apple

roasted carrot parsnip apple soup / zuppa di carote, pastinache e mela arrosto

| Simona
a bowl of roasted carrot and parsnip soup
earthy flavors blend in this nourishing soup
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

Our current Cook the Books Club selection is the historical novel Miss Eliza’s English Kitchen by Annabel Abbs.1 The book narrates the story of cookbook writer Eliza Acton (1700-1859) and her assistant, Ann Kirby. I had not heard about Eliza Action and I thank Amy, our Club’s host, for selecting the book.

Abbs chose to tell the story alternating between Eliza’s and Ann’s perspective. Through Eliza, Abbs addresses the topics of marriage, motherhood, and the narrow options open to creative women at the time (Eliza is a poet and playwright), while through Ann, she addresses the narrow options open to poor people, particularly women, and also the care of patients with mental health problems.

The book does not include recipes (ricette) but Eliza’s main cookbook “Modern Cookery in All Its Branches” is accessible via the Library of Congress2 (thank you, Amy, for searching for and finding it!) and makes for an interesting browsing. Eliza Acton liked precision in providing instructions. Her lasting contribution to cookery is the listing of ingredients (ingredienti) and their measured, exact quantities (at the end of the recipe, rather than the beginning, as is the current custom). She often adds “Obs.,” observations or comments to the recipe just detailed.

Each chapter of the novel includes a subtitle that references a dish. One of them inspired me, except I got it wrong. The reference was to turnips (rape) with butter, which somehow my brain registered as parsnips with butter. I then thought I hadn’t cooked parsnips in a while and went on my merry way developing a recipe with that root vegetable. Finding locally grown ones at the farmers market acted as an additional prompt. It was only when I was putting in order my notes that I realized my mistake.

4 farm-fresh parsnips and a red spring onion
young, tender parsnips are also photogenic
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

Still, the inspiration came from the reading, so below I share my recipe for soup that uses roasted parsnips. They have a distinct, rather strong flavor, so I reached for their “cousins” carrots to balance it, then added an apple to round up the flavor profile. I also went for simplicity: the two root vegetables, apple (mela), red onion (cipolla rossa) and garlic (aglio) are roasted together before becoming soup ingredients. The result is a hearty soup that is particularly welcome when it feels like winter has no intention to leave yet.

Roasted Carrot, Parsnip and Apple Soup

5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Resting time 30 minutes
Servings: 5
Course: Soup
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

  • 12 ounces / 340 grams carrots
  • 6 ounces / 170 grams parsnips choose young slender ones
  • 6 ounces / 170 grams apple organic
  • 4 ounces / 112 grams red onion
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons / 22.5 ml extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves unpeeled
  • 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder
  • 1 cup / 240 ml vegetable stock possibly homemade
  • 2 1/2 cups / 600 ml water
  • 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt or to taste
  • toasted pumpkin seeds optional

Equipment

  • baking sheet
  • lidded pot

Method
 

  1. Scrub the carrots well and scrape the surface to remove a thin layer of skin. Halve the carrots lengthwise if they are thick. Chop the carrots into 1/2-inch / 1.25-cm pieces. Place the carrots in a mixing bowl.
  2. Scrub the parsnips well and peel with a vegetable peeler. Halve the parsnips lengthwise if they are thick and core them. Chop the parsnips into 1/2-inch / 1.25-cm pieces. Add the parsnips to the carrots.
  3. Dice the red onion. Add the onion to the root vegetables.
  4. Heat the oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat.
  5. Toss the vegetables with the olive oil then spread on the baking sheet in an even layer.
  6. Place the unpeeled garlic cloves in a corner of the baking sheet.
  7. Roast the vegetables for 10 minutes.
  8. Quarter and core the apple. Cut the apple into 1/2-inch / 1.25-cm slices.
  9. Take the baking sheet out of the oven, remove the garlic cloves and let them cool slightly.
  10. Stir the vegetables, add the apples slices, stir again, then put the baking sheet back into the oven.
  11. Squeeze the pulp out of the garlic cloves. Discard the skin.
  12. Roast the vegetables and apple for another 10 minutes. Take the baking sheet out of the oven and stir the vegetables.
  13. Check the vegetables for doneness: carrots and parsnips pieces should be easily pierced with a blade. If necessary, put the baking sheet back into the oven for a few more minutes.
  14. Warm up a soup pot on medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then add the grated ginger.
  15. Stir well and cook for 1 minute on medium-low heat, then add the spices and stir. Keep cooking for another minute until fragrant.
  16. Transfer the roasted vegetables and apple into the pot. Stir well, then pour onto them the vegetable stock and water.
  17. Cover the pot and bring to a boil.
  18. Remove the pot from the heat, season with the salt and stir. Let the soup rest, covered, for 30 minutes, then purée it with an immersion blender. Add more water, if needed, to reach the desired consistency.
  19. Making the soup at least a few hours before serving will allow it to rest and ripen.
  20. When ready to eat, heat the soup and ladle it in bowls. Optionally sprinkle some toasted pumpkin seeds on the soup, then serve.

