Apple Slab Pie
I have been trying to rationalize apple pie as breakfast food for years. I don’t know why I love it for breakfast so much, but I do. Maybe it’s the perfect pairing with coffee. Maybe it’s the excuse to stand at the refrigerator and spray canned whipped cream in my mouth first thing in the morning. I don’t know what it is, but I love apple pie in the morning. This year, I took a different approach to my post-apple picking pie making: the slab pie. With my favorite crust recipe and some inspiration from Smitten Kitchen, I was eager to test the slab pie ratio of crust to apples. I loved it and something else happened– the “apple pie for breakfast dilemma” was over. The slab pie was invented to eliminate the guilt of pie for breakfast. Think: healthy pop tart. You’re welcome. 
I look forward to the annual trek to the Virginia countryside to pick apples each fall. Stribling Orchard has become one of my favorites. Picking them off the tree, all the varieties, unwaxed, imperfect apples. I love them. I prefer Stayman apples for apple pie, which they have plenty of at Stribling. This year, I added some Arkansas Blacks to my pie. My friend, Lisa, has been talking about Arkansas Black apples for quite some time. Arkansas Black apples date back to 1870 and are native to Arkansas and Missouri; they are a variety of the Winesap.
When I met with Lisa for dinner recently, she handed me a big ‘ole bag of Southern treats (just thinking about it makes me all “bless her sweet Southern heart”). The treats included Arkansas Black apples; Pure Sorghum Molasses (because I once blurted out “what the hell is sorghum?” when she described what she had placed on her buttered biscuit); Mountain Comb Honey; and Sweet Red Pepper Jelly. Arkansas Black apples (the top apple in the picture below) are medium size, dark brilliant red, and the flesh has a slight honey flavor. They’re beautiful. I felt like I put a little history and some Southern love in my apple slab pie. Bless your sweet Southern heart, Lisa!
Lisa is an incredibly talented person. Accomplished professional, emergency responder in New York City on 9/11, published poet. There are lifetimes of experience in this one amazing person. If you’re lucky enough to dig into her story, you’ll find it slathered with Southern charm, poured over with passion, infused with intellect, and sprinkled with wit. She’s a deep, intriguing soul. Here is a taste of her poetry.
Penitence Enough
If I thought it was penitence enough
for turning my back,
for this fraudulence I wear
like a pond film over my skin,
I’d return home,
and lay deep
in that Old Dominion soil.
I’d pull the hollyhocks close,
sprout pennyroyal – pungent mint
and purple bloom – from my teeth,
my eyes full of nothing
but the backs of Blue Ridge steeps,
ears tipped with corn tassels
and calamus root and nothing
but the roll of the Shenandoah,
the ring of a banjo carried down
on mountain wind.
I would stand still and long
as August heat
till the kudzu took me over,
wound itself through me,
anchored me to that land
I can still see under my nails
after months of scrubbing.
I’d press my face to the cool damp
of the cannery walls,
my knees against the porch boards.
I’d open veins and spill
against the sycamore roots,
give myself over,
give myself back,
and lay me down
in that red Virginia clay –
if I thought it would have me.
~ Lisa J. Parker
Apple Slab Pie
Ingredients
- Crust:
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 3/4 cups unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup cold water
- Filling:
- Approximately 4 pounds apples (peeled, cored, chopped into 1/2-inch chunks; about 8 cups)
- 1/2 lemon
- 2/3 cup sugar (you can add up to 3/4 cup sugar if you like sweeter pie)
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon table salt
- 1 egg for the egg wash
Instructions
Crust:
In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, 1 tablespoon of sugar, salt, and cut in cold butter until the butter is pea sized or smaller and the butter/flour mixture is crumb-like. I use a hand-held pastry blender to cut in the butter. In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar, egg and cold water. Add this liquid to the flour mixture and, with your hands, mold the dough into a ball. Divide the dough in half (make one slightly larger and use that for the bottom crust). Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes. The dough can be made in advance and refrigerated for 3 days. If you make it ahead, take it out of the refrigerator 15 minutes before you roll it out.
Heat the oven to 375 degrees and line the bottom of a 10 x 15 x 1-inch baking sheet with parchment paper.
Slab Pie Filling:
In a large bowl, toss the cut apples with lemon juice. Then, mix in the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ground ginger, cayenne pepper, and salt and stir to evenly coat the apples.
Assemble:
On a lightly floured surface, roll the larger dough half into an 18 x 13-inch rectangle. Work quickly, keeping the dough as cold as possible and using flour so it doesn’t stick to the counter. Transfer the rolled out dough to the prepared baking sheet; lightly press the dough into the sides and corners of the pan. Some of the dough will drape over the cookie sheet; trim this to 3/4-inch with scissors or a knife.
Pour apple mixture over and spread evenly in the dough-covered pan.
Roll the second and slightly smaller dough half into a 16 x 11-inch rectangle. Drape this over the apple filling and fold the bottom crust overhang over the edge of the top crust and seal them together with your fingers or by pressing with a fork. Cut small slits (vents) on the top piece of dough.
Brush the top dough with an egg wash and bake for 40 - 45 minutes until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling.
Transfer to a wire rack until just warm (about 30 minutes). Serve with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream or enjoy plain as a hand pie!
This pie will keep at room temperature for 3 days.
