Apple Cookbook (12 page)

8 tuna steaks, cut 1-inch thick

½ cup apple cider vinegar

½ cup seasoned rice wine vinegar

6 large chunks crystallized ginger, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tablespoon brown sugar salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon sesame oil

A
PPLE
C
HUTNEY

2 jalapeño peppers

4 apples (Ida Red, York, Stayman, Braeburn), peeled, cored, and diced

1 medium white onion, diced

6–8 cloves of garlic, chopped

½ cup apple cider vinegar

½ cup brown sugar

1
. Place the tuna steaks in a large dish. For the marinade, combine the cider vinegar, rice wine vinegar, ginger, garlic, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste, and stir well. Pour the marinade over the tuna and leave at room temperature for about 30 minutes, turning the tuna in the marinade once or twice.

2
. T
O MAKE THE CHUTNEY
, wear rubber gloves to seed and mince the peppers. Combine the peppers, apples, onion, garlic, vinegar, and sugar in a medium-sized saucepan; simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender.

3
. Remove the tuna from the dish; pour off and discard the marinade. Return the tuna to the dish. In a small bowl, combine the olive and sesame oils; drizzle over the tuna. Turn the steaks to oil both sides.

4
. Heat the grill to high, and position the racks 4 inches from the heat. Grill the tuna steaks for 2–3 minutes on each side for rare (3–4 minutes for medium rare).

5
. Serve each tuna steak with a generous spoonful of the chutney.

Yield: 8 servings

I often make a wrap for a quick and easy lunch. The flour tortillas are lighter than the two slices of bread I’d use to make a sandwich and the filling is lean and healthful
.

2 8-inch flour tortillas

2 tablespoons spread, such as herbed cream cheese, puréed roasted peppers, hummus, or baba ghanoush

1 large apple (Nittany, Gala, Braeburn, Golden Delicious), washed, cored, and thinly sliced

1 can (6½ ounces) solid white tuna in water, drained

½–1 tablespoon reduced-fat mayonnaise or sour cream

freshly ground black pepper

mild curry powder (optional)

2 scallions with green tops, cut in half and sliced in half lengthwise

1
. Place the tortillas on dinner plates and spread each with 1 tablespoon of the spread of your choice.

2
. Arrange apple slices down the center of the tortillas, staying well within 1 inch from the front and back edges.

3
. In a small bowl, flake the tuna and combine with the mayonnaise and pepper to taste.

4
. Spoon the tuna mixture over the apple slices. Sprinkle with a dash of mild curry powder, if desired. Top with the scallions.

5
. Roll the wraps from front to back and serve immediately. To take along in a lunch box or brown bag, wrap securely in plastic wrap or place in a resealable plastic bag.

Yield: 2 wraps

You may also fill the wraps with leftover grilled fresh tuna or salmon, turkey or chicken breast, or smoked salmon. The flavor of apple also goes well with the fresh buffalo mozzarella I buy from a dairy just outside Leesburg, Virginia.

The large, solid flakes of cod make it an ideal choice for this dish. However, you may want to substitute scallops, shrimp, monkfish, or even surimi crab. I usually use a mild curry for this dish, but there’s no reason not to use a spicy one if that is more to your taste
.

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes

¼ cup raisins

2 tablespoons chutney

2 teaspoons curry powder (or to taste)

2 medium apples (Golden Delicious, Empire, Honeycrisp, Ginger Gold)

1½ pounds cod steaks

1
. Heat the oil in a large skillet and sauté the onion and garlic for 10 minutes.

2
. Add the tomatoes, raisins, chutney, and curry powder to the skillet.

3
. Peel, core, and chop the apples. Stir into the simmering mixture. Cook for 15–20 minutes, until the onions and apples are tender.

4
. Remove the skin and bones, if necessary, from the cod, and cut into bite-size pieces. Stir into the curry and cook for 5–10 minutes or just until tender. Serve over rice, if desired.

Yield: 4 servings

An easy dinner to prepare for family or for company. Serve this with rice, couscous, or egg noodles. Reheat leftover chicken in a pan on top of the stove and simmer gently
.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 medium stalks of celery, chopped

2–4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 4-pound chicken, cut into serving pieces

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup white wine or chicken stock

1 cup tomato juice

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon honey

2 apples (Golden Delicious)

1 cup sour cream at room temperature

1
. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2
. Heat the oil in a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven and sauté the onion, celery, and garlic over medium heat.

3
. Remove the skin from the chicken and lay the pieces on top of the sautéed vegetables in the Dutch oven. Add the giblets and liver if desired.

4
. Sprinkle with the cumin, cinnamon, ginger, and pepper.

5
. Cover with the wine and tomato juice, reserving a little of the liquid to mix with the cornstarch. Make a paste with the cornstarch and reserved liquid.

