Wizard Recipes

Availability : Year-round

Peak Season : October through March

Buying Tips

Buy firm, crisp apples that are free of brown bruise spots. Apples range in color from yellow to bright green to deep red.

Choose a variety that will work well in your recipe. Use cooking apples for baking and pies. Some apples fall apart when cooked, so they make great applesauce.

Cortland A fine all-purpose apple, this large, round apple remains firm when baked. Cortland is good for fruit salads because the raw slices do not discolor.

Gala This New Zealand import is a cross between Kidd’s Orange Red and Golden Delicious. Sweet, crisp, and juicy with red-streaked yellow skin, it is good for cooking.

Golden Delicious Another good all-purpose apple with yellow-gold skin and a sweet flavor. Excellent for eating out of hand, pies, applesauce, and salads.

Granny Smith Very crisp and slightly acidic, this green-skinned apple is named for its original cultivator, an Australian grandmother. Its slices hold their shape well during baking, so it’s a good choice for pies.

Jonagold A crisp, yellow-fleshed apple that works well in pies, cobblers, and applesauce.

Macoun A cross between the McIntosh and Jersey Black, it has fragrant white flesh and is a good allpurpose apple.

McIntosh Round and juicy, this apple’s flesh softens when cooked. Best for applesauce, eating out of hand, or in combination with firmer apples in pies.

Newtown Pippin A somewhat small apple with tart, firm flesh. Great in pies.

Red Delicious The most familiar red-skinned apple; best for eating out of hand.

Rome Beauty A large, aromatic apple that is excellent for baking whole.

Winesap A crisp pie apple with winelike juice.

To Store

Store apples in the crisper drawer in the refrigerator and use within two weeks.

To Prepare

Rinse apples and core. If the apples (except for Golden Delicious or Cortland) are to be peeled or sliced, sprinkle with lemon juice, vinegar, or a little vinaigrette (depending on their use) to prevent browning.

A P R I C O T S

Availability : June and July

Buying Tips

Select plump, juicy-looking, orange-yellow fruit; ripe apricots will yield to gentle pressure.

To Store

Handle carefully; apricots bruise easily. Ripen at room temperature, then refrigerate for up to three days.

To Prepare

Wash apricots and cut in half to remove the pit; peel if desired. If the apricots are not to be eaten immediately, sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent browning.

It is sometimes difficult to distinguish between vegetables and fruits. For instance, the tomato is in reality a fruit, but it is commonly used as a vegetable, and rhubarb is more of a vegetable than a fruit, but it is always used as a fruit. It can therefore be seen that the line between vegetables and fruits is not clearly drawn.

It is well to remember that fruit is usually the edible pulpy mass covering the seeds of various plants and trees, and that it is generally cooked or eaten raw with sugar, whereas vegetables are seldom sweetened in cooking.

Great strides have been made in the cultivation of fruit. Many varieties that formerly grew wild are now commonly cultivated. Most of the cultivated fruits are superior to the same kind in the wild state, at least in size and appearance, but often there seems to be a loss of flavor.

Through cultivation, some fruits that were almost inedible in their wild state on account of containing so many seeds have been made seedless. Also, through cross-cultivation, varieties of fruit different from what formerly existed have been obtained.

An example of such fruit is the loganberry which is a cross between a red raspberry and a blackberry and retains many of the qualities of each. However, some small fruits, such as blueberries, or huckleberries, are still grown wild and marketed only from their wild source.

While fruit is usually improved by cultivation, there has been a tendency through this means to produce fruits that will stand up for long periods of time, so that they may be marketed at great distances from the place where they are grown. For instance, apples, especially those found in the market in the spring, and other fruits, which look very fine, will many times be found to have a tough skin and to be almost tasteless.

APPLES, of which there are at least a thousand varieties, are probably the best known of the non-tropical fruits. Some apples mature early in the summer, while others do not ripen until late in the fall.

The late apples can be kept during the entire winter if they are properly stored, but the summer varieties must generally be used immediately, as they do not have good keeping qualities.

In each locality in which apples are grown, a few varieties seem to be especially popular and are used to the exclusion of others. Some apples are good for one purpose and some for another. For instance, many that are excellent if eaten raw are not good for cooking purposes, and others that cook well are not suitable for eating.

When selecting apples, look for young, firm apples without any bruises.  If you’re at your local farmers’ market, ask for a sample to taste before you decide. The best fruits will generally be those that are grown nearby and are in season.

Apples of all kinds may be prepared in a large variety of ways. They are much used for sauce, pie, and numerous desserts, as well as for jelly and, with various fruit mixtures, for jams and preserves.

The juice of apples, which upon being extracted is known as cider, is used in a number of ways, but its most important use is in the manufacture of vinegar.

When apple sauce is to be made, apples that are somewhat sour and that will cook soft easily should be selected. This is a dessert that can be made all during the winter when it is often difficult to obtain other fruits fresh. It is usually served when roast pork is the main dish of a meal, but is just as appetizing when served with other foods.

Who can resist a perfectly ripe piece of fruit? Tender, blushing peaches; rosy slices of watermelon; mahogany plums dripping with garnet-colored juice; crisp, crunchy apples; luscious, sunny oranges; sweet, mellow bananas; succulent berries in a rainbow of hues.

