Apple Cider

 I have two huge apple trees in my back yard, both probably over a hundred years old.  One Gravenstein and one un-identified.  They produce immense quantities of apples.  People from around town come and help themselves, I make all the applesauce, apple pie, apple butter, etc I can stand to eat or give away.  I am left with a lot of apples.  This year I decided to make some cider.  Here are the steps I took:

1. Collect apples.

2. Run apples through the Breville juicer since I don't have an apple press.

3. Remove as much froth as possible and pour juice into carboy, adding a tablespoon or so of bread yeast.  Yes, I said bread yeast.  This was an experiment.

I'll be honest, I had no idea what to expect.  I've made cider from my trees before with various combinations of yeasts and things and it always came out fine but not spectacular.  Light flavor, halfway between sweet and dry, not bad.  I figured it couldn't hurt to try something even simpler, something that didn't involve sending off for yeast that I might not get around to using.

Result, not bad.  Not really much different from the fancy yeasts I bought online.  I drank one bottle with some friends who like cider and they said it was pretty good.  I asked them not to lie, that I wouldn't be offended if they didn't like it and they stuck to their story.

So there's that.

I'm not 100% sure that these are the best apples for cider and that may be why the underwhelming results over the years.  They make great pies, applesauce, and apple butter though.

I did find out that one of my friends thinks his grandparents may still have a cider press in one of their barns somewhere so next year we might try expanding the operation.

Tourtiere

Mashed potato:

1 large Russet or Yukon gold potato, peeled and cut into small pieces.

Boil in lightly salted water till soft, mash with a bit of butter and cream.  Set aside.

Meat filling:

1 sm onion finely chopped
1 clove minced garlic
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1/2 tsp  poultry seasoning (I substitute a bit of sage and thyme)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
pepper
1/2 cup potato water or chicken broth

Saute the onions and garlic til soft, add the meat.  Cook til no longer pink, spoon of about half the fat.  Add the spices and liquid, then simmer for about ten minutes.  Set aside to cool for a few minutes then stir in the mashed potatoes.

Pie:

Add filling to a pastry lined pie plate.  Brush beaten egg around the edge to seal the top, then cover with top crust.  Fold the edges, then brush top with egg wash.  Cut vent holes in the top with a knife.

Bake at 400ºF for 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown.  Let cool for ten minutes or so then serve.  This is also good as room temperature leftovers.

Green Chicken Pozole

 Posted recently regarding a Pork Pozole and how I found out about this delicious Mexican stew.  Traditionally served around the holidays apparently.  So the other day I was flipping through some cookbooks I've never used.  The Best of Gourmet.  I picked up five of them at a sale for about nothing, maybe $.25 each.  I've never cooked anything from any of them.  Not once.  Decided that I either needed to use a recipe or get rid of them.  Flipping through at random I found this and decided it would do.  Delicious.

Ingredients:

9 c water

1 bay leaf

1 large white onion, halved and thinly sliced

6 garlic cloves, chopped

2 1/2 t salt

3 lb skinless, boneless chicken thighs

1/2 c hulled green pumpkin seeds (not roasted)

1 lb tomatillos

1 jalapeno chile, quartered (with seeds)

3/4 c chopped cilantro

1 t oregano

2 T oil

2 small cans white hominy

Chicken:

Bring 8 c water to boil with bay leaf, half onion, half garlic, and 1 t salt.  Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.

Add chicken and poach uncovered at a bare simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove chicken and set aside, reserve broth.  When chicken is cool enough, shred with your fingers.

Sauce:

Cook pumpkin seeds in a dry skillet until they start to puff and pop.  Do not let them brown (too much, they will some no matter what you do).  6 to 7 minutes.  Transfer to spice grinder and grind into fine powder.

Simmer husked tomatillos and remaining onion in 1 c water, covered, for about 10 minutes.

Drain vegetables and puree in a blender with jalapenos, 1/4 c cilantro, oregano, remaining garlic, and remaining salt.

Heat oil in a large saucepan until it barely starts to smoke.  Add sauce (being careful, it will spatter) and cook uncovered, stirring frequently, until it thickens, about 10 minutes.  Stir in pumpkin seeds and 1 c reserved broth and simmer 5 minutes.

Add shredded chicken, hominy, and 3 c more reserved broth.

Simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes.

I serve with a dollop of sour cream.

Pork Pozole

Was reading Stephen Havill's Posadas County detective series and there was a pot of pozole cooking on the stove.  I'm always in the market for good food as well as good books so made this from a recipe on-line.  Outstanding.  Followed it up last night with a green chicken version which will also be posted
here.  So make yourself a pot of one or the other and settle down with a good mystery novel set in (fictional) Posadas County, New Mexico.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb pork shoulder
2 garlic cloves, peeled

1 T cumin powder

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 T oil

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp cayenne

2 T California chili powder

1 T salt

1/4 t oregano

4 c canned white hominy (three small cans)

3 -5 c pork broth reserved from cooking pork shoulder

1 small can diced green chilis (I used the New Mexico chilis)

salt

Pork shoulder:

Combine the pork, peeled garlic, pepper, cumin, oregano, and 1/2 onion in a large pot and cover with lightly salted water.  Bring to a boil, skim off foam, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.

Remove meat and broth, reserving both.  Cut pork into 1 inch cubes.

Pozole:

Saute remaining onion and garlic in vegetable oil until translucent.  Add remaining spices and stir for one minute, then add pork, hominy, pork broth, and green chiles.

Simmer covered for 45 to 60 minutes until pork and hominy are tender.  It can be cooked for up to another hour if you want it to become more stewlike.

Serve:

I served in soup bowls with a dollop of sour cream.