Dishes by Dobbs

by Laura Dobbs.

Forget winter – FALL is coming! And with it, the heartier fare we associate with cooler weather, cozy fires, and those oh-so-forgiving sweaters. Ooh! And Pumpkin Spice Lattes. Let’s not forget Pumpkin Spice Lattes!

Though the summer heat is still with us, I’m already road-testing recipes for fall. Here are few that definitely made the grade:

Pumpkin Alfredo

This recipe bills itself as being a lighter version of a classic Alfredo, but it does call for 6 TBS of butter. Don’t let that freak you out. It’s worth making, and comes together very quickly.

If you’re like me, and there’s no such thing as too much garlic, go ahead and add another half or whole garlic clove.

Don’t be stingy with the parmesan. The sauce doesn’t call for salt, so the parm and the pasta cooking water are the only sources for this recipe.

Not a fan of fettuccine? Try browning the butter and adding sage to the sauce, then serve it with the fresh cheese ravioli or tortellini of your choice.

Want to make it heartier? Grilled chicken would pair well with this sauce. Even easier, carve up a rotisserie chicken and serve it!

Italian Mixed-Greens Salad with Prosciutto and a Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette

This salad is absolutely delightful with the Pumpkin Alfredo.  The lemon juice and white wine vinegar in the vinaigrette are a nice counterpart to the creamy Alfredo. The crispy prosciutto balances the zing of the dressing and gives it substance.

Feeling like this is all too much work? Skip the homemade dressing. Zoe’s Kitchen sells theirs by the bottle and it would make a nice substitute.

The recipe doesn’t say it, but make sure you cook your prosciutto on MEDIUM or MEDIUM-LOW heat. Prosciutto is sliced paper thin and burns easily. If you have prosciutto left over, crumble the extra onto your sauced pasta!

Rosemary, Lemon, & Feta Spread

Fix this first! And then let it chill in the fridge while you work on the Alfredo and the salad. You could certainly eat this as soon it’s mixed, but the flavors definitely benefit from an opportunity to rest and meld.

Serving made easy: grab one of those skinny baguettes from Publix and ask them to slice it for you. Arrange the slices on a baking sheet, and pop them in the oven at 325° to 350° until nice and toasty. Mine took about 8 minutes.

Use a light hand with the rosemary to start. You can always add more, but you can’t remove it. I like rosemary, but it’s easy to end up with something that tastes more like Pine-Sol than feta spread.

 

All of these recipes call for fresh herbs. Fresh herbs, while lovely, are also pricey. You can easily substitute dried herbs for fresh in any or all of these recipes. 1 TB of fresh = 1 Tsp of dried.