Friday, November 28, 2014

Sauteed Apples and Leeks

by Sheila Connolly

Thanksgiving is over. The family and guests have scattered again, or not. They either ate everything they could lay hands on, or you shoved leftovers into their hands and sent them on their way.

Now you don’t want to cook, maybe ever again. But there are still a few hungry mouths to feed, so I thought you’d like something simple. Five ingredients. No peeling. Tasty and healthy.


Sauteed Apples and Leeks

2 Tblsp cooking oil
1 Tblsp butter
2-3 crisp cooking apples, cored and cut into 1/4” slices (look, no peeling!)

My apples!

(note: whatever apples you choose, they should be a little tart, and should hold their shape while cooking. Me, I just used whatever had fallen off the little apple trees I planted in front of my house, and what I had was mainly Northern Spys and Cortlands. And maybe an Esopus Spitzenberg thrown in.)



2 large or 3 small leeks (white part only), sliced crosswise (try to match the thickness of the apple slices)



1 Tblsp honey
1 Tblsp cider vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste



Melt the butter and the oil together in a saute pan. Saute the sliced leeks until they are beginning to turn translucent. Add the apple slices and continue to cook until the apples are soft but not mushy.



You could stop here, but if you want to dress it up a little, add the honey and the vinegar shortly before serving and mix well. Season as you like it.

Told you it was easy! This side dish goes well with pork (roast or chops), or leftover turkey if you happen to have any.

The latest Orchard Mystery: Picked to Die (October 2014)

No, I don't know what kind of apples those are on the cover, but I made sure my protagonist Meg and her neighbor Seth have planted a few acres of heirloom apples. Try some, if you can find them at local farm stands--you don't know what you're missing.



9 comments:

  1. My husband doesn't like onions or leeks, so this wouldn't be a recipe I'd try. However, I've read some of the Orchard mysteries and have enjoyed them a great deal. Its great to have so many wonderful books to read.

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    1. Thank you. Don't tell, but I wouldn't touch onions until I was an adult (nor mushrooms), and I had no clue what a leek was for much of my life. Maybe there's hope for your husband. But at least I grew up eating pork and applesauce together, and it's nice to use apples for something that is not a dessert now and then.

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  2. THis looks yummy, Sheila. I have two bags of apples in the fridge and this would be great with the leftover turkey!

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  3. Something nice and simple and relatively healthy after all of the rich dishes from yesterday. Thank you!

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  4. This would be good after all the big meals yesterday. Something new to try that is healthier for us all.

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  5. This sounds delicious.
    Northern Spys are wonderful apples, but really hard to find. sigh

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    1. I know. Actually a Northern Spy was the first apple tree I bought for my mini-orchard, mainly because I liked the name. My tree came from Hadley, MA, not far from the "real" Granford. It's slow to bear fruit, but it's coming along nicely now.

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  6. My mom is coming tomorrow for a couple of days and I lay awake last night trying to think of what to serve her. She has just spent two weeks with my brother in Texas, feasting on all his creations. Your Apple and Leek recipe came to mind!!! I am tired of all that rich food we have been eating. It will be on the menu for Wednesday. I am currently reading "Picked to Die" and I (as with all your books) love it.

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    1. Thanks, Sharon. I think I once read somewhere that the fat in a typical Thanksgiving dinner could kill you at the table--hope that's not true! But a break from all the rich foods is welcome about now.

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