Cabbage, Apple, and Celery Stir-Fry

This is really good with the Persian rice I posted last, or with noodles.

Ingredients:

1 onion

oil

2-4 stalks of celery

1 pointed cabbage or ½ regular cabbage

water (in ¼ cup increments or as needed)

2 apples

1 tsp sugar

lemon juice (2-5 tbsp, depending on taste)

mint (1 tbsp)

salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Peel and dice the onion and fry lightly in some oil.

2. Chop the celery and cabbage and add to the pan. Cook for a few minutes, then add some water and cover. Leave over medium heat for 8-10 minutes.

3. Chop the apples and add to the pan, along with the other ingredients. Cook another 10 minutes, adding more water if needed.

4. Season with more lemon juice, mint, salt, and pepper.

Pear, Apple, and Raspberry Crumble

Ingredients:

4 pears

1 apple

50 g rapeseed oil, plus extra

1 tsp lemon juice

55 g sugar, plus extra

1 tsp vanilla extract

5 tbsp oats

60 g flour

30 g almonds (ground or chopped)

30 g dark chocolate, optional

50-60 g raspberries (frozen is fine)

 

Instructions:

1. Wash, peel, and chop the pears and apple.

2. Lightly oil them and toss them with lemon juice and a little sugar. Bake at 190 C for 10-15 minutes, until softened.

3. Meanwhile, mix all the other ingredients together except the dark chocolate. Grate or chop the chocolate.

4. Top the fruit with the raspberries.

5. Dot the crumble topping over the fruit and sprinkle with chocolate (or mix the chocolate into the crumble topping first).

6. Bake at 190 C for 30-40 minutes.

Apple Cake

This is based on a recipe from Cook’s Illustrated. I love the scientific nature of the magazine – I even enjoy reading the meat recipes just to get information on the science of cooking, even though I obviously do not cook or eat meat.

 

The premise of this recipe is that there are multiple layers to the cake. The bottom, biggest layer is a mix of fruit and custard. On top of that is a more cakey layer. You then sprinkle that with sugar for some crunch.

 

I adapted this recipe to simplify it, and to include spices, plus I added more fruit, because I like a cake with a lot of fruit. This is great with Oatly cream.

 

Ingredients:

750 kg apples (about 6-7 apples)

1 tsp lemon juice

2 tbsp apple juice (or, you can do as they suggested in the magazine and use Calvados or brandy)

1 cup plus 2 tbsp flour

1 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1-2 tsp mixed spice

2-3 tsp cinnamon

1 egg plus 2 yolks

1 cup vegetable oil, plus a little extra for the tin

1 cup milk (I used rice milk)

 

Instructions:

1. Peel, core, and thinly slice the apples. Then leave them to soak in the lemon and apple juices while you prepare the rest.

2. Mix 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, the vanilla, and all the other dry ingredients.

3. Mix 1 egg, the oil, and the milk together, then whisk into the dry ingredients until well combined.

4. Remove 1 cup of this mixture and mix with the other 2 tbsp of flour. Set aside.

5. Whisk in the other two yolks into the main mixture, then add the apples and stir well.

6. Oil and line the tin.

7. Pour the apple mixture in and spread well.

8. Top with the flour mixture (i.e. the cakey layer) and spread well.

9. Sprinkle evenly with the extra 2 tbsp of sugar.

10. Bake at 170 C for 60-80 minutes.

Apple and Vegetable Pie

I’d read a recipe that suggested making a mash out of apples instead of potatoes to use as a crust for a vegetable pie. M thought that sounded interesting but long-winded, so we decided to make a vegetable pie that included apples instead.

We used our typical vegan shortcrust pastry to make a nice pastry bottom and lid for the pie.

