Name: Honey & Pistachio Stuffed Quince
Yield: 4-6 people
Ingredients: 2-3 quince (- OR -); 3 large apple; 1/2 cup pistachios; 1/2 cup walnuts (, chopped (or substitute more pistachios)); 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon; honey (, to taste (1-2 Tbsp per person)); 1 cup water; 2-3 slices lemon

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Monday Meal Review: Uzbekistan

Stirring, stirring, stirring.

Uzbekistan requires no stirring. Just a layering of this vegetable, then that… a stuffed quince and few chopped nuts. But no stirring.

Definitely nothing of the sort.

Have you ever noticed how hard it is to just wait? To wait and do nothing? To wait and trust that everything will come out okay, no burning, no overcooking, no drying out?

How hard it is to not stir the pot?

With just three weeks until our big event at Philbrook and two months until the end of our Global Table Adventure, this message feels particularly apropos.

I feel like there should be something I should be doing.

But sometimes we just need to wait, and savor the results when the time comes.

THIS WEEK’s FOOD

Harvest Stew | Dimlama [Recipe]

What I loved most about this dish:

The key to dimlama is browning the onion and meat, so it’s no coincidence that the resulting brown gravy is also my favorite part of the stew. The hint of cumin and cilantro gives the dish the characteristic Uzbek edge, making it an easy one to crave. Best of all? It’s a dish that uses up the garden bounty: layer everything in a pot and wait! That kind of cooking I can handle on a weeknight.

What I loved least about this dish:

Not much. The whole family found something to love here – for Ava it was the potatoes, for Keith it was the lamb. For me? The soft cabbage with a spoonful of the thin gravy!

Honey & Pistachio Stuffed Quince [Recipe]

What I loved most about this dish:

When cooked properly, stuffed quince are a delightful treat. The key, I find, is to almost go overboard on the honey when serving, which really pulls together the mild quince, the nuts, and the touch of cinnamon. This was one Ava really enjoyed. Once Keith knew he could eat the skin, he was fully on board, too (if you couldn’t eat the skin, “they’d be too much work” he says).

What I loved least about this dish:

I made this dish twice because the first time was a total failure. The only thing I did wrong? I tossed the nuts with honey before baking the quince. The result? Burnt, bitter nuts.

Honey & Pistachio Stuffed Quince

Uzbekistan is the third greatest producer of quince, after Turkey and China. They include the fruit in plov, stir it into preserves, and they bake it up with honey, and sometimes even stuff it nuts… as we’re doing today.

How to choose a quince:

– look for white fuzzies on the stem end, which indicate freshness
– a ripe quince is yellow, although slightly green fruit can be used for this recipe
– it can be bumpy and odd-shaped, but there should be no scarring or other markings.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

2-3 quince (or 3 large apples)
1/2 cup pistachios
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (or substitute more pistachios)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
honey, to taste (1-2 Tbsp per person)

For the baking dish:
1 cup water
2-3 slices lemon

Method:

Let’s go to Uzbekistan!

The Greater Chimgan Mountain in Tashkent Province, Uzbekistan. Photo by Dmitriy Page.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Pour the water into a casserole with a fitted lid. Add the sliced lemon.

In a medium bowl,stir together the pistachios, chopped walnuts, and cinnamon.

Halve the quince lengthwise, remove core and discard. Next, hollow them out until you have a 2-3 inch cavity. As you work, dip them in the lemon water mixture to keep them from browning.

Reserve the scrapings from 2 of the quince, chop them, and add it to the nut mixture. Stir well.

Squeeze about a teaspoon of honey into the center of each quince. Then spoon the stuffing on top of it. You’ll have enough for 2-3 quince or 3 large apples.

Place in casserole, cover tightly (with lid, or you can use foil as well), and bake for 1 – 1 .25 hours, or until the quince are tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife. Mine took about an hour.

Serve immediately with extra honey drizzled over the top. About 1-2 Tbsp per quince is nice.

