Growing up, the aroma of apples, ginger, and cinnamon cooking on the stove permeated the house and teased one’s senses mercilessly. Sometimes friends would stop by and ask if an apple pie was cooking.
Not an apple pie, my mother would say, just applesauce.
That applesauce recipe from my mom is one I’ve tweaked to make my own. While she does not bother peeling her apples, I do (I must, if I want my kids to eat the applesauce).
The Couple Rule
As a general rule, when I am serving pork for dinner, I plan on making applesauce. Pork with applesauce is such a wonderful combination; they seem like a perfect ‘couple.’ I like to make the applesauce ahead of time so the prep and cooking time for dinner is less involved. And when I am hosting dinner for my extended family, and plan on having applesauce, I always make it ahead. Who wants to be peeling apples when company is over?
Bribing
If you have kids, you can use the homemade applesauce as a bribe to get them to eat most of their dinner before enjoying some. If you are sans kids, this applesauce is so good you could even serve it with a little scoop of vanilla ice cream if you have some leftover.
Applesauce with a kick
Print This Recipe
Serves 6
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Ingredients
- 8-9 medium apples, peeled, cored and cut into chunks (variety of Granny Smith, Gala and/or Pink Lady’s is wonderful)
- ¾ to 1 cup unsweetened Apple Juice (not from concentrate)
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger (or if you like it with less kick, put ¼ teaspoon ground ginger into the pot)
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Put apples and apple juice in a pot over medium-high heat. Once the juice is bubbling/boiling then use a wooden spoon and mash the apples down occasionally over a period of 2 minutes.
Reduce heat to a simmer, and let cook, uncovered, for about 10 minutes. The sauce will be noticeably thicker at this point. Add the spices, stir, and let the applesauce simmer an additional 5 minutes. Serve and enjoy, or refrigerate in a container for enjoyment later.
What do you like to make with apples?
Photo by Kelly Estes
