Suddenly apples are everywhere. If you’re fortunate to have a few Prairie-hardy apple varieties grown to gnarly maturity around your homes, you’ll be enjoying the many different flavours and textures of homegrown apples right now.

Eating Manitoba-grown apples is a pleasure we owe to the apple-breeding efforts of the Morden Research Station, where most of the hardy apples we enjoy were developed.

Sadly, the MRS’s apple-breeding work has now ended, alongside hardy rose development there. But our trees remain. Whether you’ve got a Prairie Sun, a relative newcomer released from the University of Saskatchewan in 1999, or an old-timer like a Trail crabapple, dating back to the early 1900s, and your trees are healthy and fruit bearing this year, you’ll be well into a season of picking, paring, pie making and preparing abundant apples for winter storage. This week, enjoy a selection of recipes using apples for a main meal – apples and pork are divine together – plus recipes found in the community and organizational cookbooks we’ve featured on these pages over this past year.

This recipe is fromCooking Made Easy, Simply Delicious Recipes Using Canadian Dairy Products.

Apple Cream Pork Chops

4 lean pork chops about

3/4 inch thick

Flour

Butter

1/3 c. finely

chopped onion

1 tsp. beef bouillon mix

Pinch ground thyme

1/2 c. apple juice

6 thick slices red apple

2/3 c. whipping cream

Salt and pepper

Coat meat with flour; shake lightly to remove excess. In large frypan, melt a little butter. Add meat and sauté until golden brown on both sides. Remove from pan and set aside. Sauté onion in same pan until tender, adding more butter if necessary. Blend in bouillon mix and thyme; stir in apple juice. Return meat to pan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 50 minutes or until meat is tender. Arrange apple slices over meat 15 minutes before end of cooking time. When done, remove meat and apples from pan; keep warm. Stir cream into pan juices; bring to a boil. Cook and stir over medium heat until sauce is reduced to desired thickness. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour sauce over meat and apples; serve.

Makes 4 servings. Prep time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 70 minutes

APPLESAUCE CAKE

FromA Century of Home Cooking,the Cypress River Agricultural Society’s 100th anniversary cookbook, recently reprinted.

1/2 c. shortening

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2-3/4 c. flour

1/2 tsp. cloves

1-1/2 c. raisins and

chopped nuts (combined)

2 eggs beaten

1-1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1-1/3 c. sugar

Cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs, dry ingredients and applesauce. Add nuts and raisins. Bake in a 9 x 13-inch pan at 350 F for 35 minutes. Spread warm cake with praline topping. Place under broiler for five minutes. Serve warm.

From the1910-2010 Manitoba Women’s Institute Cookbook.

Applesauce Muffins

1-3/4 c. applesauce*

4 eggs

1-1/2 c. white sugar

1-1/4 c. canola oil

2 c. flour

1 c. bran

Beat applesauce, eggs, sugar and oil together. Mix flour, cinnamon, salt, soda and baking powder together and add to first mixture. Add remaining ingredients and blend well. Fill muffin tins 2/3 c. full. Bake at 375 F for 18 to 20 minutes.

Makes 3 dozen.

*Cook homegrown apples and put through a fruit press and freeze in 1-3/4 c. pkg. to use all winter.

CARAMEL APPLE CAKE

From Strathclair’s125 Years of Dining Memoriescommemorative cookbook

1-3/4 c. flour

1-1/2 c. firmly packed

brown sugar

1-1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. baking soda

2 c. applesauce

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 9 x 13-inch pan. In a large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, margarine and eggs. Beat 3 minutes at medium speed. Stir in apples, nuts and raisins. Pour into greased and floured pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean. Cool completely.

Topping:

1/2 c. chopped nuts

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

Sprinkle over cake. Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes or until done.

2 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

2 c. raisins or 1 c. mint

chips

1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 c. margarine

3 eggs

1-1/2 c. finely

chopped apples

1/2 to 1 c. chopped nuts

1/2 c. raisins (if desired)

Manitoba Co-operatorRecipe Swap Box 1794,

Carman, Man. R0G 0J0

or email[email protected]

We love hearing from readers and receiving your favourite recipes and recipe requests. If you’d like to contact us by mail write to:

Manitoba Co-operator

Recipe Swap Box 1794 Carman, Man. R0G 0J0

or email:[email protected]

From the Manitoba Pork Council’sPick Porkcollection.

Braised Pork With Apples

1 lb. pork shoulder blade

cubes, well trimmed

2 tbsp. flour

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp. canola oil

1 onion, coarsely

chopped

1 c. each apple juice

and water

2 tsp. each Dijon

mustard, vinegar

1/2 tsp. thyme, crumbled

3 cloves garlic, quartered

2 carrots, in large chunks

2 apples, peeled and

quartered

4 small potatoes,

quartered

1 c. frozen peas

(optional)

Combine pork, flour, salt and pepper in a plastic bag. Shake to coat well. Heat 1 tbsp. (15 ml) oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook and stir until translucent; remove to a bowl. Heat remaining oil; add pork cubes and brown. Remove pork and add to onions. Pour apple juice and water into skillet; bring to a boil. Stir and scrape up any browned bits in skillet. Blend in mustard, vinegar and thyme. Return pork and onion to skillet along with garlic, carrots and apples; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Add potatoes and cook 20-30 minutes until meat and vegetables are tender. Add peas; cook 5 minutes more.

Yield: 4 servings.

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Praline topping:

1/2 c. butter

3/4 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. sour cream

2/3 c. coconut

3/4 c. chopped nuts

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RECIPE SWAP