Ingredients:

200 g flour

110 g Cookeen (or margarine or butter)

1 tsp salt

2-4 tbsp cold water

1 onion

olive oil, plus a little extra to grease the pan

2 Bramley apples

1 parsnip

1 carrot

1 baking potato

1 stock cube

100-200 ml water

1 tbsp tomato puree

herbs (rosemary, mint, parsley, for example)

Instructions:

1. Make the pastry by mixing the flour, fat, salt, and cold water together. Set in the fridge while you make the rest.

2. Peel and dice the onion. Fry it lightly in olive oil.

3. Peel and dice the parsnip, carrot, and potato. Add them and the stock cube to the pot and cook for a few minutes.

4. Add the water, cover, and let cook for 10-15 minutes.

5. Uncover and let the water cook away (this takes another 10 minutes).

6. Mix in the tomato puree and herbs.

7. Roll out the pastry and put it in a lightly greased oven-safe dish. Fill with the vegetables and fold the pastry over it, so there is a lid. Crimp the edges.

8. Cook at 200 C for 20-30 minutes.

Apple and Potato Latkes

I love traditional potato and onion latkes (pancakes), but sometimes it’s good to change old favourite recipes a bit for some variety. So when I saw <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/14/dining/polishing-up-latkes-with-apples-a-good-appetite.html?_r=2&ref=dining">this recipe</a> in the New York Times, I thought I’d try it, though of course I adapted it to our tastes and what we had on hand. You can serve them with sour cream, apple sauce, sugar, and/or any other toppings you would like.

Ingredients:

2-3 apples

1 onion

5 new potatoes (or 1-2 large ones)

¾ cup flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp sugar

1 pinch salt

3 eggs

oil

Instructions:

1. Peel the apples and onion and grate them into a mixing bowl.

2. If using a large potato, peel it, but there’s no need if using new potatoes. Grate the potatoes into the bowl.

3. Squeeze the grated fruit and veg to get as much moisture out as possible.

4. Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, sugar, and salt to the bowl. Mix well.

5. Break the eggs in and mix everything together.

6. Warm some oil in a frying pan. Drop tablespoonfuls of the mixture into the pan and fry the latkes on both sides.

Apple, Pear, and Mincemeat Tart

M liked the tart I made for her mum’s birthday so much that she requested it for her birthday too. This time I mixed it up by adding pears too.

Ingredients:

3 apples

oil

2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

2 pears

phyllo (also spelled filo) dough

½ jar mincemeat

Instructions:

1. Wash and slice the apples. You can also peel them if you prefer.

2. Fry them lightly in oil with the sugar and cinnamon, until a touch golden and caramelised.

3. Oil an oven-safe dish. Place two sheets of filo dough in it as the bottom.

4. Wash and chop the pears. Mix the apples, pears, and mincemeat on top of the dough. I used several layers of fruit and filo to make it a little nicer.

5. Top with a piece of dough and fold it all up like a parcel.

6. Bake at 200 C for about 20-25 minutes.

Apple and Mincemeat Tart

For M’s mum’s birthday, which was near Christmas, I made a simple apple and mincemeat tart for dessert (and yes, I make so many recipes that I’m not getting around to posting this until August). Unfortunately, in our rush, M and I left the dessert home. We had so many bags to carry that we forgot that one. When we came back, the tart was still waiting patiently by the front door, so we promptly put it in the oven and baked it, then ate it. It’s great served with custard or cream.

Ingredients:

4 apples

oil

2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

phyllo (also spelled filo) dough

½ jar mincemeat

Instructions:

1. Wash and slice the apples. You can also peel them if you prefer.

2. Fry them lightly in oil with the sugar and cinnamon, until a touch golden and caramelised.

3. Oil an oven-safe dish. Place two sheets of filo dough in it as the bottom.

4. Mix the apples and mincemeat on top of the dough. I used several layers of fruit and filo to make it a little nicer.

5. Top with a piece of dough and fold it all up like a parcel.

6. Bake at 200 C for about 20-25 minutes.

Apple and Blackberry Crumble

I recently made an apple and blackberry crumble with a nutty crumble topping. You can vary what fruits you use and what nuts you use for the crumble topping, or you can replace the nuts with oats.

Ingredients:
5 apples
150 g blackberries
50 g butter, plus extra for the dish
¾ cup flour
½ cup almond meal
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon, if desired
1 dash lemon juice (I just sprinkled a bit of lemon juice on top of the apples so they didn’t brown)
cream or ice cream, as desired

Instructions:
1. Wash and slice the applies. Layer them and the blackberries in an oven-safe dish.
2. Mix the other ingredients into crumbs.
3. Top the fruit with the crumbs.
4. Bake at 180 C for about 25 minutes, until golden brown. Serve with cream or ice cream as desired.