I am glad the Club’s selection prompted me to rediscover a root vegetable that, I believe, should be more popular than it is.

1 The book’s page on the author’s website
2 Modern Cookery in All Its Branches by Miss Eliza Acton (on page 47 of the book [38/418 of the file], there are two recipes for turnip soup and one for carrot soup)

Click on the Play button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post

Cook the Books logoThis is my contribution to the current selection of our Cook the Books hosted by Amy of Amy’s Cooking Adventures. (You can find the guidelines for participating in the event on this page.)

 

FTC disclosure: I have received the table linen free of charge from the manufacturer (la FABBRICA del LINO). I have not and will not receive any monetary compensation for presenting it on my blog. The experience shared and the opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.

Copyright © 2007–2026 Simona Carini. All rights reserved.

red beet, carrot, apple and egg salad / insalata di barbabietole rosse, carote, mela e uovo sodo

| Simona

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IMG_4299

Colorful salad: the view from above
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

Our current Cook the Books Club selection is the spy novel Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews1. I chose this book for our Club in early June 2021. I had no idea that by the time I started reading it, it would feel like current events. It was hard to believe the book was published in 20132.

While I am an avid reader of mystery novels, this was my first experience reading a spy novel. I was attracted to it because each chapter ends with a short recipe (ricetta): more a list of ingredients and a sketch of the preparation than a real recipe. Still the contrast is intriguing.

The author is a former officer of the CIA’s Operations Directorate, so he wrote the novel from a place of personal experience. I was interested in the language (acronyms and some spy jargon) and the window the novel opens on the mechanics of some secret operations. I found the main characters in the novel interesting, in terms of how they end up doing what they do and also with respect to the question: how do they keep their humanity? How do they maintain friendships, marriages? Those relationships are rooted in trust, openness, sincerity, and yet the spy’s main role is to dissimulate and violence, some of it quite brutal (torture, murder) is part of the job.

IMG_4296 (1)

salad ingredients ready to be tossed together
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

As the story travels to different countries, the recipes span a number of culinary traditions. When the novel moved to Helsinki, I looked for Finnish recipes, since an important part of the novel takes place in the Nordic capital: that’s where Dominika meets and falls in love with CIA operative Nate, and befriends fellow Russian Marta, whose disappearance pushes Dominika to step over to the other side. In my search, I read about rosolli, a salad 

made of cooked, diced root vegetables, especially beetroot, carrot and potato, often combined with one or more of pickled cucumber (of either the vinegar or brine type), raw onion and apple. Variations may also include additional ingredients such as pickled herring or boiled egg…3

Then in chapter 40, I read:

On the way back to Tallinn, Benford stopped at a highway café grill, to see how the Lada would react. Surveillance proceeded two hundred meters and waited on the side of the highway. Benford made himself stretch out a lunch of boiled sausages, pickles, herring, Baltic rosolje salad, black bread, dark loamy beers.

and a recipe for Estonian Beet Salad—Rosolje appears at the end of the chapter, signaling that various versions of this dish are typical of the larger Baltic region. In fact,

Similar dishes are found throughout northern Europe, from the Low Countries across Scandinavia to Russia. Especially the Russian vinegret is very similar to the Finnish rosolli.3

The salad I made is a free interpretation: I roasted red beets and carrots, omitted potatoes, pickles, herring and the “cooked beef or pork” mentioned in the book’s version, used my homemade mayonnaise (maionese) as dressing and added blue cheese (formaggio erborinato). The combination is quite nice: sweet, tender vegetables, crisp apple, egg, a hint of sharpness in the cheese. You can roast the vegetables ahead of time, then assemble the salad right before the meal. I imagine preparing the ingredients and allow the guests to make their own salad, which can be served also as an appetizer (antipasto).