Whatever you decide, you want enough honey to…

… make you go “yum.”

P.S. Do NOT toss the nuts with the honey before baking, in an well-intentioned effort to get the honey evenly distributed over the nuts. As the quince bake, the honey will borderline-burn and give the finished dish a bitter flavor.

Case in point…*

This is much more preferable… (both quince baked for the exact amount of time: an hour and five minutes)**

*I promise, those are not roasted coffee beans. Blek.
**The pistachios are still green! Yummy.

Honey & Pistachio Stuffed Quince

Say “Quince” to an Uzbek lady, and you just might see her flush with delight. Though they aren’t eaten raw, baked quince are soft and tender, like a pear. The taste is mild, something like an apple, but with traces of pear, too. Uzbekistan is the third greatest producer of quince, after Turkey and China. They include the fruit in plov, stir it into preserves, and they bake it up with honey, and sometimes even stuff it nuts… as we’re doing today.

CourseSweets
LifestyleGluten-Free, Vegetarian
Food TypeFruit

Servings

4-6 people

Servings

4-6 people

Honey & Pistachio Stuffed Quince

CourseSweets
LifestyleGluten-Free, Vegetarian
Food TypeFruit

Servings

4-6 people

Servings

4-6 people

Ingredients

2-3 quince - OR -
3 large apples
1/2 cup pistachios
1/2 cup walnuts , chopped (or substitute more pistachios)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
honey , to taste (1-2 Tbsp per person)

For the baking dish

1 cup water
2-3 slices lemons

Servings: people

Units:

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F. Pour the water into a casserole with a fitted lid. Add the sliced lemon. In a medium bowl,stir together the pistachios, chopped walnuts, and cinnamon.
Halve the quince lengthwise, remove core and discard. Next, hollow them out until you have a 2-3 inch cavity. As you work, dip them in the lemon water mixture to keep them from browning. Reserve the scrapings from 2 of the quince, chop them, and add it to the nut mixture. Stir well. Squeeze about a teaspoon of honey into the center of each quince. Then spoon the stuffing on top of it. You’ll have enough for 2-3 quince or 3 large apples.
Place in casserole, cover tightly (with lid, or you can use foil as well), and bake for 1 – 1 .25 hours, or until the quince are tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife. Mine took about an hour. Serve immediately with extra honey drizzled over the top. About 1-2 Tbsp per quince is nice.

Recipe Notes

How to choose a quince:

Harvest Stew | Dimlama

If it were up to me, every gardener would know about Dimlama, the Uzbek one-pot answer to harvest-time (no canning required). While every Uzbek family makes it a little differently, potatoes, carrots, peppers, and tomatoes are standard fare, as is a hearty sprinkling of whole cumin seeds.

The key to dimlama rests in the layering. First of all, lamb is browned, then onions are added in the mix. One they submit to browning, the remaining vegetables are layered (and, once they’re added, you never stir the pot!). The final layer is always cabbage, which helps seal in the moisture.

When the vegetables release their juices, they drip down to the bottom of the pan and deglaze all those nummy browned bits.

The result?

A luscious brown gravy worthy of being sopped up by a nice piece of Central Asian Yogurt Naan.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1/2-1 lb cubed lamb or beef
1 large onion, sliced in quarter moons
5 small yellow potatoes cut in half
2-3 large carrots, peeled & sliced
2 red peppers, sliced in strips
2 large tomatoes, cut in wedges
5 cloves garlic, quartered
3 green onions, sliced
1 1/2 tsp cumin seed
1 small, green cabbage cut in hunks
salt & pepper, as needed

Method:

First, let’s brown the lamb and onion in oil. You want to get it really good and toasty, as that’s the main source of dimlama’s flavor.

Next, layer on the veggies, being sure to season with salt and pepper as you go.

First, the potatoes, carrots, and peppers.

Next, the tomatoes, garlic, green onion, and cumin seed.