Morning Glory Muffins

Don’t snicker at the name – these are common muffins in the US, where “morning glory” has a much more innocent meaning (it’s a flower and not something men get in the morning).

These are pretty healthy and really tasty. You can also add nuts or coconut.

Ingredients:
1 apple
3-5 carrots (about 2 cups worth)
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup raisins
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 pinch salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs

Instructions:
1. Peel, core and grate the apple and peel and grate the carrots.
2. Add the oil and raisins to the apple and carrots.
3. Mix the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, vanilla and cinnamon together.
4. Beat the eggs and mix them with the dry ingredients.
5. Mix the eggs with the apple and carrots. Mix everything together well.
6. Put in muffin tins and bake for 18-20 minutes at 170 C.

Baked Apples

This is a simple and relatively healthy dessert. Well, except for the cream, I guess. You can also add raisins and nuts, as desired.

Ingredients:
butter or oil for the dish
2 cooking apples
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
cream (soya cream is fine)
milk (soya milk is fine)

Instructions:
1. Grease and oven-safe dish. Wash and core the apples, leaving a bit at the bottom (in other words, made a hole in the middle of the apples, but not one that goes all the way through). Put the apples in the dish.
2. Put 1 tbsp brown sugar and 1 tsp vanilla in the centre of each apple. Pour cream in as well.
3. Drizzle cream on the sides of the apples and pour more cream and milk around the apples.
4. Bake for 30 minutes at 200 C.

Root Vegetable and Apple Soup

Another cold, wintry day. Time, then, for another batch of soup. Not long ago, M brought home a bottle of carrot-apple juice. The carroty taste was a bit strong for me, but I liked the combination. So I decided to make a root vegetable soup that was sweetened and softened with the addition of a couple of apples.

Carrots, a parsnip or two, and apples, pureed with parsley and served with a dollop of yogurt: a milder take on the carrot-apple juice, warm, and healthy. Perfect on a snowy day.

Ingredients:
5 carrots
1 parsnip
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp parsley
1 vegetable stock cube
1 litre water
2 apples (I like the Pink Lady type, but then I would, wouldn’t I? Red would be fine too.)
yogurt or crème fraiche

Instructions:
1. Peel and dice the carrots and parsnip. Put them with the butter, parsley, and stock cube in a pot over medium heat. Cook for a moment or two, then add the water.
2. Boil for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables soften. Meanwhile, dice the apples, then add them.
3. Puree everything into a smooth soup, then serve with dollops of yogurt or crème fraiche.

Potato, Apple, and Cauliflower Cheese

Last month, I posted my cauliflower cheese recipe. A few days ago, I wanted to revisit it and to do something different with it. So I updated it by adding potato and apple, which varied the cauliflower taste. I also used only soy milk and no cream, and I added a hefty amount of mustard to the sauce. The result was quite tasty; it was still comfort food, but with a flavoursome zip to it.

I made so much that I filled two casserole dishes, so M and I will be eating it for lunch and dinner a couple of days in a row!

Ingredients:
1 medium cauliflower
2 baking potatoes
water for boiling
3 apples
75 g butter
1/3 cup flour
2 ½ cups milk (or soy milk)
175 g cheddar cheese, or other mature cheese, grated or chopped
2 tbsp whole-grain mustard
black pepper

Instructions:
1. Wash the cauliflower and the potatoes. Break the former into florets and cut slice the latter. Boil them in the water for about 10 minutes.
2. Slice the apples and set aside. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the flour. Stir until mixed.
3. Add the milk. Stir.
4. Add most of the cheese and stir until it is a thick sauce.
5. Season with mustard and pepper.
6. Place the cauliflower, potatoes, and apples in one layer at the bottom of an oven-safe dish. Pour the sauce over it.
7. Top with the rest of the cheese.
8. Bake for 30 minutes at 200.