Fall is all up on our asses in Los Angeles, with rain and mist and stormy skies bearing down. This weekend at our farmers market, some dramatic “El Greco” light seemed to shine down on the bountiful fall vegetables. We grabbed mountain yams, dirt-crusted fingerlings, Brussels sprouts, red-skin Bartlet pears, fennel tips and big, beautiful ribbed-for-our-pleasure heads of radicchio.

So, in the first of probably many installments of us playing with fall vegetables, we spent the last week roasting radicchio for salads — salad you can slurp — and discovering how to tease the most sweetness out of it.

First, know this: There will be bitter. Radiccio is a bitter lettuce. However, with the help of a marinade of fresh orange juice, oil and fennel seed and a secondary dressing of mustard, cider vinegar, wine and sugar, that bitterness is tempered. The two sauces merge in the pan with a sizzle. Cooked salads. Interestingly, the fennel, with the heat of red jalapenos lends this salad something akin to the taste of a rustic slice of pizza, something we still can’t explain but what are we, doctors?

Hot Radicchio Salad
(Serves two)

1 large head radicchio
1 orange
1 Tbs. tangerine oil (or extra virgin olive oil)
1 tsp. fennel seeds
1 red jalapeno
1 small carrot
Half a white onion
6-8 oz. seitan
1 Tbs. cornmeal
1 Tbs. canola oil
1 Tbs. whole ground mustard
1/8 cup red wine
1 tsp. cider vinegar
1 tsp. white sugar

1. Quarter your radicchio, removing the core’s stem. Peel the leaves off one quarter at a time, and place leaves in a mixing bowl. Juice your orange and to the juice, add tangerine oil and fennel seeds. Dump this mixture onto the radicchio leaves and stir well with tongs.

2. Slice your onion and red jalapeno into half moons and matchsticks respectively. Mix together mustard, wine, sugar and vinegar. Add a tsp. of water and stir. Marinate the onion and pepper sticks in this dressing.

3. Slice the seitan into neat, right triangles about an inch long. Fill a large plate with cornmeal and pat the seitan with a cornmeal crust. Heat a large skillet on high heat, add canola oil, then toss in seitan. Cook evenly on both sides for several minutes and remove seitan from pan, resting on a plate.

4. Still on high heat, add the marinated radicchio to the skillet and stir, followed by the marinating onions and dressing. Stir every so often for 4-5 minutes, letting the radicchio cook down (it should wilt like cabbage leaves). Serve on a large plate by twisting the salad into a neat ball, as high as you can. Slice carrot matchsticks and add for garnish and color. Finally, place 4 or 5 seitan triangles along the salad.

Beverage: Pretty Things’ St. Botolph’s Town Rustic Dark Ale
Soundtrack: The XX’s “Hot Like Fire”

1 head of kale
2 large lemons
1 quart filtered water
1 Tbs. olive oil
2 carrots
1 cup Veganaise
2 tsp. fresh black pepper
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
quarter of a red cabbage (garnish)
1. Prepare the kale for its rub-down: take each leaf and remove the stem by either slicing a “V” shape and separating the two green sides from its spine, or simply pulling off the leafy green in chunks. Discard the stem. Throw the large kale leaves into a strainer. Rinse and let sit.
2. Zest both your lemons into a large mixing bowl, making sure to get every last inch of yellow goodness. Save zest for the dressing. When complete, slice and juice lemons into a separate container. Fill a large bowl with water, and add only half the fresh lemon juice to the water.
3. Submerge kale in lemon-water and let sit for 1-2 minutes. Take a small bunch at a time and massage the kale by scrunching as hard as you can, releasing and taking a new handful of kale. Repeat for several minutes
4. Remove kale and let dry in a colander, or spin dry. On a cutting board, slice each large chunk or leaf like you might chiffonade basil. If the leaves are not big enough to get long, coleslaw like slices don’t fret. Place kale in a container with a lid to store overnight. Combine the rest of the lemon juice (should be close to 2 Tbs., if not juice another lemon) with a Tbs. of olive oil. Let sit in fridge overnight, but before you clean up make dressing for tomorrow.
5. Combine Veganaise with black pepper, sugar, salt and lemon zest and whisk to make dressing. Add a half-teaspoon of lemon juice if needed to whisk, but no more. Save for service.
6. After kale has sat all night, drain liquid and spin dry. Grate carrot and shred cabbage. Toss together with dressing and serve cold.
Beverage: Craftsman Brewing’s Heavenly Hefe
Soundtrack: Talking Heads’ “This Must be the Place”