Finally, the cabbage. You’ll want to cut the cabbage in large wedges, then peel off the outer leaves to cover any gaps along the surface of the dimlama.

Cover tightly and simmer gently until all the vegetables are tender. Do not stir!

Some recipes say 1 1/2 hours, but I found mine took closer to 2 1/2 hours.

The cabbage takes the longest, so use that as your indicator of doneness.

Garnish with fresh cilantro, as desired.

Enjoy with a smile, a friend, and happy conversation!

While you eat, pay attention to all those amazing layers of flavor, perhaps while looking at an entirely different sort of layering.

Kalta Minor, in Khiva (Uzbekistan). Photo by TwoWings.

P.S. Do you see the people in this picture!?

Really gives a sense of the scale!

Harvest Stew | Dimlama

The key to dimlama rests in the layering. First of all, lamb is browned, then onions are added in the mix. One they submit to browning, the remaining vegetables are layered (and, once they're added, you never stir the pot!). The final layer is always cabbage, which helps seal in the moisture.

CourseSoups
LifestyleGluten-Free
Food TypeMeat, Vegetables

Servings

Harvest Stew | Dimlama

The key to dimlama rests in the layering. First of all, lamb is browned, then onions are added in the mix. One they submit to browning, the remaining vegetables are layered (and, once they're added, you never stir the pot!). The final layer is always cabbage, which helps seal in the moisture.

CourseSoups
LifestyleGluten-Free
Food TypeMeat, Vegetables

Servings

Ingredients

1/2-1 lb lamb , cubed -OR-
1/2-1 lb beef , cubed
1 large onions , sliced in quarter moons
5 small yellow potatoes , cut in half
2-3 large carrots , peeled and sliced
2 red bell peppers , sliced into strips
2 large tomatoes , cut in wedges
5 cloves garlic , quartered
3 green onions , sliced
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 small green cabbage , cut in hunks
salt
pepper

Servings:

Units:

Instructions

Brown the lamb and onion in oil.
Layer on the veggies, being sure to season with salt and pepper as you go.
First, the potatoes, carrots, and peppers. Next, the tomatoes, garlic, green onion, and cumin seed. Finally, the cabbage.
You'll want to cut the cabbage in large wedges, then peel off the outer leaves to cover any gaps along the surface of the dimlama.
Cover tightly and simmer gently until all the vegetables are tender. Do not stir! Some recipes say 1 1/2 hours, but I found mine took closer to 2 1/2 hours. The cabbage takes the longest, so use that as your indicator of doneness.
Garnish with fresh cilantro, as desired

Menu: Uzbekistan

“Don’t choose a house—choose neighbors. Don’t choose a path—choose traveling companions.”
Uzbek Proverb

This week we’re going to Uzbekistan via stovetop travel and the timing couldn’t be better: September is harvest time. Right on cue, my tomato plants recently produced dozens of cherry tomatoes. The look like bright like jewels against the green landscape. In Uzbekistan, when it’s harvest time, the people gather up their bountiful produce and make Dimlama. Then they follow it up with stuffed apples or quince. Delicious.

Both recipes and the meal review will be posted throughout the week.

Lamb & Vegetable Pot | Dimlama [Recipe]
Enjoy the garden’s bounty with this layered pot of tender lamb, potato, onion, carrot, pepper, cabbage, and more, seasoned with cumin and a sprinkling of fresh cilantro.

Honey & Pistachio Stuffed Quince [Recipe]
An easy combination of honey, cinnamon, pistachios, walnuts, and roasted quince. Great with a (non-traditional) scoop of ice cream.
For those looking for a simpler option, try just adding honey and cinnamon to the quince. Also, apples may be substituted for the quince.

About the Food of Uzbekistan

The Registan Square in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Photo by Gustavo Jeronimo.

Upon our friends,
Our strength depends.

Uzbek Proverb

Before this adventure, it often took a personal connection to help me tune into another part of the world, and such was the case with Uzbekistan. I never gave much thought to the long central Asian country, until college, when I became friends with a girl named Marina.

