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Apple Crisp

It’s eleven days until Christmas. Eleven. AAA! Where did the time go? In the last six weeks, I’ve been cooking, baking, decorating, celebrating the holidays… but apparently not blogging.

I have several recipes lined up to compensate for my absence, starting with this apple crisp. I know it’s not Christmasy per se, and if I’m honest it’s not the most beautiful dessert I’ve ever made, but this baby is a workhorse. It’s understated, simple, and a great finish to any meal. Serve with ice cream, a splash of cream, or just by itself. Or as leftovers for breakfast.

Use at least a couple kinds of apples — tender apples cook down and make a bubbly sauce, while firm apples give a pie filling consistency.

Apple Crisp

Adapted from The Apple Lovers’ Cookbook, by Amy Traverso

Serves 8-10

5 large tender-tart apples (about 2 1/2 pounds), peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4″ slices (try McIntosh or Jonathan)
5 large firm-sweet apples (about 2 1/2 pounds), peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4″ slices (try Jazz, Jonagold, Pink Lady, or Honeycrisp)
2 tsp cinnamon, divided
2 cups (290 g) all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup (210 g) sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, melted and cooled

Preheat oven to 350 degrees with a rack in the middle position. Toss apples with 1 teaspoon cinnamon and arrange in a 9×13 baking dish (no need to grease); set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour baking powder, salt, sugar and remaining 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Add beaten eggs and use a fork, pastry cutter, or your fingers to work the batter until crumbly. The mixture should look like streusel (don’t worry, it’s not too dry!).

Spread topping evenly over the apples. Drizzle all over with melted butter. Bake until the topping is golden brown and apple juices are bubbling, 45-55 minutes. Let cool 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Sausage, Mushroom and Wild Rice Soup

It’s Daylight Savings Time (or is it the end of Daylight Savings Time? I can never keep them straight), and that means it will be dark before I even leave work. And when that happens, I lose interest in cooking at night. Just give me some takeout (or worse yet, junk food) and a glass of wine, and I’ll curl up on the couch with the cat and fall asleep. And then I have no leftovers for lunch the next day. Rinse and repeat…

There are worse problems, but this cycle isn’t great for my wallet or my health. I try to nip it in the bud by cooking more on the weekends and stocking up for the week. I love soup and salad at lunch, which leave me feeling full but not heavy. This one is economical, and easily adaptable to your tastes and preferences. Omit the Half & Half to make it dairy-free, or try substituting chicken for the smoked sausage.

Sausage, Mushroom and Wild Rice Soup

Serves 4

5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup wild rice (or wild & long grain rice blend)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
8 oz. sliced cremini or white mushrooms
8 oz. reduced-fat smoked sausage, cut into bite-sized medallions
1/2 cup Half & Half
Freshly ground pepper and salt

In a medium saucepan, combine broth and rice. Cover partially and simmer for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large Dutch oven. Add onion and celery and cook 2-3 minutes. Add sausage and mushrooms. Cooking, stirring occasionally, until sausage is browned and vegetables are semi-tender. Add rice and its broth to the sausage and vegetables. Simmer, uncovered, until rice has “bloomed.”

Add Half & Half and heat through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Filipino Pork and Noodles

Pig is totally underrated. I mean, sure, everybody is obsessed with bacon, but beyond that, how much credit does little Hamlet get?

Maybe it’s just me, but pork seems to be more popular in international cuisine than American (beyond barbecue ribs, pulled pork, and the aforementioned bacon). In some ways this recipe reminds me of pork butt, the basis of pulled pork barbecue, but with a unique flavor profile, pulling from the soy sauce, vinegar and jalapeños.

Center loin is just pork chops before they’re sliced. The meat cooks low and slow in a slow cooker, and the prep time is less than 15 minutes. Try mashed potatoes or even mashed cauliflower in place of egg noodles.

If you’re expecting leftovers, strain the cooking broth and pour at least some of it over the meat before packing it up in the refrigerator — you’ll want that extra broth when you reheat the meat.

Filipino Pork and Noodles

From The Wanderlust Kitchen

1.75 lb lean pork center loin
1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup water
5 cloves garlic, peeled crushed
6 peppercorns, crushed
5 whole bay leaves
2 jalapeños, stemmed and seeded, chopped

Place pork, soy sauce, vinegars, water, garlic, ground pepper, bay leaves, and jalapeños in a 3 quart or large slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat for 7 to 8 hours. Remove the pork, shred with two forks and put it back in the crock pot for another half hour to soak up some flavors from the sauce.

Cook the egg noodles according to manufacturer’s instructions (omitting any butter or salt). Remove and discard the bay leaves from the slow cooker. Serve the pork over the egg noodles.