Print-friendly version of briciole’s recipe for Red beet, carrot, apple and egg salad

Ingredients per person (to be multiplied as needed):

  • 2 small red beets
  • 2 small carrots
  • 1 large egg, from pastured poultry
  • 1/2 medium apple
  • 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste
  • A pinch of freshly ground black pepper
  • A splash of sherry vinegar, to taste
  • 1-2 tablespoons / 15-30 ml mayonnaise, possibly homemade, to taste
  • 1/2 ounce / 15 grams Point Reyes Bay Blue4 OR other sweet blue cheese

Note: I recommend you purchase a bunch of red beets with their greens. Cut off the greens about 1 inch / 2.5 cm from the root and consume them as soon as possible like you would other types of dark leafy greens.

Heat the oven to 375 F / 190 C.

Scrub the red beets well. Scrub the carrots well and scrape the surface with a blade to remove a thin layer of skin. Wrap each in foil and place them on a baking sheet. Put in the oven and roast the vegetables until easily pierced with a blade. Check the carrots after 30 minutes and the beets after 45 minutes and gauge the cooking time remaining for each.

Let the carrots cool until easy to handle, then slice them (half the slices if the carrot is wide) and set them aside. Let the red beets cool until easy to handle, then slip off the skin. Cut the beets in bite-sized pieces and set them aside.

In the meantime, hard-boil the egg, let it cool, then peel it and dice it. Crumble the cheese. Just before assembling the salad, dice the apple (peeling optional).

Compose the salad using the vegetables, apple and egg. Season with salt, pepper and vinegar and toss. Add the mayonnaise and toss, then add the blue cheese, toss one last time, and serve.

1 The book’s page on the publisher’s website
2 A review of the novel on the NY Times
3 The wikipedia article about rosolli and a recipe for rosolli on the Finlandia Foundation website
4 Point Reyes Bay Blue cheese, “a rustic-style blue cheese with a natural rind. It is known for its mellow flavor and sweet, salted caramel finish.”

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

insalata di barbabietole rosse, carote, mela e uovo sodo

or launch the insalata di barbabietola rosse, carote, mela e uovo sodo audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

CtBThis is my contribution to the current selection of our Cook the Books hosted by me, Simona of briciole. (You can find the guidelines for participating in the event on this page.)

The roundup of the event.  

FTC disclosure: I have received the table linen free of charge from the manufacturer (la FABBRICA del LINO). I have not and will not receive any monetary compensation for presenting it on my blog. The experience shared and the opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.

red beet, apple, carrot, egg, salad

recipe: red beet, carrot, apple and egg salad

| Simona

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scone con barbabietola rossa, mela e pistacchi / red beet, apple and pistachio scones

| Simona

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

red beet, apple and pistachio scones

photo could be better — scones are perfect

The recipe started with yet another batch of small red beets freshly harvested and promptly roasted. It went on with an apple too large to eat all as my breakfast. En route, it picked up some fresh dill (aneto) and to complete the party, it invited pistachios to join: what a success!

I had a hard time setting up this shooting session, even within the realm of my minimalist style of food photography. I baked four batches of these scones and every time, my camera wanted to be outside, focusing on large landscapes rather than small edibles.

On the other hand, the scones have a kind of rough beauty that comes across in the photos and that I find quite attractive. I like that the color is not uniform, but somewhat marbled. Above all, I like how the scones taste.

I keep using the same scone recipe, making small adjustments to accommodate each variation I come up with.