Note: This slab pie cuts easily with a pizza cutter.
https://www.travelynneats.com/2018/11/25/apple-slab-pie/Rustic Country Meatballs
I needed a recharge day: full-on introvert, disconnect from the Interwebs, please leave a message at the sound of the beep. Beep. It was absolutely beautiful outside yesterday. Blue skies, cotton-puff clouds, crisp breeze, leaves blowing through the air and floating to the ground like an Autumn snowfall. I wanted to be out in it. Time for a nature recharge.
Since I feel like I have some catching up to do at the farmer’s market, my first stop was the Old Town Alexandria farmer’s market. It’s possible that I get unusually excited about the piles and piles of different apples and squash at the market this time of year. But, I really let out a ‘whoop whoop’ when I got to the Bon Vivant stand (my favorite breakfast spot in Del Rey, Alexandria) and found they were selling beef and chicken from Polyface Farm, located in Swoope, Virginia.
My friend, Stosh, tipped me off to Polyface Farm when my daydream of owning my own farm went off mute… More than the farm (that sells meat and eggs in the local area), my friend tipped me off to Joel Salatin, the owner of the farm and author of several books including Folks, This Ain’t Normal; Salad Bar Beef; The Marvelous Pigness of Pigs; and You Can Farm. I picked up a copy of You Can Farm: The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Start & Succeed in a Farming Enterprise because it “targets the wannabes, the folks who actually entertain notions of living, loving and learning on a piece of land.” If I’m going to dream, I might as well have a guide… More about this later… I grabbed 3 pounds of ground, grass-fed beef and went on my way. It was frozen solid, so I knew there was a little more adventure left in my day.
I took off from the market and drove south on the George Washington Memorial Parkway, through George Washington’s Mount Vernon, and then headed west to George Washington’s Grist Mill and Distillery. It was closed for the season, but I wanted to catch the colors and scope things out for a future visit.
From there, I headed north to Lake Accotink in Springfield, Virginia, for a quick walk around the lake.
I’d complete my giant loop by heading east for a stop at Nalls Produce. Nall’s Produce is another favorite. I stocked up on honey nut, delicata and acorn squashes; sweet onions; asian pears; and, of course, three overflowing mums for the front porch. On my way out, I stopped to check on Penny the Pig.
During the drive, I had plenty of time to contemplate big topics in my life. Like dinner. Like meatballs…in sauce…with crusty, toasted french bread plunged into the sauce.
This meatball bake is so easy. The meatballs come together quickly. The sauce isn’t pre-cooked; just some dicing, mixing and pouring over the meatballs after they’ve browned a bit in the oven. The goat cheese and ricotta dollops give a tangy, but smooth creaminess to the dish, and the Herbs de Provence perfectly tie the sauce, cheese and meat together. This recipe makes a healthy serving of meatballs. Make sure your family is hungry, invite some friends over, or get ready for some leftovers (ohhhh…they taste so good the next day too). You can serve the meatballs over a pasta of your choice or simply in a bowl with a side of toasted french bread drizzled with olive oil. Comfort food any way you serve it, and your house will smell divine for hours!
“The energy of the mind is the essence of life.”
~Aristotle
Rustic Country Meatballs
Ingredients
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups torn french bread
- 2/3 cup whole milk
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1 (28 oz) can whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes
- 1 (14.5 oz) can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 1/2 cup oil-packed sun dried tomatoes, drained & chopped
- 1 sweet onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons Herbs de Provence
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- salt and black pepper
- 4 oz goat cheese
- 2/3 cup ricotta cheese
- fresh basil, chiffonade (thinly sliced), for serving
- pasta or toasted french bread drizzled with olive oil, for serving
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with olive oil.
Meatballs:
Place the torn bread in a small bowl. Add the milk and squeeze the bread and milk together with your hands, breaking up the bread into small pieces and helping the milk soak in. Let the bread soak for 5 minutes until all the milk is absorbed in the bread. Place the crumbled, milk-soaked bread into a large bowl.
Add the ground beef and egg to the soaked, crumbled bread and mix it all together with your hands. Roll and form the meat mixture into meatballs (about 2 1/2 tablespoons-- the meat ball should be on the larger side and fill the palm of your hand). This should make about 16-18 meatballs. Place the meatballs in the greased baking dish and bake for 20 minutes, until the meatballs are browned on the outside but not cooked through.
Sauce:
While the meatballs are baking, in a large bowl, add the San Marzano tomatoes and crush them with your hands (go a little slow as the tomatoes will squirt, which is fun but messy). Then add the fire roasted tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, wine, onion, garlic, Herbs de Provence, oregano, red pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt and black pepper.
After the meatballs have browned, pour the sauce over the meatballs. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes until the meatballs have cooked through. Remove the foil and add chunks of goat cheese and dollops of the ricotta throughout the sauce. Return the dish to the oven (uncovered) and bake until the cheese is golden on top, about 15 minutes (check at this point and add 5-10 more minutes, if needed, to brown the cheese).
Serve over pasta or with toasted french bread. Sprinkle with the basil.
Personally, a large bowl of meatballs and sauce with toasted french bread (to sop up the sauce) is my favorite! If serving with french bread, after you remove the meatballs from the oven, leave the oven on. Place diagonal slices of french bread drizzled with olive oil on a baking sheet and cook in the 450 degree oven for 5 minutes (or until lightly toasted).
Enjoy!
https://www.travelynneats.com/2018/11/04/rustic-country-meatballs/
