Pink Pearl Apple Sauce

In the beginning of Autumn, Hillview Farm had an abundance of Pink Pearl apples at the farmer's market. These cute, little apples, make a beautifully pink apple sauce that is sweet and tart and melds wonderfully with a little butter and thyme. I used the apple sauce to top my Swedish pancakes, and the sweetness proved to be much healthier and more satisfying than topping the pancakes with syrup!!

This recipe is derived from a generic recipe in a cookbook my friend gave me for my birthday, "The San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market Cookbook."



Pink Pearl Apple Sauce
Makes as much as you want

Pink Pearl apples, cored, peeled and sliced (I used about 2 pounds)
Apple juice
Sugar
Salt
1-2 tablespoons butter
Fresh thyme

Place apple slices in a heavy post and pour in apple juice to reach halfway up the apples. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook until apples are tender about 20 to 30 minutes. Add the butter and any sugar, salt, or thyme to taste. I you want a chunky apple sauce, you can serve it, as is. Or, if you want a smoother apple sauce, blend slightly with a hand blender or with a food mill.

Favorite Pesto Sauce with Basil and Almonds

It's late summer here, and basil is abundant....It's a shame when it goes to waste, so the best way to store basil is in a high quality pesto sauce. I love this pesto for it's flavor and texture. It isn't too liquidy, and it spreads easily on sandwiches. I was surprised when I realized that the recipe didn't call for Parmesan, but I now realize that pesto absolutely doesn't need it! This recipe comes from The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen, by Peter Berley. To be honest, I have had much luck with this cookbook, but this one recipe is a gem and is good reason to buy it! The pesto is versatile, and may be used as a sandwich spread, cracker spread, dip, pasta sauce, dressing for vegetables....you name it. Whatever you have that needs to pack a little more protein can use pesto. Ok, so here's the recipe:

Basil-Almond Pesto
Makes 2 cups

1 1/2 cups whole almonds, peeled and lightly toasted (I used slivered and toasted almonds)
2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
2 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse sea salt (a favorite of Peter Berley's)

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, grind the almonds to a meal. Add the basil, garlic, lemon juice, and lemon zest and puree (don't worry if it doesn't puree completely at this point; it will have a change after you add the olive oil). Slowly add the oil and process until smooth. Blend in 1 teaspoon salt and adjust seasoning to taste. Serve at once. Cover and leftover pesto with a film of olive oil in a tightly sealed container and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

Fresh Heirloom Tomato Sauce

This sauce is very simple and so good because of the quality of tomatoes at this time of year. Eatwell IS Tomato Wonderland, after all. Here, I served the sauce on top of smoked salmon ravioli from the farmer's market. The sauce was mild enough to give the salmon some tasting room.



Fresh Heirloom Tomato Sauce
Serves 2

4 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 heirloom tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, sliced
salt and pepper
grated parmesan

Heat oil in a small a saucepan on low heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add tomatoes and cook while pasta is cooking. Add basil shortly before serving. Top with parmesan.

Arugula Pesto

This is a twist on the traditional basil pesto and can be used in similar ways, over pasta, as a spread in sandwiches, as a dip, etc. I personally used this as a spread in lavash sandwiches. Some of my coworkers suggested making a larger quantity of the pesto and freezing it in ice cube trays. You then need to be sure that you remove the frozen cubes from the tray and store them in a freezer bag to avoid freezer burn.

When I made this pesto, I had pecans and pine nuts on hand. Feel free to experiment with different kinds of nuts for various flavors. I also didn't indicate an specific amount of olive oil. I personally prefer less olive oil than store-bought varieties of pesto, so add as much as you like.



Arugula Pesto
Makes about 2 cups

1/2 bunch arugula (or 4 cups)
olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup pecans, walnuts and/or pine nuts
1/4 cup grated parmesan
salt and pepper

Place washed and coursely chopped arugula in a food processor with a drizzle of olive oil and whirl, adding more and more olive oil until the arugula is chopped finely and starts to stick together. Add nuts and garlic and continue to chop, adding more olive oil to the desired constitency. Add parmesan, salt and pepper to taste and mix thoroughly.

Sauce Mornay

This is the sauce I used to top our crepes for dinner tonight. For a part last week, we bought a huge block of Gruyere, so I have been finding every opportunity to use it. this recipe is adapted from the recipe in the Joy of Cooking. The only thing I omitted was the Parmesan cheese., and I substituted a spring onion from our CSA for the 1/4 onion. I also didn't strain it before using it, but it still tasted fantastic.



Sauce Mornay
About 1 cup

1 1/4 cups low fat milk
1 spring onion
1 bay leaf
1 whole cloves
1 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/3 cup grated Gruyere

Simmer the the first four ingredients in a saucepan for 15 minutes, uncovered. Discard the onion, bay leaf and cloves. Meanwhile, melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add flour and cook uncovered until darkened and fragrant. Add mixture to milk and heat for about 10 minutes until thickened and the consistency of thick soup. Take off of heat and add cheese. Stir until melted.

Salsa Fresca

We received some spring onions in our CSA box last week, and I had never cooked with them before. They are very fresh and delicate tasting. If you don't have spring onions, you can substitute it with scallions or with 1/4 of a large, white onion.



Salsa Fresca

1 spring onion, finely chopped
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup parsley, chopped

Mix ingredients and chill until ready to serve.

Salsa di Ricotta per Frutta (Ricotta Sauce for Fruit)

From an Italian cookbook about Abruzzo. The recipe was given to me from my mom.



Ricotta Sauce for Fruit
1 pound whole milk ricotta, drained
1/4 cup sugar or honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Rind of 1 orange, minced
Juice of 1 large orange

Place all the ingredients in a food processor fitted with a plastic blade. Process until smooth. Chill before using. Serve the sauce over berries or fresh fruit. Makes 2 cups.