Mushrooms, chestnuts, persimmons, pomegranates, grapes — these are just some of October's garden produce. Here is the list of seasonal fruit and vegetables you should not miss at the table.
October, the scent of mushrooms. Beyond the classic risotto, we recommend an original and elegant recipe: porcini salad with dill, to be served as a starter alongside some good rye bread. It is prepared by dressing freshly sliced mushrooms with fresh dill, chives, extra virgin olive oil and salt; garnish with a few pomegranate seeds. Another unusual October delight is the cape gooseberry, extraordinarily rich in vitamin C. Try them coated in dark chocolate: a true speciality.
Vegetables: chard, cauliflower, white cabbage, savoy cabbage, chicory, Swiss chard stalks, herbs, beans, mushrooms, fennel, endive, lettuce, potatoes, leek, radicchio, horseradish, turnip, rocket, scorzonera, celery, celeriac, spinach, lamb's lettuce, pumpkin.
Fruit: persimmon, chestnut, citron, apple, pears, pomegranate, fig, prickly pear, jujube, olives, grapes, cape gooseberries, carob, sorb apples, strawberry tree berries.
Fish: grey mullet, sea bream, sardine. Tuna and cod, on the other hand, are species whose stocks in the Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic are depleted, and cannot be recommended. Consult the guide to the right fish to make environmentally sustainable purchases.