Hanukkah begins this evening and that can only mean one thing.
Tonight, as well as sometime during the next 7 nights many of us will be frying latkes for the festival of Hanukkah .
Traditionally latkes are served with a dollop of applesauce or sour cream on them.
In our family we have always preferred applesauce…and not just any applesauce will do…I always make my own, and for the last 20 plus years I’ve been making this recipe.
I’ve used a number of varieties of apples through the years, but my preference has been Staymen (if you can find them), Braeburn, Cortland, and Jonagold. This year I combined Rome with the Jonagold.
I like to cook the apples with the skin on because it turns the sauce into a lovely shade of pink. If you don’t have a food mill I suggest you put it on your gift list. It is an indispensable tool for making applesauce, tomato sauce, and more.
Beside the usual cinnamon the apples are cooked in apple juice or cider with lemon peel and a touch of nutmeg giving it a really delicious sweet yet tart taste.
So whether you top your latkes with it or simply eat it by itself you can’t go wrong with this version of homemade Applesauce. Happy Hanukkah!
Applesauce
(The Jewish-American Kitchen, Raymond Sokolov, recipe by Susan R. Friedland)
4 pounds tart apples (McIntosh, Cortland, Northern Spy, and others mentioned above)
½ cup apple juice, apple cider, or water
Peel of 1 lemon, removed in large strips with a vegetable peeler
¼ to ½ cup sugar
1/8 to ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Nutmeg to taste
Lemon Juice
Quarter and core the apples; don’t peel them. (If the apples are very large, I cut the quarters in half). (I use a melon baller to core the quarters).
Place the apples in a heavy saucepan. Add the apple juice (or cider or water) and the lemon peel. (I made a larger quantity so I needed 2 pans)
Cover the pan and cook over very low heat, stirring from time to time, for about 30 minutes, or until the apples are tender.
Put the apples in a food mill set over a large bowl. Puree the apples, discarding the skins and lemon peel.
Return the puree to the saucepan and add sugar, cinnamon, and a few grindings of nutmeg, as you think necessary. The applesauce might be delicious as it is. ( I prefer adding nutmeg).
Cook the applesauce very slowly, uncovered, until it is thick. Taste again for seasoning, adding more sugar and a sprinkling of lemon juice, if necessary. Makes 4 cups.
