The Easiest and Most Long-lasting Uses for Quince – What Should Be on the Table in November?

November's seasonal fruits and vegetables - quince, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and red cabbage

Quince: Quince is one of our unjustly neglected fruits, which grows abundantly here at home as well. At the same time, apart from these special autumn delicacies, it also has a positive effect on our health – it lowers blood pressure, soothes the stomach, and even helps with allergic symptoms. After purchase, store in a humid, cool place with the stem pointing downward. If you've already bought it ripe enough, it will keep in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks.

Walnuts: Walnuts are one of our most valuable fruits – they can be used in almost any dish. They have beneficial effects on the body and are essential during festive baking and cooking. During the Christmas season, most of us think of walnut strudel, but many things can be made from it: preserves, sweets, meat dishes, and even liqueur.

Red Cabbage: Red cabbage is one of the essential ingredients of the St. Martin's feast, but there are many possibilities beyond braised cabbage. Not to mention that it has high A, K, B and C vitamin content (the latter six times more than green cabbage), plus it contains significant amounts of minerals and protein.

Cauliflower: Cauliflower reappeared in Europe in the XVI century after the ancient Romans. La Quintinie, the gardener of the Sun King, brought seeds from Cyprus to grow cauliflower. In France, seeds were only successfully grown at the end of the XVII century. Under the reign of Louis XV – who was a great cauliflower lover – cauliflower dishes were named after one of the king's favorites "à la du Barry". The vegetable was increasingly grown by more people at that time and became very popular. Perhaps the only disadvantage of the vegetable is that it doesn't keep for long, so we can only store it in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

Brussels Sprouts: For many of us, Brussels sprouts were the most terrifying vegetable of childhood (along with spinach and sorrel), but did you know that cooking time greatly influences the taste of Brussels sprouts? Well-cooked Brussels sprouts are not hard, but not too soft either. Steaming, for example, depending on the size of the sprouts, takes 6-12 minutes. The characteristic sulfurous smell means we've cooked it too long. Serve the prepared Brussels sprouts immediately, because if we wait too long, they will lose much of their pleasant flavor.

The Easiest and Most Long-lasting Use for Quince - The "Eternal" Quince Paste

Ingredients:

• 600g quince
• 1/2 lemon
• 300g sugar

1. Wash the quince, cut it into pieces with the skin and seed pod intact, then cook in just enough water to cover for about 30-35 minutes until very soft. Strain, drain well, then sieve.
2. Add the squeezed lemon juice and sugar to the fruit puree, then cook on continuous stirring until thick. Then place in an ice-water bath, and cool to lukewarm while stirring several times.
3. Rinse a mold of your choice (bishop bread or rectangular plastic container) with cold water, smooth the mixture into it, and let it rest uncovered for 1-2 days to dry.
4. Then turn it out of the mold and let it dry for another 4-7 days covered with cheesecloth or thin fabric. Store in a cool, dry place until consumption.

The Cheeriest Cauliflower - Cauliflower in Beer Batter

Ingredients:

• 200g fine flour
• 3tbsp cornstarch
• 1tbsp baking powder
• salt
• 300ml beer
• 1kg cauliflower
• salt
• 1tbsp lemon juice
• 150ml olive oil

1. To make beer-battered cauliflower, we first need to prepare the batter. In a bowl, mix the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and 1⁄2 tsp salt. Pour the beer over and mix smooth, then let rest for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, wash the cauliflower, break it into smaller florets and pre-cook in boiling salted water for 7-8 minutes. Carefully drain and pat dry.
3. For the mayonnaise, beat the egg yolks until frothy with a pinch of salt and the lemon juice. Beat with an electric mixer until pale, then while beating continuously, add the olive oil first drop by drop, then in a thin stream.
4. Heat the cooking oil in a larger pan. Dip the cauliflower florets in the beer batter. Drain and fry in moderately hot oil until golden brown. Transfer to paper towels and serve with mayonnaise. You can garnish with lemon and parsley leaves.