Hello October! 🍂 Autumn Recipes & Ideas from My Kitchen

Hello October! 🍁

The days are getting shorter, the evenings cooler, and suddenly we start craving warm soups, comforting dishes, cinnamon, apples and cosy baking.

October is such a lovely month in the kitchen. In France, it is the season for pumpkins and squash, leeks, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, beetroot, celery, turnips and parsnips, while apples, pears, grapes, quinces and chestnuts bring plenty of inspiration for something sweet.

So, what could we cook this month?

🎃 A little Halloween fun

October is the perfect excuse for some playful baking. Try my Halloween Fingers or my Halloween Shortbread Cookies — spooky enough for Halloween and delicious enough to disappear before the party!

🍂 For cosy autumn evenings

When the weather starts getting chilly, a bowl of Butternut Squash Soup is exactly what I want. And if it gets really cold where you are, make something wonderfully comforting like Croziflette — the kind of dish that makes you want to stay home. 

And don’t forget the mushrooms! Autumn is their season, and they can turn a simple meal into something wonderfully comforting. Think chicken or veal with a creamy mushroom sauce, mushrooms sautéed with garlic and herbs, or a rustic mushroom tart served with a crisp green salad.

Stuffed mushrooms can be a nice idea to use the mushrooms of the season or simply make homemade pizzas or pasta and add abundantly mushrooms on top or to your sauces. 

🇬🇷 A taste of Greece

Autumn also makes me think of Greek home baking. My Milopitakia — little apple pies — are perfect with coffee, while Greek Ravani or my Coconut Ravani bring a little sunshine to a cooler day.

🍎 And, of course… apples!

October is apple-pie season in my kitchen. ❤️

You can try my Greek Reversed Apple Pie, my Juicy Apple Pie, or my Apple Pie with Coconut Crust.

And if peeling all those apples is the part you don't enjoy, have a look at my post about the apple peeler I found. It has made preparing apples so much easier!

🍽️ My October menu ideas

Think soup + something comforting + apple dessert. For example from my blog:

Butternut Squash Soup or stuffed mushrooms → Croziflette → Greek Reversed Apple Pie

Roasted seasonal vegetables → Greek-inspired main dish → Milopitakia with coffee

Or here are some other ideas to inspire your cooking:

Roasted butternut squash + feta + walnuts — lovely as a vegetarian autumn lunch.

Chicken with mushrooms and a creamy mustard sauce — very French/autumnal.

Mushroom and leek tart + green salad — easy and elegant.

Roasted root vegetables + roast chicken — carrots, parsnips, turnips and squash.

Sausages with lentils — wonderfully cosy as the weather gets colder.

Pumpkin or squash risotto — another perfect October comfort dish.

Mushroom pasta with Parmesan — quick enough for a weekday dinner.

Apple and pork — pork chops or tenderloin with apples makes a beautiful autumn combination.

October doesn't need complicated cooking. Just good seasonal ingredients, a warm kitchen and something delicious waiting at the table.

And if you want even more recipes to cook this autumn, don't forget my cookbooks: Vivian Is Cooking GREEK, Vivian Is Cooking BAKING, and the French edition Vivian Is Cooking – Cuisine Grecque.

Happy October, and happy cooking! 🍂❤️