Wine & Chef Secrets
Scrumptious Season
Four Atlanta chefs tell us what they're cooking with this November

This time of year we get excited about lots of different types of vegetables: fall root veggies like rutabagas, turnips and my favorite, parsnips; winter squashes like acorn squash, butternut squash, spaghetti squash and of course, pumpkins; and leafy cruciferous veggies such as brussels sprout, broccoli, kale, mustard greens and cauliflower. And of course, we think about the winter fruits like apple, pear and quince. All of those ingredients inspire dishes from creamy butternut squash soup with chestnut praline and cranberries to crispy brussels sprout and local apple salad with crème frâiche, cider essence and toasted pistachio to seared scallops with butter poached parsnips, mustard greens, pancetta and sage gremolada.
–Chef Jay Swift, 4th & Swift 621 North Ave. NE Atlanta 30308. (678) 904-0160; 4thandswift.com

When I think of November, I think of two of my favorite ingredients for the month and they are Nantucket Bay Scallops and Jerusalem Artichokes. They pair wonderfully together; our menu reads Gratin of Nantucket Bay Scallops with Jerusalem Artichoke Cream and Preserved Lemon. I also start using my preserved peaches from the summer in order to bring a taste of summer into the winter. I love pairing these with braised dishes such as beef short ribs. For example: Braised Beef Short Ribs with Preserved Peaches, Celery Root Puree and Natural Jus. I like this combination because it highlights another great ingredient, which is celery root. I use celery root pureed like mashed potatoes, roasted, shaved into gratins or cut into salads.
–Chef Linton Hopkins, Restaurant Eugene 2277 Peachtree Rd., Atlanta 30309. (404) 355-0321; restauranteugene.com

The ingredients that look the best to me this season are local braising greens, local lettuces and local beets. On our Thanksgiving menu this year, there will be collard greens straight from Split Creek Farms braised with smoked ham bones. While most people associate lettuce with summer, the best time for lettuce in Georgia is actually October through December, so we do a lot of winter salads in the later months. We will also be featuring my two favorite kinds of beets, Candy-Striped and Chiogga, in quite a few appetizers this month.
–Chef Ron Eyester, Rosebud 1397 North Highland Ave. Atlanta 30306. (404) 347-9747; rosebudatlanta.com

I love fall cooking! It's the time of the year for homestyle, stick-to-your-ribs cooking. It's easy to overindulge with slow roasted meats, deep braises, root vegetables, cranberries and parsnips. Some of the fall ingredients I love so much are inexpensive and readily available on any quality produce aisle. Mushrooms are amazing this time of year. Swiss chard is beautiful and practically screams "take me home!" But I really dig into the sweet potatoes we get from Crystal Organic Farms. Nicolas, the farmer, also sells them to Whole Foods on Ponce, so this isn't an ingredient that is only available to restaurants. We simply roast and puree them with a small spoonful of butter, and violà, suddenly I'm at my Grandmother's house, and it's 1979 all over again.
–Chef Lance Gummere, The Shed at Glenwood 475 Bill Kennedy Way, Atlanta 30316. (404) 835-4363; theshedatglenwood.com