Peach Ketchup
1 large white onion
12 oz. can peaches in syrup
2 cups peeled tomatoes in sauce
6 oz. tomato paste
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
2 bay leaves
1. Chop the onion and sauté in a large saucepan on medium heat with a touch of canola oil to keep from sticking. Cook until tender and see-through, about 8 minutes.
2. Add the peaches with their syrup, and the tomatoes with sauce. Stir and add tomato paste, sugar, vinegar and bay leaves. Cook for about an hour on low heat, stirring every 5 minutes or so. Watch for it to reduce by about a centimeter, and thicken. Remove from heat and let cool for 20 minutes before blending.
3. Place cooled sauce in a blender and pulse for several minutes until consistent. Refrigerate and use once cold.
Radish Remoulade
8 radishes
1/4 cup Veganaise
1 bunch chives
1 lemon
2 tsp. black pepper
Salt to taste
4. Scrub and trim radishes of tips and butts.
5. Prepare a mixing bowl with 3 or 4 cups water. Juice half the lemon into the water.
6. Slice radishes with a mandolin, or as thin as possible with a chef’s knife. Now line them up and julienne as thin as you can (they should look like tiny matches.) Let your julienned radishes sit in the lemon-water for 5 minutes.
7. Wash and mince the chives.
8. Combine black pepper, chives, the juice of the other half of the lemon, and the drained radishes with the veganaise. Season with salt to taste.
Fried Oysters
2 lbs. oyster mushrooms
1 tsp. smoked salt
1 tsp. smoked paprika
canola oil spray
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 Tbs. corn meal
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. ground white pepper
1 tsp. Aleppo pepper (or chilie powder)
12 oz. pale ale
9. Pre-heat oven at 375 degrees. Prepare mushrooms by splitting large caps into thin strips. In a mixing bowl, coat the mushrooms with smoked salt, paprika and spray thoroughly with canola oil. Then place the spiced mushrooms on a sprayed cookie tray and slide into oven. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until slightly crackled and brown. Remove and set aside to cool.
10. While they cool, prepare a fry batter. We went with an all-purpose Southern “fry dredge” as dictated by the Lee Brother’s excellent Southern cookbook along with a simple beer batter. Start by mixing fry dredge: 1/2 cup of the flour, the cornmeal, the salt, pepper.
11. Next make the batter, really just a slushy mix of 1.5 parts ale to one part flour that you’ll use to wet the mushrooms.
12. Once the mushrooms are cooled, get your fry oil ready. Empty 6-8 cups canola oil into a deep pot and set on high heat for at least 10 minutes.
13. Batter the shrooms: take each one and dip into beer batter, shake off excess and then dredge in flour mixture, patting off the excess as well. Reserve on a plate for once the fry oil is hot enough.
14. Fry 5 or 6 at a time for about 30 seconds or until crispy. Fish them out with a spider or slotted spoon and let drip dry on paper towels. Keep on top of the oven so they stay warm.
15. Serve by opening each bun and pinching out about a teaspoon of extra bread to make room for your oysters. Slather with ketchup first, then place shrooms down, and finish with a dollop of radish remoulade and the top bun.
Beverage: Buckeye Brewing 1776 IPA
Soundtrack: ” “ Indian Jewelry’s “Going South”

1 and 1/2 cups Coconut milk
2 Fresh vanilla beans
1/2 cup Honey or Agave Nectar
4 grams Agar Agar
1 cup Water
1 Tbs. Balinese Long Pepper (optional)
1. Empty the cans of coconut milk into a medium sauce pot and heat on low.
2. Split and scrape the contents of the vanilla beans into the milk, add the ‘spent’ pods as well. If you have any Long Pepper (find it already!) add them now. Continue to heat for 10-15 minutes until the milk begins to bubble — do not boil. When its hot and sudsy, remove from heat and set aside to cool. When the milk is cool (20-30 minutes) it will be well infused with the vanilla and pepper.
3. Make sure that you have all the vessels for your finished product clean and ready to go before you proceed. ( We gelled ours in little glass bowls, but you can try letting them set in rammekins and turn them out onto plates (the more traditional way. One benefit of a agar gelled non dairy panna–it wont melt at room temperature.)
4. In a smaller sauce pot, heat the cup of water on high heat until it boils.
5. Reduce the heat to just below a boiling point and add the agar while stirring rapidly. Agar melts at a very high temperature, but if you boil it you’ll loose volume of the water your melting it into (which will offset the ratio). If you have powder add it all at once and stir until it seems to have melted/dissolved into the water. If you have sticks; break them off into little chunks (you can jam them in a food processor to make it quick) and do the same.
6. Fish out/strain out the vanilla pods and peppercorns).
7. Combine the hot agar gel with the coconut milk and whisk thoroughly. Dump equal servings (about 1/4 cup) into each serving vessel, and place in the fridge to cool. Depending on your fridge temp; this should take not much longer than 30-60 minutes.
8. Garnish with fresh fruit, cracked pepper, or shaved chocolate.

Beverage: Uncommon Brewing Co.’s Siamese Twin Double
Soundtrack: Sonic Youth’s My Friend Goo

1 lbs. Red Thai chiles (about 1 1/2 cups)
4 cloves Garlic
1 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
2 Tbs. Agave nectar
1/4 cup Filtered water
1/4 cup White vinegar
1. Remove the stems from your chiles and roughly chop ’em up. Toss them in your blender or food processor (seeds and all). Peel and add garlic. Add salt. Add agave nectar (cane sugar works here too.)
2. Pulse the mixture for about 20 seconds, adding up to 1/4 cup filtered water if needed to help it move.
3. Transfer the mixture using a spatula into a glass vessel (we used a measuring cup) and cover it tightly with plastic wrap. Set aside somewhere warm, out of sight, and let ferment for 4 to 5 days.
4. Remove plastic and skim any discolored spots or fuzzy mold. Dump the fermented chili paste into a saucepot and place on medium heat. Add vinegar. Let the mixture hit a rolling boil and turn down to simmer. Let cook for about 5 minutes before turning off and letting it cool.
5. Return the mixture to a food processor and blend thoroughly one last time, about 2 minutes, or until the seeds are completely crushed and you’ve attained a beautiful, fiery red-orange consistency.
6. Place a fine mesh strainer over a jar, a measuring cup or other storage vessel and dump your puree into the strainer. Using a spatula, gently swipe the surface of the mesh to keep the puree filtering through. Once you’re left with just a goopy pile of crushed fiber, you’re done. Bottle and use as desired.