A is for apple pie filling!

And so it starts - Blogging A to Z - for the month of April - wish me luck as I think that finding foods and recipes with some of the more select letters is going to be darnright difficult...but fun. What a great way to start - with my 100th posting!

I hope you enjoy and try some of my recipes - most are pretty easy and all are delicious!  (My blog has decided that the link shouldn't be linked to - I'll get one up asap.)
 
Every fall, I shamelessly beg for, and  pick as many apples as I can find to prepare an apple pie filling that I use in a lot of recipes I make over the winter.   Of course I use it to make apple pies but also apple crisps, apple strudels (only a couple times), apple muffins and when put through the food processor, some fruit leather.

No-one can say that apples are a fruit that is boring.  Have you ever tried apple slices with peanut butter?  Or a nice slice ham with lettuce and apple slices in a sandwich with just a bit of hot mustard on homemade bread?  (Divine that one!)  Anyone that thinks apples are boring should take a gander on the internet and look through the multitude of recipes and ideas on using them.

I have a small cookbook full of just apple based recipes, aptly called "Apple Lovers Cook Book," by Shirley Munson and Jo Nelson.  It is only about 120 pages but contains some really great recipes.  I have had it for quite awhile and have enjoyed a some recipes of cakes and squares out of it.  I don't know if it is in print any longer - the edition I have was the 4th reprint and it was from 1994!

The recipe I am sharing here is one that I have been making for about twenty-five years or so.  It was patched together from a recipe given to me by a friend and has had more than a couple revisions over the years.  I now call it one of my own recipes because it is so far from the original that it no longer resembles it.  I will give the measurements for the full amount and the half recipe will be in brackets.

These instructions might seem a little goosey-loosey but unless you are canning them (then you need to be exceptionally careful with your measurements!) it is by taste - I like my less sweet so please adjust accordingly.  I would recommend that you leave a bit of firmness to the apples as you will be cooking them again when you make your pies, etc.

This recipe is super easy and your house will smell divine when you make it.

Apple Pie Filling/Applesauce Recipe

10 quarts (5) sliced apples (I don't peel them - just wash them extremely well)
3 cups (1 1/2) white sugar (a little more or less depending on the sweetness of your apples)
1 tsp. (1/2) salt
2 tbsp (1) cinnamon (I generally add more)
1/4 cup (1/8) lemon juice
water to cover apples

Wash apples really well.  Peel them if you prefer to - I never do.  Slice, remove any bruised spots and core them.

Cookie-sheet pie for a crowd

As you slice the apples, drop them into a bowl with about 1/4 cup of lemon juice or some ascorbic acid and water to prevent too much browning.

Drain them and put them into a large pot along with the other ingredients.

Boil gently until barely tender - a little bit of firmness is nice because you will be cooking them in your pies as well.  Around 20 minutes or so should do it, again depending on your stove and the type of apples you are cooking down.

Bag in enough of a quantity for 1 pie or 1 applecrisp or whatever your favourite recipes call for and freeze.

When using the filling from the freezer, thaw first.  If you are making a pie, it is a good idea to sprinkle a little bit of cornstarch on the bottom crust before adding the filling and a little on top again before sealing up your pie.

There you have it!  It is wonderful just to eat as is or use in a recipe.  Enjoy!