The two wines I’m featuring with this fall food page are ‘ Night of the Living Red – released last Halloween – and the Chancellor. ‘Night of the Living Red’ is medium-bodied, spiced with cloves, cinnamon, and orange peel, and it’s perfect from the bottle, slightly chilled, or warmed in a crockpot for cold days. Think ‘Witches Brew’, only better! Chancellor is an estate-grown grape that makes for a hearty, unfiltered red with a lot of character and cellaring capability.

And since nothing says fall like apples and pumpkins, I’ve selected two recipes that feature those foods. The easy-to-make Sauteed Apples would be great on ice cream or waffles, accompanied by ‘Night of the Living Red.’ The Savory Stuffed Pumpkin is slightly exotic and is perfect alongside the Chancellor for a hearty dinner. And since you have all those pumpkin seeds, here’s a simple way to roast them.

Pan Sauteed Apples

1/4 cup real butter
4 large tart apples (such as Granny Smith, Jonathons, Ida Reds or Cortlands)
– peeled, cored and sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 tspns cornstarch
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

In a large skillet or saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; add apples. Cook, stirring constantly, until apples are almost tender, about 6 to 7 minutes. Dissolve cornstarch in water; add to skillet. Stir in brown sugar and cinnamon. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and serve warm.

Savory Stuffed Pumpkin

A ‘sugar pumpkin’ is also called a ‘pie’ pumpkin. They’re smaller than the jack-o-lantern style, and much better for cooking.

1 cup wild rice, rinsed well
1 medium sugar pumpkin
2 tspns salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard
2 Tbspn cooking oil
1 pound ground beef (or venison)
1 onion, chopped
3 eggs, beaten
1 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

In a saucepan cook wild rice according to package directions until tender. This can take 1 hour or longer. When rice is done, set aside to cool and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Wash the pumpkin in cold water and remove the top, like a jack-o-lantern lid. Scoop out pulp and seeds (set seeds aside for roasting – see below). Prick the interior of the pumpkin with a fork and rub with 1 tsp salt and the dry mustard.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and stir in the ground meat and
onion. Cook slowly, stirring until evenly browned. Remove from heat. Mix in the
cooked wild rice, remaining 1 tsp salt, eggs, sage and pepper. Stuff the mixture into
the pumpkin.

Place pumpkin in a shallow baking pan with 1/2 inch of water. If water begins to evaporate, add a bit more during baking.to prevent sticking. Bake for 1 & 1/2 hours
or until tender.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

There are endless recipes out there for roasted pumpkin seeds, but the basics are the same. Rinse the seeds in cold water in a colander until the pumpkin innards have mostly disappeared. Spread them on a cookie sheet that has either been oiled or
had butter melted on it, sprinkle lightly with salt and roast – at about 325-350 degrees -
until they’re toasty and brown.