A piece of fruit is an essential part of my lunch. Apples have been my go-to for a while, but after a string of mealy apples made their way into my lunch bag, I wasn’t happy. A mealy apple is almost as disgusting as an overripe banana. So what do we do with non-cooperative fruit? We cook it! For the last few weeks, I’ve been making homemade applesauce to take in my lunches. So easy and so good. Here’s how.
For 5 servings, I use 10 apples (simple math — multiply servings desired by 2 to get the number of apples needed). Gala are a good choice because they are naturally sweet, but I’ve also used Grannie Smith for a little variety.
First, peel and core all apples and slice into rough chunks.
Simmer apples in a large sauce pan filled with about 2 cups of water until they turn mushy (about 20-30 minutes).
If any water remains, strain apples and return to the pan.
Add 1-2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon curry power (add more if you like curry flavor), a smidge of salt and pepper and mash with a potato masher or fork.
You’ll still have a few chunks, but it should look like this. Smells amazing too.
I had to eat a bowl immediately.
Then I packaged the rest up to take with my lunch during the week. You can eat it cold, but I prefer to heat up in the microwave for about a minute.
Some other options:
- Add raisins and dried cranberries after mashing
- Simmer with apple cider instead of water (for more apple goodness)
- Add a little brown sugar for a sweet and thicker sauce
- Saute some chopped onion in the pan before cooking apples and serve alongside chicken or pork, also good on crostini with goat cheese
Enjoy!