Few things are more pleasurable than eating really good fruit. So why don’t we eat more, and why do we so often fall short of the recommended absolute minimum of two servings of fruit per day? Why do Americans seem to prefer a box of store-bought cookies or cake from a mix for dessert?

In the traditional Mediterranean diet, fruit is a meal’s crowning glory, the ultimate finish to a delicious dinner. The Mediterranean climate is perfect for growing a wide variety of fruits, and whatever is freshest, juiciest, loveliest, and in season provides the final flourish to meals already rich in color, texture, flavor, vitamins, minerals, fiber, phytonutrients, and good old-fashioned pleasure.

Fruits are full of great nutrition. Most fruits are high in that ever-helpful and healthful antioxidant vitamin C (for more on the antioxidant powers of vitamin C ). All fruits are full of essential vitamins and minerals, as well as fiber (more on fiber in Chapter Six).

Many contain high doses of carotenoids and other phytochemicals such as caffeic acid and coumarins, which help the body to rid itself of carcinogens; ferulic acid, which may help to shuttle potentially carcinogenic nitrates out of the body; cryptoxanthin, a carotenoid associated with decreased cervical cancer risk; and flavonoids.

Additionally, many studies have linked high fruit consumption (in conjunction with high vegetable consumption or on its own) with lower rates of certain cancers. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition examined the specific effect of fruit consumption on cancer, and found “strong protective effects . . . for cancers of the upper digestive and respiratory tracts,” as well as a lesser effect “on cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus, and larynx.” The study also found that the farther a tumor was from the digestive tract, the weaker the protective effect of fruit.

Nonetheless, the study also found “significant protective effects of fruit . . . for cancers of the liver, pancreas, prostate, and urinary tract.”

Yet, despite fruit’s demonstrated healthfulness and great taste, in America, eating desserts higher in both refined sugar and fat than a simple piece of fruit seems to be the norm. A fancy pastry, a chocolate sundae, or a candy bar are weekly, even daily treats for many.

Such high-sugar, highfat fare is only an occasional treat in the traditional Mediterranean diet, never a daily or even a weekly indulgence.

While people in some parts of the Mediterranean enjoy a small bite of something sweet during the late afternoon, rich desserts never follow a meal, and portions are relatively tiny. Fruit appropriately follows a heavily plant-based meal, offering both the fulfillment of that desire for something sweet, fiber to provide a feeling of satiety, and one last dose of nutrients and phytochemicals to send the diner on his or her way.

While a ripe, juicy piece of raw fruit is the ultimate treat, fruit can also be delicious cooked, stewed, or added to recipes.

APPLES

Apples are a part of the cuisines of many countries, and have existed in the Mediterranean as early as the third century b.c.e., when Cato, a Roman writer, mentioned seven different varieties of apples. The Roman Pliny, writing in the first century c.e., names thirty-six varieties of apples in his writings. Caesar’s invading Roman legions are credited with introducing apples to Britain, and the first American settlers brought apple seeds to the New World.

One medium apple has about 80 calories and supplies 5 grams of fiber, more than a serving of oatmeal and about one-fourth the daily fiber recommended by the American Dietetic Association. Most of the fiber in apples is soluble fiber, a substance demonstrated to lower cholesterol levels.

But the benefits don’t stop there. A daily apple may indeed keep the doctor away, especially if that daily apple remains unpeeled. Recent research out of Cornell University has uncovered a host of phytochemicals in apple skins, including the flavonoids known as quercetin glycoside, phloretin glycoside, chlorogenic acid, and epicatechin, most heavily con centrated in the skin.

Apples have been shown to exhibit higher antioxidant activity than oranges, grapefruits, carrots, spinach, onions, and green peppers, according to the Cornell study. (Wash and rinse apples well with vinegar and water if they aren’t organically grown.)

Yet Americans only eat, on average, an apple every three days. Apples are one of the hardier fruits that keep well and ship well, and compared to many fruits, they are amazingly long-lived. This durability adds to apples’ convenience. You can buy them in bulk and eat them, as long as they are stored in a cool, dry place, for months.

Some apples can keep for six months or more (such as the popular Red Delicious) under the right conditions. What food could be more convenient than an apple?

Look for apples with firm flesh and without bruises, soft spots, depressions, cuts and nicks, or little holes. If the inside flesh is showing and has been exposed to the air, vitamins and minerals may have been destroyed. Apples grown locally or regionally are great if you can get them.

Big or small, apples can be surprisingly sweet and juicy. Color varies among apple varieties. Red Delicious, for example, are a bright or deep red, while Gala apples are yellow overlaid with a rosier red.

Avoid apples with a brilliant shine. Lots of shine probably means lots of wax, which traps pesticides. If you can find only waxed apples, peel them before eating. Whether you peel or not, wash all apples with vinegar and water, and scrub with a brush. Cut out any bruises or nicks.

