In previous issues we featured numerous desserts made with apples, including Sandy Jacobson’s delicious Apple Cake. Autumn is apple season and apples are good for you. There are more than 7,500 varieties in the world and the US grows 2,500+ of those varieties. Apples are rich in quercetin which may protect against cataracts, glaucoma, and other eye related problems. Also, macular degeneration which is age related. Look for firm apples with no bruises. The ripe ones also have a nice fragrance. Keep them in a paper bag in the refrigerator crisper compartment. Left out, they tend to go soft. Sprinkle sliced apples with lemon juice to help prevent browning.

I was curious as to which apples are best for eating and/or baking.  I tried to stick to the ones that we see most often in our local grocery stores. I looked up which apples are best for baking and best for eating but I weeded out the ones that we don’t usually get locally. This is the short version of the ones that are usually in our stores.

Also, here is a pasta dish that contains apples. Easy and delicious. The combination of the slightly bitter arugula, the sweet apple, the salty gorgonzola with the protein in the chicken sausage, makes a very appealing dish. I learned that if you use the chickpea penne, which is high in fiber and offsets the high carb count, you do not have to wait until the water comes to a boil. Put the pasta in right from the get-go and it turns out better. I also learned to save a small jar of pasta water. When leftover pasta is too thick, the pasta water thins it without making it watery.

BEST FOR EATING:

  • Golden Delicious and Red Delicious – their name says it all.
  • Envy – sweet, crunchy and doesn’t turn brown as fast as most so good for salads and cheese boards.
  • Snapdragon – so named because they “snap” in your mouth also, sweet.
  • Gala – Sweet with a pear-like quality and can also be cooked down into a compote. 
  • Lady – mildly sweet, tart, and delicate. Because of their small size, often used in Christmas decorations.

BEST FOR BAKING:

Tart, thick firm apples like Braeburn and Granny Smith, which is described as incredibly tart, high acid, with a subtle sweetness.

BEST FOR BOTH:

Ambrosia – Honeycrisp – super sweet, juicy, and crunchy. Guaranteed to hold firm when baking.

Fuji – crisp, firm, and durable

CHICKEN, APPLE GORGONZOLA PASTA

  • 4 oz. penne cooked al dente 
  • ½ – 2/3 cup pasta water
  • 2 TBS olive oil
  • 6 oz chicken sausage – casing removed (great varieties at a reasonable price at Aldi)
  • ½ small red onion sliced
  • 1 crisp apple cored and thinly sliced
  • 3 oz crumbled gorgonzola
  • 1 cup baby arugula

Heat oil in large skillet over medium high. Heat the olive oil. Add sausage and cook until it starts to brown, about 6 minutes, breaking sausage into small pieces with wooden spoon. 

Add sliced onion and cook for 3 minutes or until onion is starts to soften. Add apple slices and cook 3-4 minutes more until slightly softened.

Add pasta, Gorgonzola, and pasta water; stir well to coat. Keep stirring and tossing until a light creamy sauce forms. Add baby arugula and stir well until just wilted. 

Remove from heat and top with more crumbled Gorgonzola if desired. Serve.