Apples for Afghanistan
Starters
Apple Rings with
Cheese and Bacon
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 medium sweet apples
(enough for 4 apple rings)
8 rashers unsmoked back
bacon
Emmental cheese, sliced
black pepper
2 spring onions, finely
chopped
1 large tomato, finely
chopped and deseeded
1 tablespoon butter
Method
1. Grill the bacon until really crisp.
2. Chop bacon up into small pieces and put into a bowl.
3. Cut four good rings from the apples, leaving the peel on.
4. Remove the core from the four rings.
5. Gently fry the apple rings in the butter until they are lightly
coloured and slightly soft.
6. Add to the bacon the tomato and spring onions.
7. Season with black pepper.
8. Place the apple rings on a greased, shallow oven proof
dish.
9. Pile the bacon mix in the centre of each apple ring.
10.Top with several thin slices of Emmental.
11.Put under a hot grill until the cheese melts and colours
slightly.
12.Serve with a crisp green salad.
Recipe taken from www.greenchronicle.com
Apple and Leek Soup
Serves 4
Ingredients
230 g leeks
1 clove garlic, crushed
30 g butter
15 ml olive oil
1 pinch curry powder
230 g turnips, peeled and
diced
200 g green apples,
peeled and diced
500 ml vegetable stock
salt and freshly ground
pepper, to taste
Method
1. In a pan sauté the leeks and garlic in the butter and oil
until tender. Add the curry powder and stir-fry lightly. After
1 minute add the turnips and apples and stir-fry everything
together until tender.
2. Reduce the heat and add the chicken stock. Let simmer
until the vegetables are tender and done.
3. Strain through a sieve reserving the liquid. Purée the vegetables in a blender until smooth.
4. Add to the reserved liquid and return to the pan. Season
with salt and pepper and let simmer for a further 5 minute.
Recipe taken from www.cooksunited.co.uk
Apples for Afghanistan
Starters
Watercress Apple
and Goats Cheese
Bruschetta
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 ciabatta loaf, cut into 8
slices
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 apple, corred and finely
sliced
75g watercress, washed
200g firm goat’s cheese,
crumbled
50g walnut halves, roughly
chopped
3 tbsp honey and mustard
salad dressing
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 190c/375f/Gas 5.
2. Arrange the ciabatta slices in a single layer on a baking
sheet.
3. Drizzle with oil and season.
4. Bake for 10 minutes, turning half way through until golden
and crisp.
5. Arrange the apple slices, watercress and goat’s cheese on
the ciabatta slices and scatter over the walnuts.
6. Drizzle with the salad dressing and serve straight away.
Recipe taken from www.the-best-vegetarian-recipes.com
Apples for Afghanistan
Main Courses
Lamb and Apple Stew
Serves 4
This is a slightly sweet
Afghan qorma.
Ingredients
75ml vegetable oil
3 medium onions, finely
chopped
1kg lamb on the bone or
chicken, cut into chunks
4 apples
75g sugar
1tsp ground ginger
½ tsp red pepper
½ tsp ground green
cardamom
2 tsp lemon juice
Salt, according to taste
Method
1. Heat 50g of the oil in a pan and add the onions.
2. Fry over a medium/high heat until soft and golden brown.
3. Now add the meat and fry well until browning.
4. Add about a teacupful water, mix well and cook gently until
the meat is tender.
5. When the meat is almost cooked, peel and core the apples
and cut each into eight pieces. Fry them gently in the remaining 25 ml of oil for a couple of minutes.
6. Sprinkle the sugar over the apples and then add them to the
qorma. Season with the ginger, red pepper, cardamom and
salt to taste. Sprinkle in the lemon juice.
7. Cook gently for a further 10 minutes until the apples and
meat are soft and the oil has separated out.
Recipe taken from Noshe Djan: Afghan food & cookery by Helen
Saberi. To purchase this please contact Ffion on [email protected] or 0207 065 0825.
Apple Burgers
Makes 4-6 burgers
Ingredients
2 tart apples, grated
1 cup onion, minced
2 cup bread crumbs
1 green pepper, seeded
and chopped
1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
2 cup brown or white rice,
cooked (leftover is fine)
6 tsp rolled oats, ground
½ tsp salt
Black pepper
Vegetable oil
Method
1. Squeeze some of the juice out of the apples, then place in
bowl with onions, bread crumbs, green pepper, ginger, rice, 3
tsp oats, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
2. Heat the oil in the frying pan, over medium heat.
3. Shape mixture into patties, adding more bread crumbs if
necessary. Coat with remaining 3 tsp of oats.
4. Fry in 1 tsp oil over medium heat until golden brown, 2-3
minutes per side.
Recipe adapted from Didi Emmons’ Vegetarian Planet, taken
from www.theveggietable.com
Apples for Afghanistan
Main Courses
Middle Eastern
Stuffed Apples
Serves 3
Method
Ingredients
6 cooking apples, well
cored and skins pricked
225g cooked chicken,
turkey, aubergines or
mushroomscut finely or.
6 cloves
¼ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. ground ginger
50g Traidcraft walnuts,
chopped
1 tsp. Traidcraft raisins or
sultanas
tsp. Traidcraft honey
1 tsp. Traidcraft sugar
Margarine
1. Heat oven to 180C/350F/Gas mark 4.
2. Partially cook the cored apples for 20-30 minutes until they
begin to soften.