She moved to the states from Uzbekistan when she was a girl.

We jogged together, 3 miles a day, 6 days a week. We never ran so hard that we couldn’t talk.

And boy did we ever talk.

My sister Elisa, Marina, myself, and Becky on my wedding day.

She stood with me at my wedding in 2008, along with my sister and my friend Becky.

Speaking of weddings, here’s a photo of an Uzbek bride I found… look at her dress! Amazing.

(As are the other women’s dresses!)

Newlyweds in Uzbekistan. Photo by Dalbera.

Marina tells me Plov is the most traditional Uzbek food – the giant, communal pot of rice cooked with lamb and a few vegetables, rather like the Plov Recipe we tried for Turkmenistan.

Unlike the plov we made for Tajikistan, however, Uzbek plov (also Palov), is known for it’s use of saffron and for sometimes including such treats as stuffed grape leaves, chickpeas, quince and more. There’s always lamb and carrots.

Marina says:

The right recipe will call for equal weight fatty lamb and julienned carrots, and a lot of barberries and cumin seeds, among other things.

She also suggests serving it with tomato and onion salad.

The Greater Chimgan Mountain in Tashkent Province, Uzbekistan. Photo by Dmitriy Page.

Three other dishes Marina recommends are the big steamed dumplings, called manti, shashlik (shish kebob), and kambocha squash samosas. Kambocha is the green skinned “pumpkin” with pale orange flesh.

These would certainly keep me warm on the chilliest of days.

Photo by Uzbekistan in the snow, by Kmaksud2012.

Then there’s the simple, market-inspired meals. Like the Dimlama, a stewed one-pot vegetable dish often made at the end of the summer to use up garden produce [Recipe]. A thick round of Uzbek bread, rather like the naan we made for Tajikistan, would make the perfect accompaniment.

Bread sellers with their traditional flat round loaves of Uzbek bread. Photo by upyernoz.

For dessert, Marina recommends anything from the ever-loved baklava, honey cake, to even a spread of fresh fruit.

Fruit in Uzbekistan. Photo by Shuhrataxmedov.

Traditional fruits include apples, quince (try it stuffed – [Recipe]), grapes, cherries, and other stone fruit.

When served with nuts, honey, and good, strong tea, all is well.

Maps & flag of Uzbekistan, courtesy of the CIA World Factbook.

Monday Meal Review: Uruguay

Bzzzz, bzzzz, bzzzz. If the noise meant honey was on the way, that’d be one thing. But that’s not the case this week.

Our annual Crow/Martin family vacation to Beaver’s Bend wouldn’t be complete without bees. And by bees, I mean hundreds upon hundreds of bees.

It’s really hard to tell in the video, but as soon as I set out our spread from Uruguay, we were as good as swarmed.

Let’s just say, we could have never gathered for this photo if food was anywhere nearby:

After ten minutes? The leftover Martin Fierro treats were covered with the yellow and black buzzers. One was swimming in the salsa. Another stung my husband and Grandma Martin, though the children, thankfully, were left unharmed.

Before the bees could claim any more victims, we retreated into our cabin.

I take the over-enthusiastic bees as a happy omen. You see, in Uruguay, the bees do a lot better than North American ones. They aren’t dying off in mysterious numbers. They live long and prosper.

Maybe the secret is the food…

THIS WEEK’s FOOD

Uruguayan Hot Dog | Pancho [Recipe]

What I loved most about this dish:

While I’m not one to stock the fridge with hot dogs, I do enjoy them at certain occasions – namely the State Fair and at camping trips. Combining our family vacation with Uruguay proved to be easy, thanks to the Pancho. Most everyone loved piling on the toppings, and it was fun to see corn on top of hot dogs.

What I loved least about this dish:

Everyone loved piling on the toppings, that is, except for Ava. She had a lot of trouble with the concept of corn and hot dog together, which was a big surprise, considering she’s eaten far more exotic dishes than that. The answer? You tell me.

