Autumn Vegetable Penne Ratatouille - A Last-Minute Late Autumn Feast - [Autumn Meal Prep]
"When does autumn end?"
That question grows stronger for me every year.
It's gotten a bit chilly in the mornings and evenings, so I decided to go all out and wear my coat to work this morning.
But on the train during my commute, everyone else was still dressed lightly.
"Oh, maybe I was a bit too early," is a thought I mutter to myself—a classic occurrence for someone who gets cold easily like me.
Starting last month, I began a note magazine where I write about recipes and menus based on seasonal ingredients for each month.
Now that it's November, I immediately found myself wondering, "Is it still autumn, or is it already winter?" and decided to ask AI.
In the Japanese calendar (the 24 solar terms),
Ritto (the beginning of winter) signifies the "end of autumn" and the "beginning of winter." Ritto usually falls around
November 7th. 👉 In other words, according to the calendar,
it is autumn until around November 6th, and winter begins on November 7th
.
Wow, it seems that according to the calendar, today is the last day of autumn.
Autumn really is short, isn't it?
If you ask me if I was able to fully enjoy autumn ingredients, I still have some regrets...
But I feel like I've become more conscious of the seasons since I started the magazine.
In the refrigerator, there are the lingering vegetables of autumn.
Pumpkin, lotus root, mushrooms, and some slightly wrinkled autumn eggplants.
They all still look like they can be eaten deliciously.
Today, I decided to use those leftover autumn vegetables to make a last-minute autumn vegetable meal prep.
I'm going to arrange ratatouille, which usually has a summer vegetable image, using autumn vegetables.
However, stewed vegetables alone aren't very popular with children, so I mixed in penne at the end to make it pasta-style.
Penne doesn't get soggy easily even after time passes, so it's perfect for meal prep and bento boxes.
Ingredients (for 4 servings)
Ground pork 200g
Penne 100g
Onion 1
Carrot 1/3
Lotus root 100g
Pumpkin 100g
Eggplant 1
King oyster mushrooms 2
Zucchini 1/2
Olive oil 1 tbsp
Garlic (minced) 1 clove
Salt koji 2 tbsp
Canned tomatoes 1 can
Consommé granules 2 cubes
Chuno sauce 1/2 tbsp
Black pepper a little
Instructions
1. Boil the penne according to the package instructions.
2. Cut the ingredients into 1cm cubes.
3. Add olive oil and minced garlic to a pot, then add the ground meat, onion, carrot, and lotus root, sauté, and cover to steam for 5 minutes.
4. Add the remaining vegetables, salt koji, canned tomatoes, and consommé, and continue to sauté.
5. Once the vegetables are tender, season with medium-thick sauce and black pepper, then
add the penne, mix lightly, and it is ready.
In the November magazine, we will introduce side dishes and menus that combine the remnants of autumn with early winter ingredients.
Please follow us and let's enjoy the changing seasons at the dining table together.
We are also streaming a video on how to make it on YouTube. Please take a look!