apples are a vegetable

[ursula]

If you live in the Pacific Northwest, pay some attention to the seasons, and don't have your own garden, there's a point in the winter when you're reduced to Washington-sticker apples. This is a vegetarian version of a recipe from New Food of Life, a Persian cookbook. It has the advantage that it's much faster than the original, meat version.

Vegetarian Apple Khoresh
(Sweet-and-sour apple stew)

Peel and thinly slice two large onions. Brown in some oil. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Add a cup of lentils, stir, then add a tablespoon of tomato paste (optional; I've used spiced carrot paste & nothing, but ketchup might work too), three tablespoons of sugar, three of good vinegar, and half a teaspoon of ground saffron dissolved in a bit of warm water. (Yes, I said half a teaspoon of saffron. This is a Persian recipe!) Cover with a couple of cups of water, and simmer until the lentils are done and most of the water is gone, adding more water as necessary.

Meanwhile, core and peel about five apples, cut them into wedges, and saute them in more oil until they turn a nice golden brown or you die of boredom.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Arrange the apples on top of the lentils in a casserole or cast-iron pan, and bake until you want to eat it. (This step is satisfying, but I think more relevant in the non-vegetarian version.)

This is good with basmati rice and with plain yogurt that has had the whey drained out of it and plain water (and garlic?) stirred in. You can make the lazy man's saffron rice by dissolving more saffron in water and splashing it over the top of your rice.

Comments

[reasie.livejournal.com]

Wow. That sounds tasty and wholesome/warming.

[ursula]

I always feel like it has a medieval aesthetic, with the cinnamon and saffron and sweet/sour taste.

[dymaxion.livejournal.com]

Ooh, yummy. I'll have to add this to my to-try list when I get back from the Bay Area -- I don't eat nearly enough apples for where I live.

[ursula]

The apples, caramelized onions, and legumes combination seems really classic-- I've got a medieval recipe involving apples, onions, and pureed fava beans, for instance.

[dymaxion.livejournal.com]

Yeah... definitely good "not quite yet spring if you're trying to eat locally and tired of bitter greens" food. :-)

[ursula]

And winter greens are one of those things which come from California for no good reason.

[dymaxion.livejournal.com]

Yeah... I'm used to getting them through my produce box, when I had it, so I think of them as local. I'm know I *should* eat them more often, but I'm really not a huge fan of them until a bit further into spring, when you can get things which aren't as bitter in season.

[ursula]

I was jealous enough of your produce box that I signed up, so I'm really complaining about their penchant for Californian greens this time of year. But then, I really like winter greens.

[dymaxion.livejournal.com]

Hehe... it was really nice with two people eating it, but with one person, there's just no way I'd have a chance, even if it was really carefully picked out. Even when were getting it, we wasted way too much of it -- I felt sort of bad about it, but a lot of the time, our schedules just didn't let us cook enough or fast enough, and if we did too many recipes that had things other than vegetables from the box in them, we were hosed.

I like the idea of greens, but I can't handle the bitter. The imported produce was one of the things I really didn't like about that box; the variety was nice, but the first box we were getting was all local stuff, which was pretty cool -- getting flown-in produce in your farm share box just sort of seems to defeat the purpose.

[ursula]

I cook a lot, and usually on the "I have lots of vegetable X. Let's look up that ingredient in the index of this cookbook" premise, so it works pretty well for us. In the summer, when the markets are good, I'll probably go to once every two weeks or drop the box, though.

I do make all the allowed substitutions *toward* local food.

[aryanhwy.livejournal.com]

"or you die of boredom."

I think this line occurs in some of the recipes for risotto that I have.

[asmanyaswill.livejournal.com]

Have a recommendation on number of apples? 2-4, depending on size and how much you like them?

[ursula]

The original recipe says five. I've used four or five in the past. It's a good number, except peeling that many apples is boring.

[flammifera.livejournal.com]

I don't even like apples, but I found one variety that I am willing to eat (Fuji) and have been faithfully chowing down for a couple months now. ;) I'll have to try this before all the apples go away.

I've also seen a simply astonishing stream of root vegetables come through the Farmstand... There are some farms that grow greenhouse salad greens, too.

[ursula]

I've been paying for a farmshare, but this particular one imports a bunch of stuff from other organic farms. (I chose it 'cause it runs all year long.)

My mother grows pretty much all her own vegetables, so I know it should be possible to have kale, cabbage, parsnips, tons of leeks, etc. this time of year without a greenhouse. It's harder to find them in the stores, though (especially leeks, which are always priced as a gourmet item.)

[flammifera.livejournal.com]

An all-year-long farmshare -- cool! :)

Yes, perhaps I wasn't clear -- the leeks, parsnips, beets, celeriac, etc. etc. are all (I think) grown outside. It's just the lovely butterhead lettuce, arugula, and other salad mix greens that I believe are grown in greenhouses. Apparently even a few greenhouse heirloom tomatoes are promised this week...

[ursula]

I think more farms should do this: it's in the winter that I WANT a farmshare, 'cause I can't go to the farmers' market!

No, I knew what you meant. I'm just whining that I can't get local kale, 'cause I love it.

[flammifera.livejournal.com]

I'm really fortunate to live near one of the farmer's markets in the city that goes all year, although there are only 3-4 stands in the winter -- PA Dutch baked goods (yay!), apples, meat, bread, and spices. Plus, now I know about the Farmstand, which continues to get deliveries of the root veggies & hothouse greens from local farms throughout the year!

I'm just whining that I can't get local kale, 'cause I love it.

Fair enough. :) We haven't had any at the Farmstand for the last couple weeks, but I see today in the weekly email that we should be getting some -- from the organic co-op through which we're getting FL citrus!

Looks like one of the local farms is also bringing lime leaves...maybe I should try something Thai next week...

[flammifera.livejournal.com]

Unrelatedly to kale, happy birthday. :)

I think of you every time I wear my Slytherin hat or socks -- and I get a lot of compliments on the hat, because it's easier for people to notice!

[ursula]

Thank you!

There was no kale, but there was asparagus.

[flammifera.livejournal.com]

I'm not a huge fan of asparagus, but I have enjoyed white asparagus when I've tried it in Spain. :)

[ursula]

I think I just like things that are green!