Ingredients (see my previous post for additional information on the original recipe and the ingredients; overall, I halved the quantities of the original recipe):

  1. 3 1/2 tablespoons (1.75 oz. / 50 g) unsalted browned butter (or 4 tablespoons unsalted butter and no ricotta)
  2. 2 tablespoons buckwheat flour + 2 tablespoons cornmeal + enough all-purpose flour to make 1 cup OR 1 cup (130 g) all-purpose flour
  3. 1/2 cup (65 g) whole-wheat pastry flour
  4. 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
  5. 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  6. 3/8 teaspoon sea salt
  7. 1 teaspoon ultra-fine or granulated sugar
  8. 1/4 cup grated roasted red beet (use the medium side of your grater)
  9. 1/4 cup grated apple (use the extra-coarse side of your grater)
  10. 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh dill (aneto)
  11. 1/2 tablespoon ricotta or cream cheese or plain kefir cheese
  12. 1/2 cup (120 ml) homemade kefir; original recipe alternatives: buttermilk (latticello), plain yogurt or sour cream (low-fat or non-fat is fine)
  13. 1/4 cup (1 oz.) roasted and lightly salted pistachios, chopped

How to roast beets
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Rinse and scrub well beets, then wrap each one in foil, place on a baking sheet, and bake until easily pierced with a knife. Alternatively, place clean beets in a baking pan or dish, add 1/4 inch of water to the pan and cover tightly with foil or dish's lid, then proceed as with the other method. Let beets  cool until easy to handle, then slip off the skin.

Note: If you are like me and prefer to buy bunches of beets with their greens still attached, cut the greens an inch above the beet, then proceed with the preparation. I usually bake a number of beets at a time, for efficiency's sake. There are many ways you can use them, for example, this soup or this spread. I also set aside the greens to make a frittata or to add to kale in this dish. And I prepare the stalks in this way.

How to make the scones
Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or a piece of parchment paper and dust the surface lightly with flour.

Take the browned butter out of the fridge and let it soften slightly while you prepare the other ingredients. Grate red beet and apple. Measure ingredients number 2 through 8 and put into the food processor fitted with steel blade. Cut butter into pieces and add to the food processor. Pulse a few times for several seconds until the flour mix resembles coarse meal. Due to the red beet, it will be pink.

Pour dry ingredients into a bowl, add apple and dill. In a small bowl, whisk together ricotta and kefir, then add them to the drier mix. Stir with a spatula a couple of times, then add the pistachios. Stir briefly until ingredients are just combined.

Turn dough onto the lined sheet and shape into a 1/2-inch thick square. Dust surface of dough lightly with flour. With a bench scraper, cut into four lengthwise and then crosswise to get 16 small squares. With the help of the bench scraper, separate the pieces, so that they are at least one inch apart. If the corner pieces are much smaller than the rest, join them, so you'll end up with 14-15 scones of comparable size.

Bake for 15 minutes, then check the bottom of one scone: if it is golden brown, they are ready, otherwise, bake for another two minutes and check again. When ready, move them onto a rack and serve warm or at room temperature.

red beet, apple and pistachio scones

marbled, fragrant, excellent scones

These scones are perfect for breakfast and I like to serve them for dinner as well, as a bread substitute, with creamy homemade kefir cheese or a spread.

Once cooled completely, the scones can be frozen. When I want to serve them, I put them straight in a 350 F oven for 8-10 minutes.

Whb383This is my contribution to edition #383 of Weekend Herb Blogging, an event started by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen, now organized by Haalo of Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once and hosted this week by Simona of briciole (that is, me).

This post contains the roundup of the event.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

scone con barbabietola rossa, mela e pistacchi

or launch the scone con barbabietola rossa, mela e pistacchi audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

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scone, red beet, apple, kefir, pistachio

Newrule

scone con barbabietola rossa, mela e pistacchi

red beet, apple and pistachio scones

la foto non è gran che — gli scone sono perfetti

La ricetta comincia con un po' di piccole barbabietole rosse appena raccolte che ho subito cotto al forno. Continua con una mela un po' troppo grossa per essere mangiata tutta per colazione. Per strada, dà un passaggio a dell'aneto fresco e per completare la festa invita dei pistacchi tostati. Il risultato: un successo!

Ho avuto un po' di difficoltà a fare foto, anche nel mio stile minimalista. Ho preparato gli scone quattro volte e ogni volta la mia macchina fotografica voleva essere all'aperto e puntare a vasti paesaggi piuttosto che a piccoli oggetti commestibili.

