In the Bag: Cooking the Month of October!

It's my turn once again to host the monthly food blogging event I run with Cherry from Cherry's English Kitchen and Scott at Real Epicurean.

Each month we select three seasonal products and put them in a bag for you to create your own dish with.

And without any further ado, here's the moment you've all been waiting for - the contents of October's bag! We have:

Pumpkins
Not just for Halloween, these robust fruits are full of character and lend themselves to variety of dishes.

Mushrooms
One of the sure signs of Autumn is the vast array of mushrooms growing wildly. Whether you're gathering your own or buying them, mushrooms are surely not to be missed this season.

Leeks
One of my favourite vegetables, leeks are a staple that add a mild onion-like flavour to dishes and are a great base for casseroles and soups, but they're also great as a side vegetable.

Entry Details

Send an email with ‘In the Bag in the subject line to asliceofcherrypie@yahoo.co.uk by Saturday 27th October with the following information:

• your name
• the name of your blog
• a link to your post
• the name of your dish
• a picture of your dish

Rules

Here are the rules - but ultimately remember the objective is to have fun whilst highlighting seasonal food:

1. Entries must use (or attempt to use) all of the ingredients "in the bag" for that particular month. The dish should be based around the seasonal ingredient, rather then just including it as an afterthought.

2. Participants can include any "extra" ingredients that they see fit.

3. Entries should include a link back to the host for that month, and the post should be tagged "in the bag".

4. Entries can be written any time during the month, as long as the URL is emailed to that month's host before the closing date.

5. Particpants from outside of the UK are most welcome to join in and substitute an item from their own local seasonal produce if necessary.

That's all! Any deviations from the above are at the discretion of the host. Have fun!

"In The Bag" is a food even ran monthly by Real Epicurean, A Slice of Cherry Pie, and Cherry's English Kitchen.

Autumn Harvest

What a great time of year autumn is for the kitchen. Our local farm shop is brimming with pumpkins, apples, squashes, cobnuts, to mention just a few of the fruits and vegetables in season right now. As the nights draw in and the air gets colder kitchens will be alive with the smells, tastes and sights of autumnal cooking. With the wide selection of produce available to keep things interesting one thing’s for sure; it won’t be dull.

In the Bag: Cooking the month of September - the Roundup

Take a look at the fantastic roundup of last months In the Bag event, over at Real Epicurean and watch this space to find out what's in October's bag!

Sautéed Portabella Mushrooms and Potatoes

Slice a handful of potatoes (I used desiree) about a centimetre thick and boil them in salted water until just tender. In the meantime fry roughly the same amount of sliced portabella mushrooms in olive oil with a crushed garlic clove until cooked through then remove them from the pan.

Fry the cooked potatoes in some more olive oil until golden then add the mushrooms back to the pan and heat through. Season well with salt and add a good handful of chopped flat-leafed parsley