WARMING SOUP AND APPLES FOR FALL

                            Warming soup and apples for fall

           October is the time we visit our favorite farmers markets, noting with nostalgia bright apples piled high in baskets, colorful winter squash in all shapes and the greens of the cabbage family contrasted with the bright white of plump heads of cauliflower. It is my favorite time of year to browse this harvest plenty with just a bit of nostalgia for our fleeting time before winter.

          Shopping at a farmer’s market is a bracing experience this time of the year and leads to a new appreciation for the warmth of one’s kitchen, preferably with a mug of hot mulled apple cider in hand.

                             Mulled apple cider

          Place the following spices in a sturdy 2-3 qt. pot: 2 cinnamon sticks, 1 star anise, 5 cloves, 5 allspice and 1 whole nutmeg (optional) and toast on low heat for 2 minutes until fragrant. Add 4-6 cups apple cider, heat to barely bubbling and continue to heat on low simmer for 1 hour. Serve hot in mugs with garnish of lemon slices and if you want to gild the lily, a splash of rum.

          Hot soup for lunch is sometimes a life saver in the fall and winter months. Especially, once you make a big pot of soup, it provides ready made lunch for several days that only requires brief reheating. Cauliflower has become recently popular both as a dietetic measure and often a mainstay in keto diets. The following recipe skirts a strict
fit in either category, but its creamy texture is bound to please everyone.

                                                      Cauliflower soup

          Trim a medium head of cauliflower of outer leaves, coarsely break it in florets and slice the core in thin slices.

          In a 3 qt. pot sauté 1 chopped onion, 2 chopped celery ribs and 1 large garlic clove in 2 tblsp. olive oil for 5 minutes. Stir in 1 ½ tsp. thyme, ¾ cups dry white wine, 1 qt. vegetable broth, 1 medium potato coarsely diced and the cauliflower. Bring to boil and cook for 30 minutes on medium heat.

          Allow the soup to cool partially and puree in a blender with ¼ cup heavy cream. Return the pureed mix to the pot, adjust salt and pepper to taste and heat to serve without boiling. Serve in shallow bowls with shaved Parmesan cheese and chopped chives.

          The ubiquitous apple pie has been equated with motherhood in a popular saying, but there are many other apple desserts that are delightful to make this time of the year. The following is an update of an old-time recipe for apple crisp.

                                                                Apple crunch

          Butter an 8x8x2 in. baking dish. Wash, core and thinly slice 2 large Cortland apples, or other baking type apples directly in the pan. Sprinkle with ½ cup dried cranberries, 1/3 cup broken walnut pieces and 1 tblsp. sugar. Thinly slice 3 additional apples on top. For topping mix: ¼ cup flour, ½ cup packed brown sugar in which you cut in ¼ cup cold butter with a pastry cutter or two knives to make a crumbly mix, which is then tossed with ¼ cup Grape Nut cereal. Spread the crunch evenly on top of the apples and bake in a 375-degree preheated oven for 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature topped with whipped cream or ice cream.

          “An apple a day may or may not keep the doctor away” in the coming cold season, but apple deserts are bound to please.

   (I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)