D'altra parte, questi scone hanno una loro bellezza rustica che le foto mostrano bene e che io personalmente trovo molto attraente. Mi piace il fatto che il colore non sia uniforme ma un po' marmorizzato. E soprattutto mi piace il sapore di questi scone.

Continuo ad usare la mia ricetta base degli scone e faccio piccoli cambiamenti per adattarla a ciascuna variazione che invento (vedi il mio post sugli scone zucca e zenzero con curry per ulteriori informazioni riguardanti la ricetta che mi ha ispirato).

Ingredienti:

  1. 50 g burro nocciola (oppure 57 g di burro normale e non usare la ricotta)
  2. 2 cucchiai [30 ml] farina di grano saraceno + [30 ml] fioretto di mais + abbastanza farina di grano per arrivare a 130 g, oppure 130 g di farina di grano
  3. 65 g farina integrale fina (da dolci)
  4. 1/2 cucchiaio (7,5 ml) lievito per dolci
  5. 1/4 cucchiaino bicarbonato di soda
  6. 3/8 cucchiaino sale fino
  7. 1 cucchiaino zucchero bianco fine
  8. 1/4 tazza (60 ml) barbabietola rossa cotta in forno e grattugiata con la grattugia a buchi medi o grossi
  9. 1/4 tazza (60 ml) mela grattugiata con la grattugia a buchi grossi (un quarto di una mela medio-grossa)
  10. 1 cucchiaino aneto fresco tritato
  11. 1/2 cucchiaio (7,5 ml) ricotta o formaggio cremoso
  12. 120 ml kefir fatto in casa; alternative: latticello, yogurt bianco o panna acida (va bene anche parzialmente scremato o magro)
  13. 30 g pistacchi tostati e leggermente salati, tritati

Come cuocere le barbabietole rosse
Scaldare il forno a 190 C. Pulire bene la barbabietola (o barbabietole), avvolgere in pellicola di alluminio, porle su una lastra da forno e cuocerle in forno fino a quando è facile perforarla con una lama.  Lasciar intiepidire e poi rimuovere la buccia. 

Nota: Se siete come me e preferite comprare barbabietole con ancora attaccate le foglie, tagliate i gambi 2-3 cm sopra alla radice e poi proseguite con la preparazione. Di solito cuocio un certo numero di barbabietole per volta, per amor di efficienza. Potete usarle in diversi modi, a parte quello descritto in questo post (per esempio, questa zuppa o questa crema da spalmare). Io utilizzo le foglie per fare una frittata o insieme al cavolo riccio in questo gratin. E gli steli li preparo gratinati.

Come prepareare gli scone
Scaldare il forno a 218 C. Foderare una lastra da forno con un tappetino di silicone per forno o carta da forno e spargere un po' di farina sulla superficie. Togliere dal frigorifero il burro nocciola e farlo ammorbidire leggermente mentre preparate gli altri ingredienti.

Grattugiare barbabietola e mela. Misurare gli ingredienti dal numero 2 all'8 e metterli nel robot con la lama d'acciaio. Tagliare a pezzi il burro e aggiungerlo agli ingredienti. Pulsare un po' di volte per diversi secondi per sabbiare. La barbabietola rossa fa diventare il composto rosa.

Versare gli ingredienti secchi in una ciotola, aggiungere mela e aneto. In una ciotola piccola, mescolare ricotta e kefir e poi aggiungerli agli ingredienti secchi. Con una spatola, mescolare brevemente, poi aggiungere i pistacchi. Mescolare solo fino a quando si ha un impasto coeso.

Rovesciare l'impasto sulla lastra foderata e dargli la forma di un quadrato spesso 1,25 cm. Spolverare la superficie con un pochino di farina. Con un raschietto, tagliare il quadrato in quattro per lungo e per largo in modo da ottenere 16 quadretti. Con l'aiuto del raschietto, separare i quadretti in modo che siano distanti almeno 2,5 cm. Se i quadretti d'angolo sono molto più piccoli degli altri, uniteli a due a due in modo da avere 14-15 scone di dimensioni simili.

