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Seasonal eating: Apple scrap agrodolce

Recipes to reduce food waste

One of the brightest stars of holiday baking is the apple. Reports estimate some 133 million apple pies are sold in the U.S. per year — and that number doesn’t include apple pies made at home. This month's root-to-leaf recipe uses apple scraps to create the great agrodolce.
One of the brightest stars of holiday baking is the apple. Reports estimate some 133 million apple pies are sold in the U.S. per year — and that number doesn’t include apple pies made at home. This month's root-to-leaf recipe uses apple scraps to create the great agrodolce. (Photo by Hannah Green)
By Hannah Green CDN Contributor

This monthly column explores root-to-leaf cooking, which uses all edible parts of the plant. This approach can reduce food waste, stretch a grocery budget and introduce cooks to a whole new world of flavors and foods that are right at the edge of your cutting board.

This time of year is usually known as “autumn” or “winter,” but really, it’s baking season. And one of the brightest stars of holiday baking is the apple. Millions of pounds of apples get baked into pies, cakes and crumbles; most reports estimate that some 133 million apple pies are sold in stores in the United States per year — and that number doesn’t even include apple pies made at home.

This leaves a lot of apple scraps behind. Apple peels and cores might not make it into your pies, but they are delicious and useful in their own right. Many home cooks know this and use these scraps to make apple cider vinegar or apple jelly. One more apple scrap recipe that belongs in your kitchen is the great agrodolce.

Agrodolce is a thickened sweet-and-sour sauce made from vinegar and sugar, usually with the addition of fruit. It’s classically a Sicilian dish, though variations abound across Italy. It’s used as a dipping sauce or marinade, or brushed on roasts before baking.

This tangy condiment is incredibly versatile. It adds a pleasing contrasting note to anything that could lean toward being too sweet or one-noted, like cranberry sauce, and mellows out bitter ingredients such as kale or Brussels sprouts. It’s a natural complement to the typical winter fare of heavier dishes and cozy baking spices.

I like to add a shot of agrodolce to my holiday dishes. Tart and sweet flavor balances are particularly important to Thanksgiving cooking. There are recipes I don’t mess around with — my dad’s cornbread dressing, for instance — but I’m happy to tinker with squash, cranberry sauce and sweet potatoes, bringing both new and familiar recipes to the table.

Agrodolce is less of a set-in-stone recipe and more of a template. Start with these proportions of sweet and sour and tailor to your liking. Beyond the vinegar and sugar, agrodolce is infinitely customizable; make it with fruit, like the apples here, or add cherries, cranberries, grapes and fresh or dried figs. Finely minced vegetables like shallot and peppers add a piquant note. Ingredients like herbs, mustard seeds and capers make this a punchier condiment and are best used with a lighter hand.

This version adds a burst of aromatics and flavor from the apple cider vinegar and apple scraps, making this an ideal winter staple. Save your scraps from all those apple pies you’re baking, and you’ll have a brighter winter ahead.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups (about 350 grams) packed apple peels and cores, from 5 large apples
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup white wine vinegar
1 cup sugar
Water to cover, about 2 to 2 1/2 cups


Step 1: Peel and core 5 large apples (any kind, but I used Honeycrisp).

Step 2: Put peels and cores in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven. Add both vinegars, sugar and water to cover.

Step 3: Cover pan and simmer apple mixture until apple cores disintegrate when pressed, about 45 minutes. Remove from heat.

Step 4: Leaving liquids in the pot, strain apple scraps over a large bowl, pressing on the solids with a spoon to extract all their liquid. Add apple liquid back to pot and simmer until the mixture is reduced to one-fourth by volume, about 30 minutes. The consistency should be like warm honey.

If you’re adding any additional flavorings or ingredients, add them now and cook over low heat for up to 10 minutes, depending on the ingredients and the consistency you’re looking for. Use about 1/4 cup if adding dried fruits or shallots and 1 tablespoon if adding punchier ingredients like capers or mustard.

Step 5: Let cool, and serve or store.

Common flavor additions

Flavors: garlic, red pepper flakes, shallots, red onion, fresh chiles, lemon zest, soy sauce, harissa.

Fruits: golden raisins, currants, tart cherries, apples, dried figs.

Herbs and spices: mint, parsley, black pepper, cracked coriander seeds, ginger.

Substitutions: In place of white sugar, use equal parts in weight of brown sugar, maple syrup or honey. Instead of apple cider or white wine vinegar, use other vinegars such as red wine, sherry, balsamic or specialty flavored vinegar. Add a shot of cherry juice or brandy for a richer agrodolce.

Uses: Brush over winter squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, roast chicken, turkey or tenderloin before roasting. Stir into caramelized onions, meatballs, vinaigrette, mostarda, pan sauce, cranberry sauce, aioli, compound butter or sparkling mixed drinks like shrubs, cocktails and mimosas. Spoon over cheese boards, antipasto, fish cakes, sandwiches or fresh fruit.

Hannah Green’s Root-to-Leaf column runs on the first Wednesday of every month.

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