 1⁄4 tsp. salt 3 Tbsp. olive oil 4 to 6 cups tender lettuce mixed with 1⁄2 cup radicchio, or 41⁄2 to 61⁄2 cups mixed baby lettuces 2 persimmons, halved and sliced thin 1 avocado seeds of 1 pomegranate (optional) 1⁄4 cup pecan pieces, toastedTo make the dressing, combine orange juice, vinegar, orange zest and salt in a small bowl. Whisk in the oil. Combine the lettuces and persimmon slices in a bowl. Peel the avocado and slice it 6 mm. thick on a slight diagonal. Add to the bowl. Add dressing and toss very gently to keep the avocado slices from breaking. Taste and adjust seasoning. Divide salad among 4 plates and sprinkle each with pomegranate seeds and pecans. Makes 4 servings.