Martin Fierro [Recipe]

What I loved most about this dish:

Easy. Sweet and salty. As pretty as stained glass. I thought I might be the only one eating this amazing snack, but almost all the adults went for it.

What I loved least about this dish:

Just be sure to keep them cool (refrigerate them until you serve them), or the paste can seep and stain the cheese red. And I’ll warn you, once one child decides not to try it, they all play copy cat.

Martin Fierro

Recipes usually evolve over a long period of time, but today we explore a recipe that one man changed forever. In the late 19th century, José Hernández wrote stories about gauchos, freedom, and love from his home, in Argentina. Gauchos are like the equivalent of the American cowboy: men who’s spirits are forever roaming.

El Gaucho Martín Fierro. Illustration from José Hernández’s work,

His most famous character was Martin Fierro (so famous, in fact, that when the author, Hernández, died, the people announced that Martin Fierro had died, too).

Though his stories spoke to the people, he spent much of his life as an exile in Uruguay.

As much a creature of habit as any other man, the author became known for ordering the same dessert – one that reminded him of home, but that also celebrated the local ingredients in Uruguay:

He always ordered a certain dessert modeled on the popular Argentinian sweet known as Vigilante, which consisted of slices of cheese and sweet-potato paste. The dessert’s curious name derived from the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century policemen who ate cheese with sweet- potato paste because it was cheap and easy to carry. However, in Uruguay, quince paste, rather than sweet-potato paste, was eaten with cheese, and this is the combination that Hernández enjoyed. As a famous activist for gauchos’ rights and author of the beloved Martín Fierro, Hernández’s every move was observed. News of his preference for the Uruguayan version of Vigilante quickly spread throughout the country, and soon the combination of cheese and quince paste was named Martín Fierro in his honor. (Peregrina Gourmet)

This week I assembled our Martin Fierros at a cabin in the woods, alongside a beautiful stream. The meal was part of a family reunion on Keith’s side. Since he’s a “Martin,” I knew I had to make these “Martin Fierro’s.” The nod to the name wasn’t all of it, though. I also knew that whatever I made would have to be simple to transport and photograph while on vacation.

Normally, Martin Fierro’s are made with slices of cheese and quince paste. Most of the time they use manchego cheese, which is salty and firm, but any cheese will do. I tried it with queso fresco – another popular cheese in the region, and this was delicious, as well. Either way, the dish is all about the balance between creamy, salty cheese, and fruit. If you liked cream cheese and jelly as a kid, then you’ll enjoy this more grown up, fancy version.

If you can’t find any quince paste, you’ll definitely find guava paste at your local Latino market. Either one provides the necessary tropical flavor and sweet touch.

While there is no recipe, you simply need to buy a block of cheese, preferably manchego or queso fresco, and some guava paste.

Slice and stack, using toothpicks to secure the bundles.

That’s it! Enjoy.

Martin Fierro

CourseAppetizers & Snacks
LifestyleGluten-Free, Potluck Friendly, Vegetarian
Food TypeFruit, Sasha's Favorite Recipes

Servings	Prep Time
15-20 appetizers	15 minutes

Servings	Prep Time
15-20 appetizers	15 minutes

Martin Fierro

CourseAppetizers & Snacks
LifestyleGluten-Free, Potluck Friendly, Vegetarian
Food TypeFruit, Sasha's Favorite Recipes

Servings	Prep Time
15-20 appetizers	15 minutes

Servings	Prep Time
15-20 appetizers	15 minutes

Ingredients

1 block manchego cheese - OR -
queso fresco
1 block guava paste

Servings: appetizers

Units:

Instructions

While there is no recipe, you simply need to buy a block of cheese, preferably manchego or queso fresco, and some guava paste. Slice and stack, using toothpicks to secure the bundles.