Infornare e cuocere per 15 minuti, poi controllare il fondo di uno scone: se è bello dorato, gli scone sono pronti. Se no, cuocere per un altro paio di minuti e controllare di nuovo. Quando sono pronti, trasferirli su una griglia e servirli caldi o a temperatura ambiente.

red beet, apple and pistachio scones

marmorizzati, fragranti, buonissimi

Questi scone sono ottimi per colazione e a me piace anche servirli per cena, al posto del pane, con formaggio di kefir cremoso o una crema salata da spalmare.

Una volta raffreddati, surgelo sempre una parte degli scone. Quando poi voglio servirli, li metto direttamente in forno riscaldato a 175 C per 10 minuti.

Whb383Questo post è il mio contributo all'edizione numero 383 di Weekend Herb Blogging, un evento creato da Kalyn di Kalyn's Kitchen, organizzato ora da Haalo di Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once, la cui versione italiana è organizzata da Brii di briggishome, e ospitata questa settimana da Simona di briciole (che poi sarei io).

Questo post contiene il raccolto dell'evento.

Related articles
Weekend Herb Blogging #383: il raccolto / the roundup
scone alle carote arrosto / roasted carrot scones

recipe: savory apple baked in puff pastry (mela al cartoccio salata)

| Simona
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salsa di mele arrosto / roasted applesauce

| Simona

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

roasted applesauce
A little while ago, a friend of mine gave me a case of apples she had harvested from her tree. In the past, I have used apples with other fruit to make preserves and I was planning to follow the same path, but the amount of apples called for additional ideas. From a corner of my memory, the title of a recipe (ricetta) floated to the foreground and since I remembered also where I had seen it, I was able to retrieve it.

The recipe in question is Judy Rodgers' Roasted Applesauce and the two elements that got my attention were: the author and the word "roasted." I have recently featured a recipe from Judy Rodgers' The Zuni Café Cookbook and several times in the past few months I have talked about my experiments with roasted fruit (for example, strawberries and peaches).

What happened next is a bit strange to explain: I scanned the blog post introducing the dish and missed the link to the actual recipe. So, besides making some changes based on personal preference (more on these below), I used 500 F as baking temperature and kept the baking dish covered throughout. The result was excellent and disappeared rather fast, so I immediately made another batch. It wasn't until I got to batch #3 that I saw the link to the recipe, read it and realized my mistake in the baking process. So, that batch was prepared according to the recipe. However, in a blind test, a sample of batch #2 scored higher than batch #3, so batch #4 was prepared again according to my misreading. You are welcome to make your experiments.

Finally, I made one Savory Apple Charlotte according to the recipe that comes together with that for applesauce and it was a big success. For it, I used some whey bread with butter and honey (recipe from Dan Lepard's The Handmade Loaf) that would have otherwise been used to make French toast (sorry, no photo of the charlotte).

DSC_0032aw
Ingredients:

  • 3 lbs. apples (see Note below)
  • a generous pinch of sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon of ultra-fine sugar (zucchero)

Note: When I make preserves with apples, I never peel them, and I followed the same procedure for this applesauce (which makes the preparation time even shorter). Since they are left unpeeled, organic or pesticide-free apples are strongly recommended. In terms of apple varieties, combine what you have available to get a balanced flavor. For example, the apples I received as a gift were a bit tart, so I added a few sweeter ones to each batch.

Preheat the oven to 500 F. Wash well, quarter and core the apples. If an apple is large, cut each quarter in half lengthwise. Distribute in a 3 qt. (9 x 13 inch) pyrex baking dish or similar baking vessel , sprinkle salt and sugar, and stir briefly. Cover with aluminum foil and seal around the edges. Bake until the apples are soft. (I baked them for 30 minutes.)

DSC_0004w

Transfer the apples into a bowl and purée with an immersion blender. At the beginning, pulse and move the blender to start breaking the apples, then reduce them to a fairly smooth purée. Store applesauce in sterilized jars in the fridge. Consume within a few days.

I tried adding a few drops of cider vinegar (aceto di mele) to a sample of the applesauce, as suggested in the original recipe, but did not like the result.

DSC_0018bw
What this recipe gives you is as healthy an applesauce as you can get. It is naturally sweet, creamy, with an intense apple flavor. It can be used in many different ways. A jar of this applesauce has been on our table at pretty much every meal ever since batch #1 was completed, and we have tried applesauce on anything from simple bread (the one in the photo is pumpkin bread) to bean burgers, to French toast to Rodgers' gnocchi di ricotta.

