31 Recipes to Make in October

When the weather starts getting cooler and the leaves turn from green to red, you’ll likely be craving warm soups, hearty pastas, and spiced pies. These 31 dishes cover all of October’s greatest hits, from concord grapes and persimmons to pumpkin everything and all kinds of squash.

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31 Recipes to Make in October

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Delicata Squash and Sausage Crostata with Ricotta and Honey

Justin Walker

This pizza-like crostata comes from sommelier Dana Frank and recipe developer Andrea Slonecker’s new book, Wine Food: New Adventures in Drinking and Cooking, and is easy enough for a weeknight, but impressive enough for a dinner party.

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Concord Grape Jelly 

Concord grapes are only harvested through October, so let this sweet-and-tart jelly help extend the short season.

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Braised Chicken Thighs with Marinated Artichokes

Chef Naomi Pomeroy roasts, crisps, then braises these chicken thighs, leading to crispy skin and succulent meat. Plus, the mixture of sauces and herbs, from sherry to lemon to thyme, makes for a dish that’s packed with flavor.

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Warm Spinach and Sunchoke Salad

Con Poulos

This tasty salad from F&W Culinary Director Justin Chapple nails the texture game, with chewy spinach, soft sunchokes, crunchy apples, and crumbly cheese

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Whole Wild Salmon Fillet with Mustard Sauce

Though it might feel daunting to handle a whole fish, look at the bright side: tons of desk-lunch-worthy leftovers.

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Prosciutto-Wrapped Persimmons

For October dinner parties, think outside the bacon-wrapped date box and try these prosciutto-wrapped persimmons. Chef Jason Travi’s recipe calls for roasting the bundles until the fruit becomes tender and the meat chars.

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Chocolate-Dipped Vanilla Caramels

We’re all for store-bought candy (especially when it comes to Halloween), but these homemade chewy caramels are worth the effort.

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Tea-Scented Pumpkin Soup

Designer Han Feng combines two warming fall ingredients, tea and pumpkin, in this silky soup.

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Apricot-Stuffed Pork Shoulder with Soy-Honey Glaze

Definitely a special occasion type of recipe, making this apricot-stuffed pork shoulder is less challenging than you might think, and it’s best enjoyed with a table full of friends.

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Date Scones with Fleur de Sel Whipped Butter

Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo, F&W Best New Chefs from 2009, are well known for their LA pasta spot Jon and Vinny’s, yet these buttery scones—made with dates and served with jam—showcase the duo’s baking chops.

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Buttermilk Pancakes with Quince-and-Cranberry Compote

Thanks to chef Amanda Freitag, we’ve finally realized what every buttermilk pancake ever has been missing: quince-and-cranberry compote. The combination is an irresistible mash-up of sweet and tart.

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Chicken Parmesan

Marcus Nilsson

Daniel Humm’s chicken Parm is neither too dry nor too soggy, thanks to a healthy-but-not-overdone dose of both béchamel and tomato sauce.

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Pumpkin-and-White Chocolate Mousse Pie

Con Poulos

The innovative San Francisco bakery Mr. Holmes Bakehouse took a stab at reinventing pumpkin pie (and succeeded) with a graham-cracker-and-macadamia-nut crust and pumpkin-and-white-chocolate-mousse filling.

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Brisket with Sweet- and-Sour Onions 

David Cicconi

There’s nothing better on a crisp October evening than a plate full of homemade brisket. This version comes from Jessamyn Rodriguez, the founder of the NYC-based social enterprise Hot Bread Kitchen.

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Caviar Waffle Bites 

Greg DuPree

These handheld hors d’oeuvres from Justin Chapple are as cute as they are functional, making it easy to serve caviar and even easier to eat it.

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Ricotta-and-Fontina-Stuffed Shells with Fennel and Radicchio

This belly-warming baked pasta dish can take the place of a traditional lasagna, and it’ll satisfy the non-meat-eaters in your life, too.

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Chewy Black Licorice Chocolate Brownies

John Kernick

Gail Simmons’ fudgy brownies come with an unexpected twist. The black licorice adds a bit of molasses and a bit of anise, keeping this chocolatey dessert from being too sweet.

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Fried Forbidden Rice

Chef Sang Yoon’s black rice dish, stir-fried with bacon and roasted garlic, has all the makings of a perfect weeknight meal. Try experimenting with different veggies for alternates tastes and textures.