Uruguayan Hot Dog | Pancho

Yes, that’s corn on a hot dog. Listen, friends: if you’re going to have a hot dog, you might as well have a Uruguayan one. Sure, it might just cost a buck or two, but…

They’re amazing. Dramatic. Game changers.

If this seems like a lot of responsibility for a hot dog, that’s because it is.

The pancho’s success is not so much about the meat, though it’s true: the “dog” is usually bigger and better than your average hot dog (it sticks out a good inch or two on either side of the bun).

But when it comes down to it, the pancho is all about the toppings.

At many pancho stands, you’ll find some combination of corn, melted cheese, relish, salsa, and especially “salsa golf,” which is a blend of mayo and ketchup.

You can eyeball the salsa golf: aim for half of each… and it’ll be pale pink.

There’s not much of a recipe…. simply grill a batch of extra-long hot dogs, provide a small bowl of each topping, and let your guests decide how they’ll decorate their pancho.

You might want to serve some fries on the side. I went with sweet potato fries, not because they are the most traditional by any means, but because that’s what I had on hand.

So, do you think your family and friends would go for this kind of hot dog?

I think it might be a good “gateway” food for picky eaters and global cuisine… do you agree?

Either way, enjoy with a stunning view, at the edge of here and there.

Pocitos neighbourhood in Montevideo, Uruguay. Photo by Libertinus.

Uruguayan Hot Dog | Pancho

The pancho's success is not so much about the meat, though it's true: the "dog" is usually bigger and better than your average hot dog (it sticks out a good inch or two on either side of the bun). But when it comes down to it, the pancho is all about the toppings. At many pancho stands, you'll find some combination of corn, melted cheese, relish, salsa, and especially "salsa golf," which is a blend of mayo and ketchup.

CourseMain Dish
LifestyleGrilling, Potluck Friendly
Food TypeMeat, Mr. Picky's Favorite Recipes, Sandwiches & Wraps, Sasha's Favorite Recipes

Uruguayan Hot Dog | Pancho

CourseMain Dish
LifestyleGrilling, Potluck Friendly
Food TypeMeat, Mr. Picky's Favorite Recipes, Sandwiches & Wraps, Sasha's Favorite Recipes

Ingredients

hot dogs (extra long)
corn , cooked
salsa golf (blend of mayo and ketchup)
melted cheese
relish
salsa
hot dog buns

Servings:

Units:

Instructions

Simply grill a batch of extra-long hot dogs, provide a small bowl of each topping, and let your guests decide how they'll decorate their pancho.

Menu: Uruguay

Ah, Uruguay. I kept this menu nice and simple for two reasons.

First, we’re only a few weeks away from our #GlobalTableExperience on October 12, 2013, where we’ll serve food from more than 160 countries on a single string of tables. I’m spending every ounce of free time getting the details ready, so that you and your loved ones can enjoy a bite of the world. Even if you can’t make it, make sure you read about how you can be involved in spreading our message of peace and understanding through food from wherever you are!

Second, we were on a little family vacation in Southeast Oklahoma when I cooked this meal, so I wanted everything to be easily prepared (with a minimum of equipment).

The results? Simple & tasty. Two of my favorite words.

All recipes and the meal review will be posted throughout the week.

Uruguayan Hot Dog | Pancho [Recipe]

There’s nothing extraordinary about a hot dog, unless you consider the toppings on this one, particularly the sauce. This one recipe will keep your BBQ’s fresh and fun, with lots to talk about.

Martin Fierro [Recipe]

Cheese and quince paste. It’s the stuff of cocktail hours and aperitifs. Find out why this sweet and salty treat should be at your next dinner party.

About the Food of Uruguay

Sand dunes in Rocha, Uruguay. Photo by Montecruz Foto.

[Recipe]

I’ve been saying “Uruguay” wrong my entire life. Apparently, it’s “oooo-rah-gway,” as in, “oooo” that food looks good.

Beach in Uruguay. Photo by José Porras.

