From The Catalan Country Kitchen by Marimar Torres. Serves 6
“This is a favorite recipe from my late friend Ramón Cabau, the flamboyant genius of Catalan cooking who died in the late eighties. His great Barcelona restaurant, Agut d’Avignon, is still one of the best in the city and features most of his original dishes. These savory stuffed apples, with their filling of pork, ham, and pine nuts, are typical of Girona, the region north of Barcelona that is home to the famed Costa Brava.” Marimar Torres
| Ingredients: | ||
| 6 | large | thick-skinned baking apples, such as Rome Beauties or Pippins (about ½ pound each) |
| 2 | Tbsp | olive oil |
| ¼ | cup | pine nuts (1.5 ounces) |
| 1 | medium | onion, minced |
| 3 | large | garlic cloves, minced |
| ¾ | pound | boneless lean baked ham, chopped finely by hand |
| ¾ | pound | medium-ground pork |
| ½ | cup | homemade bread crumbs |
| 1 | tsp | salt |
| ½ | tsp | freshly ground black pepper |
| 2 | eggs | |
| 1 | cup | dry white wine |
| 2 | cups | Veal Stock, or more as needed |
| 4 | Tbsp | sugar |
With the stem side down, cut top quarter off each apple. With a small knife or melon-ball scoop, remove and discard seeds and hard core, with out going all the way through to bottom of apple. With a knife, enlarge opening, shaping it like a funnel; chop apple pieces and set aside.
Preheat over to 350° F. Heat oil in a large skillet and sauté pine nuts until lightly golden. Add onion and garlic, and sauté over low heat until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Add chopped apple pieces; stir and cook until tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Off heat, add ham, pork, bread crumbs, salt, and pepper; stir and set aside. Beat eggs lightly in a large bowl; add meat mixture and use your hands to distribute egg evenly throughout.
Pack stuffing into apples, mounding it on top; they should look like giant mushrooms. The stuffing will shrink during baking, so don’t worry if they look too big; use up all the stuffing. Place apples in an ungreased baking dish, pour wine around them, and bake in the 350° F oven for 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours. (Baking time will depend on the size and kind of apples; a 1/2-pound Rome or Pippin apple will take about 1-1/2 hours.) Test apples with a fork, knife, or needle; they should feel soft and pierce easily without resistance. While baking, there should always be a little liquid in the pan; check periodically and add stock if needed, to make sure juices don’t burn (especially if you have an electric oven).
Remove apples to a serving platter. Add veal stock to baking dish. Reduce over high heat to desired consistency; it should be a rather light sauce. Meanwhile, caramelize sugar (see below) until it turns an amber color; pour over apples. Serve apples surrounded with the sauce.
Wine Recommendation: Serve with a fairly young, oak-aged, medium-bodied red wine, such as a Tempranillo from Rioja, Catalunya, or Ribera del Duero.
Pinot Pat thought the stuffed apples went quite nicely with a Green Valley Pinot Noir.
Caramelizing. Caramelizing is used in Catalan recipes to add color and flavor to savory dishes or to line a flan mold. The method is simple: dissolve sugar with a little water (about 1 tablespoon water to 1/4 cup sugar is a good rule of thumb) in a heavy saucepan and cook over brisk heat. (You can actually caramelize sugar all by itself, without dissolving it in water, but I find this method easier.) Don’t stir, just shake the pan gently; after about 4 or 5 minutes, the water will evaporate and the sugar will begin to melt and turn to a thick golden liquid. At this point, you must decide how dark a caramel you want. – and quickly, since the color goes from light golden to amber to burnt brown very fast.
In savory dishes, the caramel is usually added to a hot liquid; it will hiss and smoke at first, but the caramel will soon dissolve, contributing a rich color and extra depth of flavor.