After tasting the first batch of applesauce, I got a copy of "The Zuni Café Cookbook." I believe that a cookbook with even a single excellent recipe is worth having on the bookshelf. I have so far tried three recipes from this cookbook and they all have been a success, so the book now has its place on my bookshelf.

Whb313This is my contribution to edition #313 of Weekend Herb Blogging, an event started by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen, now organized by Haalo of Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once and hosted this week by Marta of Mangiare è un po' come viaggiare.

This post contains the roundup of the event.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

salsa di mele arrosto

 or launch the salsa di mele arrosto audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

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apple, sauce

Newrule

salsa di mele arrosto

roasted applesauce
Qualche tempo fa, una mia amica mi ha regalato una cassetta di mele raccolte dal suo giardino. Avevo intenzione di usarle, insieme ad altra frutta (per esempio, mango), per fare delle conserve, ma da un angolo della mia memoria è salito in superficie il nome di una ricetta e siccome mi sono ricordata dove l'avevo vista, ho potuto ritrovarla.

La ricetta in questione è salsa di mele arrosto di Judy Rodgers. I due elementi che hanno attirato la mia attenzione sono: l'autore e l'aggettivo "arrosto." Recentemente ho parlato una ricetta tratta da The Zuni Café Cookbook di Judy Rodgers e diverse volte negli ultimi mesi ho parlato dei miei esperimenti con la frutta al forno (per esempio, fragole e pesche).

Quello che è successo dopo è un po' strano da spiegare: ho dato uno sguardo rapido al post che presentava la ricetta e non ho visto il link alla ricetta vera e propria. Così ho usato una temperatura di 260 C e ho mantenuto la teglia coperta per tutta la durata della cottura in forno. Il risultato eccellente è stato consumato rapidamente, quindi ne ho fatta un'altra teglia. Quando mi sono accinta a preparare la terza mandata mi sono finalmente accorta del link, ho letto la ricetta e mi sono resa conto di non averla seguita bene. Quindi la terza teglia è stata sottoposta a cottura come da ricetta. Però alla prova assaggio, la salsa di mele #2 è stata giudicata migliore della #3, quindi la mandata successiva l'ho preparata seguendo il mio "errore" iniziale. A voi raccomando di fare le vostre prove e decidere in base ai vostri gusti, anche per quanto riguarda le altre cose che ho fatto diversamente dalla ricetta originale (per esempio, non ho usato burro).

Per finire, ho preparato una charlotte di mele salata seguendo la ricetta che segue quella della salsa di mele ed è stato un successo (purtroppo non ho una foto della charlotte).

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Ingredienti:

  • 1350-1400 g mele (vedi Nota sotto)
  • un pizzico abbondante di sale
  • mezzo cucchiaino (2,5 ml) di zucchero fine

Nota: quando faccio le conserve con le mele, non le sbuccio mai. Ho seguito la stessa procedura per fare questa salsa di mele (il che rende ancora più rapida la preparazione). Dal momento che non vengono sbucciate, è bene usare mele bio o non trattate con pesticidi. Per quanto riguarda le varietà di mele, cercate una combinazione che vi dia un sapore bilanciato. Per esempio, le mele che ho ricevuto in regalo erano un po' aspre e perciò ho aggiunto delle mele più dolci.

Scaldare il forno a 260 C. Lavare bene le mele, tagliarle in quarti, e togliere il torsolo. Se una mela è molto grossa, tagliare ogni quarto a metà per lunghezza. Distribuire le mele in una teglia di pyrex da 3 litri (23 x 33 cm) o simile, spargere sale e zucchero e mescolare brevemente. Coprire con un foglio di alluminio e sigillare tutto intorno, poi cuocere in forno fino a quando le mele sono soffici. Io ho cotto le mie mele per 30 minuti.

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Trasferire le mele in una ciotola e frullare col frullatore ad immersione. All'inizio pulsare e muovere il frullatore per rompere le mele, poi farlo andare per ridurle ad un purè piuttosto omogeneo. Conservare la salsa di mele in frigorifero in vasetti sterilizzati. Consumare entro qualche giorno. (Io ne ho messa anche un po' in freezer in un contenitore adeguato.)