Located in South America, Uruguay is made of gentle hills and a glistening coastline. As with much of South America, this is a meat-lover’s paradise. Beef is the specialty of choice, though blood sausages and other offal are included as well. In this, it reminds me of Argentina (which we cooked three and a half years ago!).

More mainstream choices include BBQ, like carne asada… though, even a good hot dog (called pancho)[Recipe], is worthy of the hungriest stovetop travelers.

The cattle are raised in the heart of the country, while produce like corn and tomatoes grow on the coastal plains.

For dessert, there’s no stopping their love of flan, alfajores, and a layered cheese and fruit paste treat, called Martin Fierro [Recipe].

Wash it all down with a strong cup of yerbe mate tea or clericó, which is like a white sangria, made with fruit juice and wine.

Then, when all is said and done, perhaps you might ponder this proverb from Uruguay:

Better to marry a neighbor than a stranger.

Do you agree with this line of reassoning? Why or why not??

Monday Meal Review: United States of America

Friends, we are here. After three and a half years, we’ve come to the first ending.

With the United States of America, North America is officially done.

The continent is “cooked,” as it were.

I can’t help but notice the irony: the first country to begin the end of our Global Table Adventure is my own country. Perhaps this is a bit of alphabetical nonsense, and nothing more. But I like to find meaning in my life. I choose to dig deeper.

I see it as a two-part message.

First, we need to understand our home before we can understand anything beyond it.

Second, the world can help us understand our home better than anything else. There are lessons out there that can enlighten us. That can clarify our own situations.

Only once we love and appreciate our own home, can we fly from the nest and explore the world with love.

We celebrated in style: this week we hosted an All-American potluck with our friends. I’ve never done such a thing. With my eyes so focused outward, at the rest of the world, I’ve never taken the time to make good old fashioned American cooking.

Unless that one reader was right: this whole blog is a nod to the hundreds of cultures that make up our population. Our melting pot.

I love that idea.

While Keith, Ava, and I made the ribs, the apple pie, hot dogs, and some lemonade, everyone else surprised us with their American contributions:

corn on the cob
potato salad
fruit salad
a salad made mostly from our neighbor’s garden
several kinds of cookies
and more!

I’ve said it before: I love potlucks. It gives everyone a chance to do a little research and show off their cooking skills. Even people who don’t like to cook, do like to contribute, and are happy to drop by the store and grab a box of cookies or prepared salad.

Not to mention, potlucks make for great conversation. Even if people haven’t met before, the food becomes an automatic ice breaker.

THIS WEEK’s FOOD

Barbecued Ribs [Recipe]

What I loved most about this dish:

As silly as this is, I’m just happy I could make them! I’ve always imagined barbecue ribs were impossible to make, only something true masters could handle. I was wrong. This recipe proves, all you need is a little time and patience. In the end, the flavor is remarkable and worth of making over and over again.

What I loved least about this dish:

It’s a bit tricky to keep the wood lit on a gas grill, like mine. One time, we resorted to throwing the wood chips directly onto the flame. Honestly, even without the wood chips, these are delicious ribs, so don’t let that stop you!

All-American Apple Pie [Recipe]

What I loved most about this dish:

This recipe will always remind me of mom. I’ve always just thrown together the ingredients for apple pie, so it comes out different every time. It was fun to take the time and develop a clear recipe that I can make time and time again… one that I can eventually teach to Ava.

What I loved least about this dish:

Just waiting the 2+ hours to slice into it. Oh man…

All-American Apple Pie

Mom made apple pie all the time when I was little. It was my brother Damien’s choice for “birthday cake” several years in a row.

He was born in October: it just made sense.

Mom taught us how to cut the butter into the flour, to make a flaky pie crust, and she taught us how to add cinnamon and nutmeg to flavor it. (In her honor, I’ve labeled my cinnamon jar “sin,” just as she did then)

Then I moved to Oklahoma, as far from New England’s familiar orchards as I could get.

