easy as apple pie

This pie is insanely good and very easy to assemble. Prepping the apples is time consuming, but the rest is quick. The vinegar really brings out a sweet, intense, apple flavor. MMmmm!!

5 granny smith apples
juice of a lemon
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
kosher pie crust (or 2 - see below)

Core and peel apples and cut into thin slices. Put apples in a bowl with cold water and lemon juice to keep from turning brown.

Meanwhile, sift sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt into a large bowl. Add vinegar and mix well. Drain apples and add to sugar mixture, making sure all apples get coated well.

Pour apples into pie crust. Cover edges of crust with aluminum foil to keep from burning (remove 10 minutes before pie is finished baking). Bake for 45-55 minutes or until apples are soft (easily pierced with a knife/toothpick/fork).

Instead of adding a top layer of crust to the pie, I cut long, narrow strips of dough from a second pre-made pie crust and arranged it in a lattice over the top of the apples.

chickpeas romesco

This is a great potluck recipe, from Veganomicon-The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook

1/2 cup sliced almonds
28oz can diced tomatoes (fire-roasted are especially good)
2 roasted red bell peppers
3 Tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced finely
2 shallots, minced finely
1 red serrano chile, seeded and minced finely
1/4 cup white wine or vegetable broth
2 tsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crumbled
2 15-oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
freshly ground pepper

Using a food processor, grind the almonds into very fine almost powdery crumbs. Place in small bowl and set aside.

Puree the tomatoes and roasted peppers until smooth. Pour mixture into a large bowl and set aside.

Preheat medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Sautee garlic, shallots and chile in oil until shallots turn golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Pour in the white wine to dissolve any browned bits of garlic stuck to the bottom of the pan. After a minute, add the tomato/pepper mixture, vinegar, sugar, thyme and rosemary. Cover, bring to a near boil and then simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the ground almonds and stir the mixture until they are completely combined. Fold in the chickpeas and simmer uncovered for 20-25 mins, until the sauce is slightly reduced and the chickpeas are very tender. Remove from the heat, season with salt and pepper, and allow to cool for 5-10 mins before serving.

I might prefer this without the almonds, but then it's no longer romesco...