I just looked at the title of this blog and realized there may be a soul (or two) out there who fear this recipe calls for orange lambs. Before you start a fevered internet search looking for orange-fleeced lambs, let me stop you. The orange comes from the fruit, not the fleece. Although, I think it would be pretty nifty if lambs were orange-colored but that’s just me.

I digress…at this time of the year, when it’s almost spring but not really, citrus is a rare bright spot. Not only does it keep scurvy at bay (always a worry, right?) but it lifts (almost) any dish immeasurably. It’s like that perky friend who is so upbeat that they’re annoying after the second margarita.

Oranges — our best friend in this dish — give food sweetness and the requisite hit of acidity. It’s an ideal partner for lamb as it cuts through the rich ‘lambiness’ (this is not a real term, but you know what I mean). I’ve used blood oranges which are gorgeous and red like a fiery sunset and cost enough to fund retirement home on a small Caribbean island. If you can’t find them, fear not — regular juice oranges will suffice.

Prunes, aside from the gastrointestinal assistance they provide, add sweetness while black olives add a briny, savory bite to the dish. The star however is our Chipotle Rub & Mix which is a heady blend of three chiles, including that smokey superstar: chipotle (cue round of applause). Best of all, most of the work is done in a slow cooker or low oven so you can get on with other things like your taxes, a home perm, or shooting a tik tok video of your dog. Your choice. There is no shame.

Chile & Orange Lamb with Prunes and Black Olives

3 lbs cubed lamb shoulder

2 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped

1 banana shallot, peeled and roughly chopped

1 Tbsp Chipotle Rub & Mix

1 1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

1/2 tsp salt

2 blood oranges, juice from both and finely grated zest from one

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

5 oz pitted prunes, chopped (about 1 cupful)

4 oz pittled kalamata black olives, chopped (about 1 cupful)

Cilantro, to garnish

In a small food processor, blitz the garlic, shallot, Chipotle Rub & Mix, ginger, salt, blood orange juice and zest, and 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil until a rough paste. Place the cubed lamb in a bowl and combine with the marinade. Cover and place in the refrigerator for up to four hours.

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees farenheit. Remove the lamb from the fridge and allow to come to room temperature. On the stove, heat an oven proof casserole to medium high heat, add the other tablespoon of oil to the pan and sear the lamb. You’ll need to do this in batches. Make sure you sear the cubes on all sides. Remove and place in a clean bowl or plate and continue until all of the lamb is seared.

When you’ve finished, place all of the lamb back into the casserole, cover and place in the preheated oven. Alternatively, you can use a slow cooker. Cook for around 4 hours until the lamb is super tender. Add the prunes and black olives, cook for another half an hour or so and serve garnished with cilantro.

There comes a time when even the most die-hard, speedo-wearing, sun tan-lotion-slatherer (yes, I know this isn’t actually a word), has to admit that summer is over. Gone. History. Perhaps it’s the fact that when you wake up it’s pitch black. Or that you spend your weekends in the Sisyphean act that is called raking leaves. Or you find yourself humming ‘Boys of Summer’ by Don Henley, a tiny tear in the corner of your eye…

It would be so much easier if we could act like a bear and hiberate for the next five to six months, wake up refreshed and enter a world covered with daffodils. Sadly that won’t happen. And sadly the vegetables of summer — the corn, tomatoes and berries — are gone too. Yes, I know parsnip puree is a treat but you know what I mean.

Not to go all glass half full on you — perish the thought — but there can be the odd upside to Autumn. Take the aforementioned tomatoes. If you can get your hands on some green ones then you have the beginnings of something truly spectacular: fried green tomatoes. To state the obvious, they’re not ripe so they hold their shape when you fry them. They’re coated with flour and egg and then a crumb of some sort and then — did I mentioned they’re fried?

Because there are two basic rules of culinary science: everything is better with bacon and everything is better fried. If you’re still unconvinced, name another dish that has it’s own movie. See, I told you so.

Fried Green Chile Tomatoes

Serves 6 as a side dish

1 lb. green tomatoes, about 6-7 smallish ones

2 eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk (if you don’t have any, don’t despair, use milk, reduce it by a tablespoon and replace that with lemon juice — voila!)

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

2 tsp salt

1 tsp Green jalapeño powder

1/2 cup vegetable oil

This is a military operation so snap to it! Get three shallow bowls. In one combine the flour with 1/2 tsp salt. In another, places the eggs, another 1/2 tsp of salt and give them a good stir. In the last, place the cornmeal, breadcrumbs, the last teaspoon of salt and the green jalapeno powder. Give a stir to blend.

Remove the stem from the tomatoes and cut them into slices — about 4 or so per tomato. Heat the oil in a skillet to medium-high. The oil should generously cover the bottom. If you have a friend, partner, spouse or neighbor rope them in to help you. Dust the slices with flour, dip them in the egg and then coat them with the cornmeal/breadcrumb mixture. Place them in the hot pan and cook them in the oil until nicely browned — about 2 minutes or so — then flip them and repeat on the other side. Cook one or two first — taste them and adjust the salt or chile powder if you feel it needs more.

Cook the tomatoes in batches — you don’t want to overcrowd the pan. Keep the cooked tomatoes warm and then serve at once with wedges of lemon. But to be honest, they’re not bad room temperature either.

Ah summer, you elusive temptress…you’re here and then in a blink you’re gone. You bat your eyes and shoot us a sunny smile and we think — silly mortals that we are — that you’ll stay forever. Was it the Hawaiian shirt we wore at the last barbecue? The zinc oxide we slathered on our noses at the beach? What did we do to send you off in a huff, leaving us with untold months of greyness before you deign to make your return?

Now hold on just a darn minute. Before we go too far down that rabbit hole, let’s remember that it’s not over yet. We have 24 hours before it’s officially Autumn. And if we’re lucky, we’ll tuck in a few more warm days before we have to dig out the snow shovels. And be honest — is summer really that wonderful? Sure there’s ice cream but there’s no law against eating frozen treats 365 days of the year (just think how much slower a scoop melts when it’s below freezing outside). Summer means flies and other insects and weeds growing like — well, like weeds.

Let’s face it, summer is not all it’s cracked up to be. Autumn is elegant. It’s golden leaves turning umber and orange. It’s restrained and glamorous. Think of it as the Julianne Moore of the seasons. And in the world of food it’s a bonanza, a veritable cornucopia of fresh fruit and vegetables. So stop whining. Buck up. Get a grip. And for heavens sake, get cooking.

1-8 oz. puff pastry round

1 lb. hard, crisp apples (about 6 small-ish ones)

4 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 1/2 Tbsp honey (a bit more if you like things sweeter)

1/2 tsp Chimayo Blend New Mexico Chile

1/4 cup chopped pistachios

Squeeze of lemon in a bowl of water

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Cut the apples in quarters, remove the core and slice each quarter in half or thirds. Place the slices in the water with the lemon juice (this will prevent them from turning brown). When you’ve sliced all the apples, drain and place in a frying pan with the butter. Cook over medium heat for about four minutes before adding the honey and chile. Continue cooking for about another four minutes. The apples should be tender but firm. Place the apple mixure in a bowl and allow to cool.

Place the pastry in an oven-proof round pan with an 8″ base, preferably a cast iron pan. The pastry will go up the sides of the pan a bit. When the apples are cool, spread them out onto the pastry. Sprinkle all over with the pistachios and gently fold the edges of the pastry over the fruit mixture to form an open-faced tart.

Place in the preheated oven and bake for about 20 minutes until the pastry is cooked and nicely browned. Serve warm out of the oven or at room temperature.