All American – Apples!
Baseball and apple pie, the epitome of America and still the favorite of most of them. With the advent of so many world flavors in our food choices, apples may seem a little outdated to some. The real story is that with the incredible number of varieties (7000!) and the push to eat seasonally and fresh, they were never out of fashion in the first place. The apple is the favorite food of many countries, not just the United States. It originated in Asia and is thought to have been growing wild in Europe by Prehistoric times. This is one old food. It remains the most widely cultivated tree in the world.
From apples comes apple cider. Originally an alcoholic drink, “hard cider” was the colonial’s most favored drink throughout the eighteen century until supplanted by German beer makers who set up large breweries. After that, the Temperance movement and Prohibition stopped even local farms from making Hard Cider. Readily available and a local seasonal favorite non-alcoholic Apple Cider is found on road side farm markets and large chain grocery stores alike. It is a true taste of an Ohio Autumn.
I remember the crisp air of fall being synonomus with leaf raking, apple cider and glazed doughnuts. Although apple cider is easy to make at home, few do. Our schedules these days hardly allow for making dinner. This dinner recipe, however has all the elements of a family dinner anyone can make. A one pot, seasonal, low-fat dish, it has the unique but friendly flavor of apple cider. I developed this recipe especially for the 3rd Annual Dutch Oven Cook-Off at the Amherst Historical Society. It’s sponsored by Vermilion’s own Laurel Run Cooking School. I took third place with this recipe and I’m convinced I didn’t do better because it was too easy to cook! Make this dish on a day you wish for something really good to eat, but have limited energy. Be extra easy on yourself and buy spatezels – they are available locally – you’ll have a dinner everyone will want again and again.