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Eggplant, Pear and Pecorino Salad

There’s nothing bad about fruit, vegetables, and cheese. In this case, that’s grilled eggplant, Cognac-coated pears, and pecorino, plus an added crunch of walnuts.

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Braised Pine Nuts with Butternut Squash

This nutty dish is kind of like a risotto, but instead of arborio rice, it’s made with pine nuts braised to the point of total softness.

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Moroccan Lamb Stew with Noodles

Cookbook author Paula Wolfert’s adaptation of a traditional Moroccan dish, chaariya medfoun, is made with heaps of flavorful herbs and spices, from cilantro to saffron.

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Pork-and-Chive Dumplings 

Bobby Fisher

Xiao long bao, otherwise known as soup dumplings, are notoriously difficult to make. But thanks to 2017 F&W Best New Chef Peter Cho, this “cheater” version is way simpler without sacrificing any deliciousness.

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Red Cabbage Stir-Fry with Coconut

This coconut cabbage stir from chef Asha Gomez is the ideal balance of sweet and spicy, flavored with turmeric, serrano chile, and curry leaves.

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Salted Caramel Apple Pie

The ladies behind Brooklyn pie shop Four & Twenty Blackbirds, Melissa and Emily Elsen, recommend using a mixture of sweet and tart apples in their salted caramel apple pie.

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Chicken Noodle Soup with Parsnips and Dill

When the air starts to get a little cooler, sometimes you just need a bowl of chicken noodle soup. This version adds in fall root vegetables for additional texture and flavor.

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Wild Mushroom Goulash

This hearty goulash comes from writer Sarah Copeland’s cookbook Feast: Generous Vegetarian Meals for Any Eater and Every Appetite. While traditional goulash is made with meat, this recipe is offers a great vegetarian spin.

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Endive-and-Manchego Salad with Smoked Cocoa Walnuts

Chef Dave Beran, a 2014 F&W Best New Chef, has dreamt up some wild dishes at Next, Alinea, and his Santa Monica restaurant Dialogue, but this simple salad is just as delicious. Pro-tip: make some extra smoked cocoa walnuts for snacking. Trust us.

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Beef Chili with Beans

Growing up, Grant Achatz’ mother would always make chili for him and his cousins before they went trick or treating. This recipe, a riff off of Achatz’s mother’s, is made with three kinds of chiles.

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Pumpkin Butter

Justin Walker

Make like F&W Test Kitchen Manager Kelsey Youngman and put your fall gourds to good use with this addictive pumpkin butter.

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Red Velvet Spider Web Cupcakes

Whether you’re hosting a Halloween party or just love spooky treats, these red velvet spider web cupcakes, injected with a tapioca filling, are perfect for October baking.

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31 Recipes to Make in October

1 of 33

31 Recipes to Make in October

2 of 33

Delicata Squash and Sausage Crostata with Ricotta and Honey

3 of 33

Concord Grape Jelly

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Braised Chicken Thighs with Marinated Artichokes

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Warm Spinach and Sunchoke Salad

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Whole Wild Salmon Fillet with Mustard Sauce

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Prosciutto-Wrapped Persimmons

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Chocolate-Dipped Vanilla Caramels

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Tea-Scented Pumpkin Soup

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Apricot-Stuffed Pork Shoulder with Soy-Honey Glaze

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Date Scones with Fleur de Sel Whipped Butter

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Buttermilk Pancakes with Quince-and-Cranberry Compote

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Chicken Parmesan

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Pumpkin-and-White Chocolate Mousse Pie

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Brisket with Sweet- and-Sour Onions

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Caviar Waffle Bites

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Ricotta-and-Fontina-Stuffed Shells with Fennel and Radicchio

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Chewy Black Licorice Chocolate Brownies

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Fried Forbidden Rice

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Eggplant, Pear and Pecorino Salad

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Braised Pine Nuts with Butternut Squash

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Moroccan Lamb Stew with Noodles

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Pork-and-Chive Dumplings

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Red Cabbage Stir-Fry with Coconut

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Salted Caramel Apple Pie

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Chicken Noodle Soup with Parsnips and Dill

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Wild Mushroom Goulash

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Endive-and-Manchego Salad with Smoked Cocoa Walnuts

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Beef Chili with Beans

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Pumpkin Butter

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Red Velvet Spider Web Cupcakes

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Concord Grape Jelly 

Brisket with Sweet- and-Sour Onions 

Caviar Waffle Bites 

Pork-and-Chive Dumplings 