In collaboration with Pottery Jo

Before we step into the holiday season, I wanted to embrace the beautiful Fall we had this year by hosting an intimate gathering in the countryside, inspired by the coziness of the season, its beautiful colors, and food.

I felt like Fall was rushing too fast this year, so instead of decorating early for Christmas (which is always very tempting, don't get me wrong), I enjoyed pumpkins and foliage just a bit longer.

I love creating beautiful table settings and playing with different objects, textures, and colors. Often, you don't need a lot to decorate your table beautifully. Simple linens and seasonal elements can elevate your table setting and make it unique. When decorating the table, I often get inspired by food and season, keeping the table setting simple yet interesting.

For this special occasion, I was inspired by the nature surrounding us. A few olive branches, pomegranates from our tree, mini pumpkins, and chestnuts mixed with beautiful Umbra plates from Pottery Jo and linen made the table look festive and in season.

A few suggestions for creating a simple, seasonal table

1. Take the elements out of your menu and use them as decor. Mini pumpkins, apples, pears, persimmons, and pomegranates are perfect decor for your Fall table. They are inexpensive and will give your table extra color and layers. Simply place them on your table for an elegant and seasonal table setting.
2. Choose linen in the palette - for a cozy, warm effect, choose earthy tones that go well with the seasonal decoration you choose.
3. Forage your greenery - even if you don't live in the countryside, you can forage branches from the nearest tree. They will add texture and color to your table and make it even more in season.
   

When creating the menu, I choose simple and seasonal, with pumpkin being the main ingredient for all my recipes. 

Pumpkin, Leek, and Potato Soup is one of my go-to recipes for the Fall and Winter. It's one of those recipes that you crave on a cold day, can be prepared in advance and enjoyed either alone with some garlic bruschetta or as a first dish.

METHOD

In a large pot, heat olive oil on medium heat. Add finely chopped leek and minced garlic. Stir and cook until tender. You may add a splash of warm water to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pan. Peel and cut squash and potatoes into 1cm cubes, then add them to the pan. Add vegetable broth or water, salt, pepper, and paprika. Cover and simmer until all the vegetables are tender.

Transfer into a high-speed blender and blend until creamy and smooth. You may need to do this in batches, depending on the size of your blender. You can use the immersion blender as well. Transfer back to the pan. If the mixture is too thick, add more water/broth for a thinner texture. Add more salt or pepper if needed. Serve warm, with a drizzle of olive oil and garlic bruschetta.
 
The soup can be prepared a day in advance and heated up just before serving.

Warm Winter Salad is one of my favorite easy dishes of the season. It's something we enjoy for lunch and dinner, creating a simple yet complete meal. Winter veggies, combined with salad, feta cheese, and pomegranate seeds, are an explosion of different tastes and textures, making this salad very interesting. It's consumed the best right away, while the veggies are still warm and crunchy.

Warm Winter Salad
with
Pumpkin, Potatoes, Feta & Pomegranate seeds
Marija Gvozdenovic

INGREDIENTS

Serves 4 - 6

1 medium butternut squash (800g -1kg)

500g baby potatoes ( you can use regular potatoes as well )

150g mixed fresh salad 

200g feta cheese

pomegranate seeds for decorating 

salt to taste

black pepper

extra virgin olive oil

METHOD

Preheat oven to 200C / 390F.
Peel the squash and cut it into bite pieces. Wash baby potatoes and cut them in half or four if too big. Place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper and drizzle olive oil on top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Use your hands to ensure all pieces are covered, then spread the veggies out in a single layer.
 
Roast for 20 minutes, until golden and tender. Allow cooling slightly before adding to your salad.
Arrange the salad by layering fresh greens of your choice (we love radicchio and corn salad combination, but regular salad or baby spinach can work as well). Add roasted potatoes and pumpkins, feta cheese cubes, and pomegranate seeds. Add a sprinkle of salt and drizzle with olive oil, and lightly toss for ingredients to combine. Serve immediately. 
I suggest arranging the salad just before serving.

Deep dish savory pie is buttery and flaky, filled with sauted radicchio, pumpkin, and smoked scamorza cheese. It's served the best the day after or a couple of hours after the baking as the waiting time helps the filling set.

Deep dish savory pie with pumpkin, Radicchio 
and iTALIAN SCAMORZA CHEESE
Marija Gvozdenovic

INGREDIENTS

Serves 8-10
Diameter 26cm                

For the crust

320g all-purpose flour

160g butter, cold from the fridge

1 tbsp fine salt

100 ml ice cold water

FOR THE FILLING

1 yellow onion

400g pumpkin

2 medium radicchio

1/4 cup white wine (optional)

250g smoked scamorza

2 eggs 

salt to taste

black pepper to taste

extra virgin olive oil

1 egg yolk + 1 tbsp milk for brushing

sea salt crystals for sprinkling (optional)

METHOD

Prepare the crust:

In a bowl, mix flour and salt. Add cold butter, and using your hands or pastry cutter, incorporate the butter into the mixture until it resembles a coarse meal. Start adding water, a tablespoon at a time, and gently stir with a spatula or wooden spoon. Sometimes you will need less or more water than indicated, depending on the flour and butter used. Stop adding water when the dough begins to form large clumps; it's not too sticky and can be formed in a bowl.

Transfer the pie dough to a floured work surface, and using floured hands, form a ball. Divide dough in half. Flatten each half into 2cm thick discs using your hands. Put the dough in plastic wrap and store in the fridge for 40 minutes to 1 hour. You can prepare the dough even the day before.

Prepare pumpkin:
Wash and peel your pumpkin, then slice it into 1cm cubes. Cut half of the yellow onion into cubes. In a medium pan, add 2 tbsp olive oil and heat on medium heat. Add in chopped onion and cook for 2-3 minutes until softened. Add pumpkin, a splash of warm water, and season with salt and pepper—cover and cook on low-medium speed for 10 minutes or until softened. Leave to cool before adding to the rest of the filling.
 
Prepare radicchio:
Wash radicchio, then trim off and discard any brown part of the stem end of the radicchio. Feel free to discard any outer leaves that are not as fresh. Cut the second half of the yellow onion into cubes. In a large pan, add 2 tbsp olive oil and heat on medium heat. Add in chopped onion and cook for 2-3 minutes until softened. Add radicchio, and saute for a couple of minutes. Add 1/4 cup of white wine and let it cook over medium speed without covering it so the wine can evaporate. Season with salt and pepper and add a splash of water if needed. Radicchio will be tender after 10-15 minutes. Leave to cool before adding to the rest of the filling.

Prepare the filling:
In a large bowl beat 2 eggs. Season with salt and pepper, then add scamorza cheese that you have previously cut into cubes. Add in radicchio and pumpkin. Stir until combined.

Prepare the pie:
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 F).
Take out the chilled dough and transfer it to a floured surface. Gently press the dough with your rolling pin, starting from the center, as the dough is very firm. Turn the dough with your hands clockwise at each roll so that dough doesn't stick to the surface. Roll out the dough in a large circle ( 3-5 mm thick), then helping yourself with a rolling pin, transfer the dough to the baking pan (make sure to grease it and flour it properly if needed). Trim any extra dough and save it for decoration. Pour in the filling.
Roll out the second half of the dough, using the same method as before. Cover the filling with the second half of the dough and seal the edges. Mix 1 egg yolk with 1 tbsp milk. Brush the pie with egg yolk mixture, then sprinkle with sea salt crystals. Bake for 50-60 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius (350 F) or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool before serving.
You can prepare the pie one day in advance. You can store it in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.