The weather should be cooling off and we will be looking forward to heartier dishes in the coming months. This recipe selection is a pastiche of tried and true heartier dishes perfect for the cooler transitional weather.

Elegant appetizers can still be relatively simple to prepare. Beryl Hiller discovered this delicious stuffed mushroom recipe which can be easily made vegan with slight changes.

Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients
12 whole mushrooms
1 Tbsp., olive oil
1 Tbs. Garlic, minced
8 ounces cream cheese, softened (use Tofutti or other non-dairy cream cheese for a vegan version)
¼ c parmesan, grated (use a cheese substitute or eliminate for vegan version)
¼ tsp. Black pepper
¼ tsp. Onion powder
¼ tsp. Cayenne pepper

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Clean mushrooms, break off stems and arrange caps on baking sheet.
3. Finely chop stems.
4. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and mushrooms, frying until moisture has evaporated, being careful not to burn garlic. Set aside in bowl to cool.
5. When mushroom mixture is cool, add remaining ingredients. Stir to form a thick mixture.
6. Using a small spoon, fill each cap with mixture.
7. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until hot and liquid starts to form under caps.
NOTE These can be prepare ahead and then baked.

NOTE: These can be prepare ahead and then baked.

Chicken can be served so many ways but still it’s easy to get into a rut and do the same old, same old. This chicken dish is very easy, can be assembled ahead of time, seems to be foolproof, can be easily doubled, and is a crowd pleaser. I’ve served it for a weeknight dinner and for a Shabbat dinner with a tableful of French guests. Everyone loves it.

Roasted Sumac Chicken and Rice (serves 4-6)

Ingredients
For the spice rub
¼ cup sumac (buy at Seasons or Fairway)
Zest from 1 lemon (or to taste)
1 tsp. Salt
¼ tsp. White pepper (black pepper is fine, too)

For the chicken
6 pieces bone-in, skin-on chicken legs (drumsticks and thigh) or any other pieces cut up chicken
3 cups basmati or jasmine rice
½ cup pine nuts
3 Tbsp. berberis, dried cranberries or cherries
1 tsp. Turmeric
½ tsp. Salt
2 Tbsp. Olive oil
1 red onion, cut in ½ inch thick slices
1 lemon, cut in ¼ inch round slices
4 ½ cups (32 fluid ounces) chicken stock, boxed is fine
Olive oil

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees with the rack in the middle.
2. Make the spice rub by combining the sumac, lemon zest, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
3. Rub the spice mix under the skin and on top of the pieces of chicken.
4. In a roasting pan (Pyrex works beautifully), combine the rice, pine nuts, berberis, dried cranberries or cherries, turmeric, salt and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Stir until the rice is a beautiful yellow color. Press the rice down so that it is pretty flat.
5. Top the rice with the slices of red onion and lay the chicken pieces on top of the onions. Top each pieces of chicken with a lemon slice.
6. If you are assembling ahead of time and roasting later, this is the point where you cover the roasting pan with foil and put in the fridge.
7. When ready to roast, pour the stock around the chicken onto the rice. Drizzle the chicken with olive oil.
8. Cover the roasting pan tightly with foil, put in the oven and roast for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and continue roasting for an additional 20-25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the rice has soaked up all of the liquids.

Note: The chicken should be nicely browned and the rice will develop a crisp bottom. But don’t worry if it doesn’t. Delicious any way.

Berberis is a berry that grows wild in much of Europe and Western Asia. It has a sharp acid flavor and can be substituted for citrus peel. The berries  are used in Persian cooking (they are called Zereshk) especially in rice dishes and as a flavoring for poultry. They may be available in an ethnic grocery store.

While we were “roughing it” without the internet or dishwasher and eating off unmatched dishes, my son-in-law made this traditional French Provencal vegetable dish. It takes a little time to prepare but is a show stopper and can serve as a vegetarian or vegan main dish with some good bread.

Vegetable Tian (6-8 servings)

Ingredients
1 head garlic, separated into cloves and peeled. (Use less garlic if you don’t like the taste)
1/3 c olive oil
1 yellow squash (6 oz.)
1 zucchini (6 oz.)
1 small eggplant (6 oz.)
4 plum tomatoes (about 1 lb.)
1medium red onion
Coarse salt
Pepper
Herbes de Provence

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Peel and chop onion and 1 clove garlic.
3. Coat oval baking pan with olive oil and put onion and garlic in pan at 350 for 5 to 10 minutes. Let cool briefly.
4. In the meantime, slice all the vegetables into 1/8 inch slices. A mandolin makes quick work of the slicing. Try to get uniform thickness and diameter.
5. Arrange the vegetables in circles in uncut edge alternating until the pan is filled. (see photo)
6. Season with salt and pepper, placing remaining garlic cloves among the vegetables. Sprinkle with Herbes de Provence and rest of olive oil
7. Bake for 25 minutes, baste with oil from the pan and continue baking another 25 minutes until tender and brown.
8. If desired, sprinkle with ¼ cup shredded mozzarella and 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan for last 15 minutes of baking until browned.

NOTE: Potatoes can also be used. The most important thing to remember is to have the veggies as uniform in size as possible for even cooking.

If you are in a rush, don’t soften onions but use alternate onion rounds with other vegetables.