Every year about this time I start missing home – I start hungering for the bright, fall taste of apple pie.

Of home.

Use any firm baking apples you’d like. This time I used pink lady, though many different varieties will do, as long as they are firm. Check with your grocer and see what crop they think would suit you well.

While many insist on adding at least half granny smith, I prefer my pie granny-free.

In the end, I don’t think it matters. Not as long as you end up with a big bite of ‘delicious.’

Ingredients:

For the pie dough:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
2 sticks cold butter, cubed
ice water, as needed

For the apple filling:

4 lbs firm, baking apples like Pink Lady
zest and juice of one lemon
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3 Tbsp cornstarch (optional, for thickening)

egg white, beaten, for wash

Method:

Make the pie dough by pulsing together the flour, salt, sugar, and butter in a food processor (or by using a pastry cutter, or two knives as my mom taught me). When the butter is pea-sized, drizzle in ice water while pulsing, until it comes together into a dough.

Pat into two discs, one a little larger than the other, and refrigerate for thirty minutes.

Meanwhile, peel and slice the apples into a large bowl. Drizzle with the lemon juice and zest, then toss with the sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cornstarch.

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Roll out the pie dough to be a couple of inches wider than your baking dish. I like to roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper so I don’t have to worry about sticking or any real mess. Place the first round of dough on the bottom of the pie dish, fill with apples, the top with the second rolled out dough.

Note: You can cut things out of the top of the dough for vent holes, or you can just use a knife.

Crimp the edges to seal, brush with egg wash, and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for 30 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 325F and bake another 20-30 minutes.

Let cool at least 2 hours before slicing. This gives the pie time to set up a little.

Oh, but when you do slice it?

Delicious… especially with a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream (Thanks, Tina!)

All-American Apple Pie

CourseSweets
LifestyleVegetarian, Weekend Projects
Food TypeFruit, Miss Ava's Favorite Recipes, Mr. Picky's Favorite Recipes, Sasha's Favorite Recipes

Servings	Prep Time
1 pie	30 minutes

Cook Time	Passive Time
1 hour	2 hours

Servings	Prep Time
1 pie	30 minutes

Cook Time	Passive Time
1 hour	2 hours

All-American Apple Pie

CourseSweets
LifestyleVegetarian, Weekend Projects
Food TypeFruit, Miss Ava's Favorite Recipes, Mr. Picky's Favorite Recipes, Sasha's Favorite Recipes

Servings	Prep Time
1 pie	30 minutes

Cook Time	Passive Time
1 hour	2 hours

Servings	Prep Time
1 pie	30 minutes

Cook Time	Passive Time
1 hour	2 hours

Ingredients

For the pie:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
2 sticks butter , cubed (cold)
ice water , as needed

For the filling:

4 lbs apples (firm baking apples, like Pink Lady)
1 lemon , zested and juiced
1/3 cup brown sugar (packed)
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
3 Tbsp cornstarch (optional, for thickening)
1 egg white , beaten (for egg wash)

Servings: pie

Units:

Instructions

Make the pie dough by pulsing together the flour, salt, sugar, and butter in a food processor (or by using a pastry cutter, or two knives as my mom taught me). When the butter is pea-sized, drizzle in ice water while pulsing, until it comes together into a dough.
Pat into two discs, one a little larger than the other, and refrigerate for thirty minutes. Meanwhile, peel and slice the apples into a large bowl. Drizzle with the lemon juice and zest, then toss with the sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cornstarch.
Preheat the oven to 400F. Roll out the pie dough to be a couple of inches wider than your baking dish. I like to roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper so I don’t have to worry about sticking or any real mess. Place the first round of dough on the bottom of the pie dish, fill with apples, the top with the second rolled out dough.
Note: You can cut things out of the top of the dough for vent holes, or you can just use a knife. Crimp the edges to seal, brush with egg wash, and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake for 30 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 325F and bake another 20-30 minutes. Let cool at least 2 hours before slicing.