Prime time to add apples into flavorful dishes

In a world of two-pepper risottos and three-cheese pizzas, why not five-apple applesauce?

Why not, indeed. Bringing so many different varieties into one sauce adds great depth of flavor and texture. So a few summers ago, in the wake of roasting just about every other form of produce, I decided to do likewise with a batch of apples, instead of the usual stove-top simmer. I included a healthy dollop of butter and sprinkling of brown sugar to really encourage some caramelizing action.

After an hour in a hot oven, some of the apples had cooked into a soft puree, while others stood their ground, resulting in a chunky-creamy offering that I found to be equally comfortable atop a bowl of French vanilla ice cream or cozied up next to a grilled pork chop.

Roasting a lot of apples now while there are so many local varieties available, then freezing in 2 cup batches for down the road could be your final brilliant preserving maneuver.

Some great local baking/cooking apples: To be considered a great baking/cooking apple, an apple needs to retain both flavor and texture when heated. A few that fall into that category include the Belle de Boskoop, Braeburn, Cox’s Orange Pippin, Fuji, Granny Smith, Gravenstein, Jonagold, Liberty, Melrose, Mutsu, Newtown Pippin (also known as Newton), Northern Spy, Red Rome, Spitzenberg, and Winesap.

And while we’re talking about the savory side of the season’s apple harvest, it’s appropriate to include a couple other recipes that embrace that idea. One is a simple skillet meal that brings leeks, potatoes, and apples together in a pan to create a unique (but delicious!) side dish — a savory whole-grained bread-based dressing — to sauteed pork loin chops. I encourage you to give it a try.

The other recipe? An inspiring salad of Fuji apples marinated in a zesty hazelnut oil vinaigrette, and tossed with crispy greens, crunchy toasted hazelnuts, and creamy crumbles of blue cheese. A truly winning combination.

Butter-roasted five-apple apple sauce

Makes about 2 cups.

1⁄4 cup butter

5 to 6 apples, peeled, cored and diced to measure 7 to 8 cups (see note below)

1⁄4 to 1⁄3 cup firmly packed brown sugar heaping 1⁄4 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Melt the butter in a 9-by 13-inch baking dish by placing it in the pre-heating oven. Remove from oven when the butter has melted. Place the prepared apples in the baking dish and using two rubber spatulas, stir and toss the apples in the butter to evenly coat each piece. Sprinkle the apples with the brown sugar and cinnamon and toss again to coat.

Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the apples are nicely golden and caramelized. The apples will release quite a bit of juice during cooking. Once the juices cook down, keep an eye on the apples and stir about every 10 minutes from this point on, so that they caramelize evenly and don’t scorch on the edges.

Remove from oven. May be served immediately. Refrigerate for several days or freeze for up to 6 months.

Serving suggestions:

As an accompaniment to grilled or roasted pork; consider roasting the apples with a tiny bit of sage, and ½ cup of chopped onions; refrigerate for several days or freeze for up to 6 months.

As an ice cream topper. This is especially wonderful straight from the oven, or thawed and microwaved until warm.

Note on apples: This relates to the “Five-Apple” part of this recipe’s title; for best flavor and interesting combination of textures, use at least two varieties, but I have used up to 5 different ones in one preparation (McIntosh, Melrose, Jonathan, Fuji, and Gravenstein) and it was wonderful. To cut the peeled and cored apples into a dice, halve and quarter each apple, then cut each quarter into six chunks.

Salad of Fuji Apples

Everything clicks in this mixture, as long as you select apples with exceptional flavor and crispness. And among the things it goes wonderfully with is Dungeness crab. So keep this salad in mind once fresh, local crab is coming ashore.

5 to 6 cups of mixed greens, including hearts of romaine leaves (the light green, crisp inner portion of a head of Romaine lettuce), and baby arugula

2 to 3 flavorful apples (such as Braeburn, Fuji, or Honeycrisp), peeled, and cored, then sliced as described below

Scant 1 cup of crumbled blue cheese

1 cup coarsely chopped roasted and skinned hazelnuts

Balsamic vinaigrette with sweet honey mustard

To prepare the peeled and cored apples, cut each half into 1⁄4-inch thick slices, then cut each slice into thirds. Place the apples in a small bowl and toss with enough of the vinaigrette to coat the pieces. You can prepare the apple mixture up to an hour ahead. If you coat the apples with the dressing any longer than that they will absorb too much of the vinaigrette, which overwhelms the apple flavor.

To serve: Arrange the mixed greens on individual salad plates. Divide the apple mixture among the salads. Top each serving with a portion of the cheese and then a portion of the hazelnuts. Drizzle an extra bit of the vinaigrette over the greens and around the edges of the salad. Alternatively: You could substitute feta or cheddar cheese for the blue cheese. Another serving option would be to assemble the entire salad on a large platter instead of individual salad plates.

Makes servings for 4 to 6.

Recipe from “Oregon Hazelnut Country — the Food, the Drink, the Spirit,” by Jan Roberts-Dominguez.

Balsamic vinaigrette with sweet honey mustard and hazelnut oil

I designed this vinaigrette to go with the salad of Fuji apples, baby greens and roasted hazelnuts. It’s also a wonderful dressing to have on hand for any number of your winter salads incorporating fresh greens, fruits, and nuts. The hint of vanilla gives it a lovely toasty quality that compliments the nuts and some cheeses, such as cheddar, feta, blue cheese, and provolone. Even shavings of a good-quality Swiss or extra-aged Gouda would work.

1⁄2 cup red or white wine vinegar

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon Sweet Honey Mustard (I use the Inglehoffer brand made by Beaverton Foods)

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla

1⁄3 cup hazelnut oil (if available)

1⁄3 cup canola oil

In a container, whisk together the vinegars, sugar, mustard, salt, and vanilla, then whisk in the oils.

Makes about 1 1⁄4 cup

Note: If you have trouble finding the hazelnut oil, or you don’t want to invest in the expense, simply use all canola oil.

Recipe from “Oregon Hazelnut Country – the Food, the Drink, the Spirit,” by Jan Roberts-Dominguez.

Pork chops with apple, rosemary, and leek Dressing

2 leeks (white and pale green portion only)

1⁄4 cup vegetable oil

1 medium russet potato, grated, with skin

1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves removed and finely chopped

1 tart apple, peeled, cored, and diced

About 2 cup homemade or canned chicken broth

2 slices firm whole-grain bread, crumbled into small pieces

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

4 loin pork chops

Split the leeks lengthwise, wash thoroughly, then chop. In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, warm 2 tablespoons of the oil and saute the leeks until soft, about 6 minutes. Add the potato, rosemary, and apple, cover the pan, and continue cooking for about 3 minutes. Add the chicken broth to moisten the mixture, and continue cooking until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes (you may need to add a bit more broth toward the end of the cooking process). Add the bread and salt and pepper. Turn the heat to low and keep the dressing warm while you prepare the pork.

In a separate skillet over medium-high heat, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil making sure the oil is hot before you add the chops. Brown the pork chops for 6 to 8 minutes on each side, cooking to desired degree of doneness. (Alternately, you could grill the chops, browning both sides well and cooking to desired degree of doneness.) Serve each chop with a spoonful of the dressing.