Apples last longer in the refrigerator and ripen faster at room temperature (as is the case with many fruits). Some of the more widely available apple types, all great for eating out of hand, are Braeburn, Empire, Fuji, Gala, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith (also perfect for pies), Jonagold,

Jonathan, McIntosh, Red Delicious, Rome Beauty (also ideal for baking), and Winesap. Many other types exist, too. Check your local market, produce stand, or grocery store.

Apples are widely available all year round in the United States, and the many types, flavors, colors, and uses make them irresistible. Shouldn’t you be eating more?

APPLES, of which there are at least a thousand varieties, are probably the best known of the non-tropical fruits. Some apples mature early in the summer, while others do not ripen until late in the fall.

The late apples can be kept during the entire winter if they are properly stored, but the summer varieties must generally be used immediately, as they do not have good keeping qualities. In each locality in which apples are grown, a few varieties seem to be especially popular and are used to the exclusion of others.

Some apples are good for one purpose and some for another. For instance, many that are excellent if eaten raw are not good for cooking purposes, and others that cook well are not suitable for eating.

It is therefore a good idea for the housewife to become familiar with the varieties of apples raised in her community and to learn the use to which each kind can be put to advantage.

Apples of all kinds may be prepared in a large variety of ways. They are much used for sauce, pie, and numerous desserts, as well as for jelly and, with various fruit mixtures, for jams and preserves. The juice of apples, which upon being extracted is known as cider, is used in a number of ways, but its most important use is in the manufacture of vinegar.

APPLE SAUCE.

When apple sauce is to be made, apples that are somewhat sour and that will cook soft easily should be selected.

This is a dessert that can be made all during the winter when it is often difficult to obtain other fruits fresh. It is usually served when roast pork is the main dish of a meal, but is just as appetizing when served with other foods.

Here a simple recipe, sufficient to serve six:

You should have:

10 medium-sized apples

1/2 c. water

1 c. sugar

Wash the apples, cut them in quarters, remove the cores, and, if desired, peel them. Put them into a saucepan, add the water, and allow them to cook until they are very soft. If the apples are inclined to be

dry, a little more water may be necessary.

When done, force them through a colander or a sieve, add the sugar to the pulp, and return to the stove. Cook until the sugar is completely dissolved and, if necessary, until the apple sauce is slightly thickened, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. Remove from the heat, and season with lemon peel cut fine, cinnamon, or nutmeg.

If there are apples in supply that do not cook well for apple sauce, they may be peeled, quartered, and cored, and cooked with the sugar and water. Then, instead of being forced through a sieve, they should be allowed to remain in pieces in the sirup.

A pleasing change in the way of an apple dessert may be had by making porcupine apples.

PORCUPINE APPLES

(Sufficient to Serve Six)

6 large apples

1 c. sugar

1 c. water

2 doz. almonds

Currant jelly

Wash, core, and pare the apples. Make a sirup by bringing the sugar and water to the boiling point. Put the apples into the sirup, cook on one side for several minutes, and then turn and cook on the other side. Do not allow the apples to cook completely in the sirup, but when they are

still hard remove them and continue to boil the sirup down.

Set the apples in a shallow pan, stick the almonds, which should be blanched, into them so that they will project like porcupine quills, sprinkle them with sugar, and bake in the oven until they are soft and the almonds slightly brown.

Remove from the oven, fill the center of each with currant jelly, pour the juice over them, and serve.

Fruits are generally high in fibers, water and vitamin C. Regular consumption of fruit is associated with reduced risks of cancer, cardiovascular disease, stroke, Alzheimer disease, cataracts, and some of the functional declines associated with aging.

Here are some good tips about consuming fruits:

In general:

-To make it more appealing, keep a bowl with fresh fruits on hand..
-In season, fresh fruits are cheaper that you would otherwise find them.
-Also, if you have a craving, canned, dried or frozen fruits can also do it.
-Consider convenience when shopping. Buy pre-cut packages of fruit (such as melon or pineapple chunks) for a healthy snack in seconds. Choose packaged fruits that do not have added sugars.

Fruits and meals:

-With your cereals, at breakfast, you can add pieces of banana, strawberries or peaches, which add extra flavor to your meal
-Also, when making pancakes, add sliced bananas as a filling, or serve them with blueberries
-At lunch, pack a tangerine, banana, or grapes to eat! they make a nutritious lunch which can be perfect for you
-At dinner,you can use fruits also with your vegetable salad! Try a chicken, corn, pineapple salad, or add apples or pears to the your day to day salad.
-Try meat dishes that incorporate fruit, such as chicken with apricots or mango chutney.
-For dessert, have baked apples, pears, or a fruit salad.

Tips for a plus of flavor:
-Try low-fat yogurt or pudding as a dip for fruits like strawberries or melons.
-Make a fruit smoothie with low fat milk and bananas and/or strawberries.
-Try different textures of fruits. For example, apples are crunchy, bananas are smooth and creamy, and oranges are juicy.
-For fresh fruit salads, mix apples, bananas, or pears with acidic fruits like oranges, pineapple, or lemon juice to keep them from turning brown.

But, to keep it all safe and healthy, don`t forget to wash fruits VERY WELL under clean, running water before you eat them! Don`t mix or keep together fruits with any kind of raw meat!