Cranberry Apple Butter

Fall is in the air. I'm not sure whether to be excited (because I can wear thick, warm sweaters and build a fire turn on the switch in our fireplace) or sad (because I love the sunshine, warm weather, and eating outside). I'm going to call that a draw.

This recipe, however, is a solid win (really, with the cliches?).

As always with our CSA, we get a ton of fruit or vegetables several weeks running. We have received apples for three weeks now. Three! I like to put apples in things, but I don't eat them as a snack, standalone. I'm not sure why, because I love things like pears, but there you have it. Apples are never my first choice in a fruit to just munch on. I knew that I had to put these apples in something to make me feel like they weren't wasted. Bread was fine, but I had made a banana bread a few weeks earlier and currently have a whole host of these, these, and these sitting in my fridge right now. I wasn't really interested in any more bread products (after all, I'm not really needing to carb-load these days, despite my baking that says otherwise!).

On Friday, I had to run to the store because we ran out of a few key items (you know, like milk wine) and while I was there I noticed that cranberries had arrived back in the produce section. Not craisins, but real, honest-to-goodness cranberries. All of a sudden, it hit me. I wanted to make cranberry apple butter.

A few years ago, when I was creating my annual Christmas goodie bag of baked goods for friends, I came across this recipe. I thought it looked pretty easy, and different, for that matter, and decided to give it a whirl. Though I only made one batch, I remember eating that stuff on almost anything-bread, muffins, a spoon-and was pretty sad when it was gone. This weekend, I went off in search of that recipe, and except for the fact that the recipe called for Granny Smith apples (which weren't in the CSA!) I realized I had everything else I'd need to do this. Just like that, it made it's way on my to-make list for sometime this weekend (yes, I make a to-make list of dishes and baked goods for the week that I try to do over the weekend. Don't judge).

On Sunday I felt a little chill in the air and got to work. I threw everything in a pot besides the apples, peeled and cored the apples (and tried not to nick my fingers in the process), and let it cook down for hours. Later, I pureed it using my hand blender, and voila! cranberry apple butter!

Massive amounts of cranberry apple butter. Anyone hungry?

I am pretty sure I'll still be eating this by the spring with the amount I have, but you're welcome to take some of it off my hands. That is, if you can pry it from my fingers first. It kind of gives my taste buds a little bit of pucker after giving it a nice small sweet sugar rush. It's not like most sweet spreads I've had (and to be honest, I'll usually only use raspberry jam anyway). I think it'd be especially perfect with a nice hot, buttery popover. Not that I have any fresh popovers in my kitchen...

...yet.

Cranberry apple butter (recipe adapted slightly from From the kitchen of the 13)

2 c brown sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 c. orange juice
2 c. fresh or frozen cranberries
10 apples of your choice (I used a combination of Macoun, McIntosh, and Cortlands, but the original recipe calls for Granny Smith), peeled, cored, and chopped into large chunks

*Add all ingredients except the apples to a large pot. Cook over medium heat and stir occasionally until the cranberries begin to pop.
* Add apples, turn the heat to medium-low to low and cook until apples get very soft and fall apart. Make sure you stir the mixture frequently to get everything combined together.
*Put the mixture carefully into a blender (let it cool a bit so it doesn't explode in the blender!) or use a hand blender or a potato masher until the mixture is thick and, for the most part, smooth (I always like a couple of chunks of apple or cranberry!). Spread on anything of choice, but hot, fresh bread or popovers never seem to hurt!

Eggplant Marinara

Years ago, I had made something I was quite certain was called easy eggplant parmesan. I remembered it as a sauce with eggplant in it, served over pasta, with cheese. For the life of me I couldn't find it though. I either never printed it out and followed the recipe from my computer screen or I printed it and threw it away by accident. Either way, I had only had it once but I couldn't stop thinking about it.

Fast forward to a few days ago, when I was looking something up on my old hard drive (long story short, my old computer decided to stop working but the hard drive was still usable, but being too lazy to actually copy all of my files to my new computer, I only put a few over and kept the drive aside to plug in as I needed it). I noticed on this drive I had a file folder I had titled "recipes" and curious, I opened it.

And there it was: eggplant marinara.



Of course. Eggplant marinara, not easy eggplant parm (though I suppose the two are somewhat synonymous). I looked at the recipe, and indeed, it was the one I hadn't been able to locate all those years. It was almost like I had hit the lottery. I figured I could make it, freeze it, and use it as needed. In the meantime, I'd print the recipe out (again) and file it like I normally do. Jackpot.







Eggplant is most decidedly my favorite vegetable. I love it best fried (What's not good fried, I ask you? Nothing.) but it's really tasty-and I know I might be in the minority because I know people for whom eggplant is not their favorite. But if it's not, just try this one: it's mild and innocent enough that I think you miss some of the texture (which turns some people off)-although there is texture- and get more of the taste.

This recipe is easy and doesn't take that many steps, and marinara freezes well, which makes this even better. That is, of course, if you don't plan on eating it straight from the container with a spoon (or over your choice of pasta) :) Start to finish (not including the roasting time for the eggplant) this dish took me roughly twenty minutes, which only adds to the appeal.



Eggplant Marinara (recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray)

* 1 large eggplant
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 onion, chopped
* 3 cloves garlic, chopped (I used a spoonful of minced garlic)
* 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
* 6 leaves of torn or chopped basil
* 1 c. grated Parmigiano Reggiano

To roast the eggplant: Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut eggplants in half and spread a little bit of olive oil with a pastry brush and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Place eggplants on a baking sheet and put in the oven for about 45 minutes or so, until they're a nice golden color. Remove from the oven and let cool.

While eggplant is cooking or while it is cooling, heat a pan over medium-high heat. Spray a little bit of butter spray in the pan and add the onions and garlic and cook until soft.

While the onions and garlic are cooking, scoop the eggplant out from the skin and mash with a fork in a bowl. Add the mashed eggplant to the pan with the onions and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Add the crushed tomatoes and the torn basil and the cheese.

Freeze for future use, serve over pasta, or just grab yourself a spoon.