6
. Bring the liquids in the Dutch oven to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and stir in the cornstarch paste and the honey.

7
. Cover the pot and place in the oven for 45 minutes, or until the chicken is nearly tender.

8
. Peel, core, and cube the apples. Remove the pot from the oven; stir the apples and sour cream into the Dutch oven. Return to the oven and cook for 15–20 minutes longer. Serve at once.

Yield: 4 servings

You can also make this in a slow cooker. Prepare as recommended without adding the cornstarch and set the cooker to low heat for 7–9 hours or high heat for 3–4 hours. Add the cornstarch at the end of the cooking and cook on high heat for about 15 minutes longer to thicken the liquids
.

1 4-pound chicken, cut into quarters

1 tablespoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground mace

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

4 tomatoes, quartered

1 cup apple juice or cider

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons cold water

1
. Remove the wing tips, backbone, and parson’s nose (stubby tailpiece) from the chicken pieces; freeze for making stock. Discard any fat.

2
. Brown the chicken in a large skillet over medium heat (do not use oil), skin-side down, for about 10 minutes. Pour off excess fat.

3
. Sprinkle with the turmeric, ginger, mace, and allspice; add the tomatoes. Cover with the apple juice.

4
. Cover the pan, reduce the heat, and simmer for 45 minutes.

5
. To thicken the juices, make a paste by combining the cornstarch with the water. Stir into the juices and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes longer.

Yield: 4 servings

This recipe is from Jim Law of Linden Vineyards, antique-apple growers in Linden, Virginia. Occasionally, Linden hosts “apple dinners” during the fall, and this, he says, is a proven favorite. He recommends using aromatic Ashmead Kernels, but don’t hesitate to substitute Jonathan, Jonagold, Braeburn, or other crunchy, flavorful apples
.

1 tablespoon paprika

½ teaspooon freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon salt

1 3-pound chicken

3 medium apples (Ashmead Kernels), cored, peeled (if desired), and cut into eighths

3 small white turnips, peeled, quartered, and thinly sliced

6 cloves of garlic, peeled juice of half a lemon

1
. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2
. Combine the paprika, pepper, and salt and rub the chicken inside and out with the mixture.

3
. Lightly oil or spray a roasting pan, add the chicken, breast side up, and arrange the apples, turnips, and garlic around the sides. Trickle the lemon juice over the apples and turnips.

4
. Roast the chicken until it is golden brown all over, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Baste with pan juices two or three times during the roasting.

5
. When the chicken is done, remove it to a serving platter and spoon the apples, turnips, and garlic into a food processor. Skim the fat from the pan and pour the remaining juice over the vegetables. Process to a purée consistency and serve separately with the chicken.

Yield: 4–6 servings

This is a superb company dish that can be prepared two or more days ahead of time. The advantage of cooking duck in advance is that all the fat can be removed from the juices when the duck is chilled. Because this dish is redolent with rich, earthy flavors, it is equally delicious when served with mashed potatoes and Brussels sprouts or rice with mushrooms and peas. With a mixed green salad on the side, the only dessert you’ll need is a light and fruity sorbet
.

D
UCK AND
S
TOCK

1 5½–6-pound duckling (plus neck, gizzard, heart, and liver)

4 cups stock or water

4 cloves of garlic, flattened

1 stalk of celery

1 small onion, halved

1 carrot, cut up

1
. F
OR THE STOCK
, place the neck, gizzard, heart, and liver in a medium-sized saucepan and cover with the stock. Add 2 of the cloves of garlic, celery, onion, and carrot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, place the lid askew, and simmer for 40 minutes.

2
. Cut the duck into serving-sized pieces, and remove any fat from around the neck and vent areas. Cut off the wing tips and parson’s nose (stubby tailpiece) and discard.

3
. In a 4- or 5-quart Dutch oven, brown the duck pieces, skin side down (do not use any fat or oil), over medium-high heat for 20 minutes to render the fat. Add the remaining 2 cloves of garlic to the pan during the browning.

4
. Remove the duck pieces to a plate. Discard the garlic and the fat drippings.

V
EGETABLES

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 medium carrots, chopped

2 medium stalks of celery, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ground mace

1 teaspoon dried sage

1 teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon ground allspice

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 cup red wine

2 tablespoons cornstarch

3 apples (Granny Smith, Ida Red, Winesap, York)

5
. F
OR THE VEGETABLES
, heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat; add the onion, carrots, celery, and minced garlic. Sprinkle with the mace, sage, thyme, allspice, pepper, and cayenne. Sauté for 10 minutes.

6
. Place the browned duck pieces, skin side up, on top of the vegetables in the Dutch oven.

7
. Strain the stock and skim off the fat. (I use one of those fat jugs that allows fats to rise to the top. Or I make the stock a day ahead, refrigerate it, and then scrape the solid fat from the chilled liquid.)

8
. Preheat oven to 325°F.