Ho provato ad aggiungere alcune gocce di aceto di mele ad un po' della salsa di mele, come suggerisce la ricetta originale, ma il risultato non mi è piaciuto.

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Questa ricetta produce una salsa di mele naturalmente dolce, cremosa e dall'intenso sapore di mela che può essere usata in modi diversi. Abbiamo provato ad accompagnare molti cibi con la salsa di mele, dal pane (quello della foto è pane alla zucca), ad hamburger di fagioli agli gnocchi di ricotta.

Dopo aver assaggiato questa salsa di mele, ho comprato "The Zuni Café Cookbook." Con ricette come questa, quella per gli gnocchi di ricotta e quella per la charlotte di mele, è decisamente un libro da tenere a portata di mano. E se visitate San Francisco, potete mangiare da Zuni su Market street.

Whb313Questo post è il mio contributo all'edizione numero 313 di Weekend Herb Blogging, un evento creato da Kalyn di Kalyn's Kitchen, organizzato ora da Haalo di Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once, la cui versione italiana è organizzata da Brii di briggishome, e ospitata questa settimana da Marta di Mangiare è un po' come viaggiare.

Questo post contiene il raccolto dell'evento.

torta di segale e mela / rye apple cake

| Simona

As member of a grain CSA, I receive a monthly share that includes various stone-ground, whole-grain flours, like wheat, barley and rye flour.

Rye is a cereal grain that looks like wheat but is longer and more slender and varies in color from yellowish brown to grayish green. It is generally available in its whole or cracked grain form or as flour or flakes that look similar to old-fashioned oats. Because it is difficult to separate the germ and bran from the endosperm of rye, rye flour usually retains a large quantity of nutrients, in contrast to refined wheat flour. (source: the world's healthiest foods)

rye flourI have been admittedly slow at taking up rye flour (farina di segale), but recently I have found two recipes that are fantastic. This is the first one, and it comes from Dan Lepard, whose book The Handmade Loaf is one of my most used bread baking books. You can tell by the amount of flour that hits your face when you open it on certain pages.

When I read his recipe for rye apple cake, I knew immediately that it would be great. I have made it three times and three times I managed to take so-so photos of what is really a nice, moist, deep-flavored cake. On the other hand, I like the photo of the rye flour.

I made a few adjustments to the original list of ingredients, mostly to reduce the amount of sweetener, and the end result is as follows:

  • 1 apple (about 175-180 g) [I have used Gala apples, since this is the best quality I am finding now: I will switch to using locally grown apples as soon as the new crop arrives]
  • ground cinnamon (cannella), for dusting the apple pieces
  • 50 g / 1/2 cup minus 1 tablespoon almond meal
  • 25 g / 3 tablespoons sliced [flaked] almonds (mandorle)
  • 150 g / 1 1/2 cup minus 2 tablespoons whole-grain rye flour [see note 1 below]
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 70 g / 2.5 oz. unsalted butter
  • 25 g / 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon agave nectar
  • 25 g / 1 tablespoon honey (miele) [see note 2 below]
  • 25 g / 2 tablespoons sugar (zucchero)
  • 75 ml / 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon milk (latte)
  • 1 egg (uovo)

Note 1: the original recipe does not specify the type of rye flour. The flour I get is stone ground and some of the bran is in large flakes. I sift them out, toast them and add them to yogurt.

Note 2: I weighed the ingredients and made the conversion to volume for the post. One tablespoon of agave nectar or of honey is less than 25 g, so I added 1 teaspoon of agave nectar to balance out the weight.

I followed the instructions as stated in the original recipe except that I did not need to grind the almonds, since I had almond meal and did not dust the cake with sugar before putting it in the oven.

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A great cake for a sweet breakfast or to go with a cup of tea (una tazza di tè).

HF-WG-logoThis is my contribution to the July edition of Healing Foods, the event created and organized by Siri of Cooking with Siri and hosted this month by Simona of briciole (that would be me). I chose the theme of the month to be whole grains and whole-grain flours.

This post contains the roundup of the event.

 

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

torta di segale e mela

or launch the torta di segale e mela audio file [mp3].

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rye flour, apple, cake