3. Place the chicken in a bowl and add the cloves, cinnamon,
ginger, salt and pepper.
4. Add the nuts, raisins and honey. Combine well.
5. Spoon some of the mixture in the centre of each apple in an
oven-proof dish. Pour enough water to cover the base in the
dish.
6. Sprinkle the sugar over the apples and put a small knob of
margarine on each.
7. Cook for 40 minutes or until the apples are cooked through.
8. Serve with Traidcraft Basmati rice.
Recipe taken from www.traidcraft.co.uk
Pork in mustard
and cider sauce
Serves 2
Method
Ingredients
2 pork chops
2 tbsp. garlic oil
60ml cider
1 tbsp. grainy mustard
35ml double cream
1. Wrap pork in cling film and hit with a rolling pin until flat.
2. Heat oil in a frying pan and fry the pork for 5 minutes on each
side.
3. Take pork out and allow to rest.
4. Meanwhile pour the cider into the frying pan.
5. After one minute add the mustard and cream. Allow the mix
and heat for a further 3 minutes.
6. Serve with crushed potatoes and seasonal vegetables.
Apples for Afghanistan
Desserts
Apple Sponge Pudding
Serves 1
Method
Ingredients
For the apple:
1 apple
75g butter
75g sugar
1. Pre-heat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
2. Peel and slice the apple into wedges. Melt the butter and
sugar in an oven-proof frying pan. Cook until golden. Add the
apple wedges.
3. For the pudding, mix together the flour, butter, sugar, egg and
milk to form a smooth paste.
4. Place the mixture on top of the apples and place into an oven
proof frying pan. Place in the oven and cook for 8-10 minutes.
5. For the toffee sauce, melt the butter and sugar for four
minutes slowly adding the cream.
6. Serve with the apple sponge pudding.
For the pudding:
75g self raising flour
25g butter
25g brown sugar
1 egg
25m milk
For the toffee sauce:
75g butter
75g dark brown sugar
100ml double cream
Recipe taken from http://www.bbc.co.uk/food
Apple Crumble
Serves 1
Method
Ingredients
For the crumble mix:
50g breadcrumbs
50g pecans nuts, chopped
50g unsalted butter
50g brown sugar
1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
2. To make the crumble mix, place all of the crumble ingredients
into a food processor and blend to an even mixture.
3. To make the fruit mix, melt the butter in a frying pan and add
the sugar, cinnamon, apple and dried fruit. Cook for 4-5 minutes, until the apple is soft, then transfer to a small ovenproof
dish.
4. Spoon over the crumble mixture to cover and place into the
oven for 6-7 minutes, until the topping is golden brown.
5. Remove from the oven and serve in the dish.
For the fruit mix:
25g unsalted butter
1 tsp brown sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
½ cooking apple, peeled
and diced
50g dried fruit
Recipe taken from www.bbc.co.uk/food
Apples for Afghanistan
Desserts
Apple Strudel
Serves 1
Method
Ingredients
1 apple, peeled and grated
1 tbsp chopped pecan
nuts
2 tbsp chopped dates
1 tbsp maple syrup
½ lemon, juice only
3 sheets ready-made filo
pastry
30g/1oz butter, melted
icing sugar, to dust
2 tbsp double cream,
lightly whipped
1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
2. Place the apple, pecans, dates, maple syrup and lemon juice
into a bowl and mix well.
3. Place the filo pastry sheets onto a baking sheet and place a
spoonful of the apple mixture near the bottom of each sheet.
Brush the edges of the pastry with melted butter, then fold the
pastry over the filling and roll up like a cigar. Dust with icing
sugar.
4. Transfer to the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the
pastry is crisp and golden-brown and the filling is warmed
through.
5. To serve, place onto a serving plate with a dollop of whipped
cream.
Recipe taken from www.bbc.co.uk/food
Muraba-E-Saib
(Afghan Jam)
Ingredients
5 – 10 cardamom pods,
according to taste, or 1tbs
rosewater
4 dessert apples (Royal
Gala are recommended)
1 tbs lemon juice
Sugar to equal weight of
the apples
75ml of water
Pinch of saffron
Recipe taken from Noshe
Djan: Afghan food &
cookery by Helen Saberi
which you can buy from
[email protected].
Afghans usually eat this jam, which is actually more like a
compote, as a dessert with yoghurt. The apple should not
become mushy but remain in firm slices. It does not really
matter if the syrup does not set like jam.
Method
1. Remove the seeds from the cardamom pods, but do not
crush them, leave them whole.
2. Peel and core the apples. Cut them into eight slices and
sprinkle with lemon juice.
3. Place the apples in a pan along with the lemon juice, sugar
and water. Bring to the boil removing any scum which forms.
4. Boil gently until the apples are just soft and take on a sort of
translucent look.
5. Add a good pinch of saffron and the cardamom pods or
rosewater to the apples and their syrup.
6. Boil for a few more minutes until the syrup is starting to set,
then remove from the heat and start to cool. Place in clean,
dry jars and store in a cool place or in the refrigerator.