Apple Crisp for Two

Last weekend, we traveled with a few friends outside of the city to Yecheon and Mungyeong Saejae Provincial Park. We got to experience the Yecheon Archery festival, which was a total blast! I was able to harness my inner Katiss Everdeen and tried out two different forms of archery. We also visited an apple orchard in Mungyeong, and got to pick some of the biggest apples I have ever seen and then we enjoyed a lovely Hanwoo beef barbeque dinner. Overall, the trip had its ups and downs, but it was lovely to get out of the city for the day.

Since the Simmering Seoulmate and I got two huge boxes of apples, I thought I’d share a couple apple recipes for you. This first recipe is a favourite of ours and very easy to make. I am not a pie lover, so that it why I love apple crisp so much. It has amazing flavours and a crispy topping that is irresistible. I hope you try it out this fall!

Ingredients

1/2 of an enormous apple or one regular sized apple peeled and cut into small slices
6 tbsp oats
4 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp melted butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F or 177 degrees C. Place apples into two small ungreased ramekin dishes. (If you don’t have ramekins you can use a small loaf pan.) In a medium bowl, combine melted butter, oats, brown sugar, and spices. Spoon the mixture on top of the apples. Cover each ramekin with foil and place them on a cookie sheet. Put into the oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove foil and place back in the oven for 15 more minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes and serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Makes two sweet treats.

Kitchen Tricks: Quick and Easy Roasted Red Peppers

I love the flavour of roasted red peppers, but the task of roasting them can be daunting sometimes. Today I’m going to let you in on a little secret, how to roast red peppers in a no fuss and easy way. All you need is an oven (or toaster oven, for all my Korea readers).

Here’s how:

1.      Cut your peppers in quarters and trim off the white part and discard seeds.

2.      Place them on a baking sheet face down so the skins are exposed.

3.      Set your oven to broil and move the oven rack closest to the top heat element.

4.      Place the peppers into the oven and wait for about 15-20 minutes until the skins have

bubbled and turned mostly black.

5.      Take the peppers out of the oven and throw them into a zipper bag or plastic

container while still hot.

6.      Close the zipper bag or container and wait for 10 minutes.

7.      After 10 minutes the skins will be easy to peel off.

8.      Now you can cut and eat the peppers or toss them into a jar with some olive oil and

use them later.

Tip: Sometimes your grocery store or vegetable stand will sell large bags of peppers that are ripe and ready to use for a low price. However, if you are only cooking for one or two people, you probably don’t even consider buying a bag of them. What you can do is roast them and store them ina jar or container with olive oil, so you have roasted red peppers to use in any of your delicious cooking adventures. Next time you see one of these great deals, be sure to pick one up and try it yourself!

Lemon Chicken Fillets

Today’s post is a quick and easy dinner option for you; Lemon Chicken Fillets. They are delicious and easy to make. You can serve them with a variety of side dishes and vegetables. Check out the recipe below.

Lemon Chicken Fillets
3 large chicken breasts
zest of 2 lemons
2 eggs
3/4 cup flour
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 tsp parsley flakes
oil for frying

Cut your chicken breasts in half lengthwise Tip: If the chicken breasts are still a bit frozen they are a lot easier to cut in half. Season with salt and pepper. Heat about a 1/2 inch of oil in a pan over medium high heat to shallow fry your fillets. Combine panko, lemon zest, and parsley flakes in a large bowl or shallow dish and set aside. Pour flour into another shallow dish. Wisk eggs together with a fork in one last dish. Dip each fillet into the flour, then the egg, and then the panko mixture. Last, fry in oil for about 3-4 minutes on each side. Serve with a lemon slice.

Makes 6 fillets.

Sausage and Fennel Pasta

This pasta dish is one of my absolute favourite dishes to eat. The licorice taste of the fennel compliments the spiciness of the sausage well. However, living in Korea comes with sacrifices on readily available ingredients that I can easily get back home in Canada, so I’ve only made this pasta twice in Seoul. I don’t shop at the foreign food marts that often as they are expensive and honestly I usually end up spending too much money on things I don’t need…like $7 bags of Salt and Vinegar chips. Anyway, The Simmering Seoulmate and I happened to be at a store in D-Cube that always sells fennel and grabbed a bulb (along with some other fresh goodies, as mentioned in my previous post). Also, this weekend, we visited one of our favourite places to grab a cocktail, Bulldogs in Iteawon, and stopped in at Highstreet Market on our way home. Highstreet sells a lot of great deli items, including their homemade spicy Italian sausages which are delicious and have an affordable price tag. After picking up the sausages I was extremely excited to come home at make this dish. (Special thanks to the Simmering Seoulmate for doing most of the chopping) You should definitely try making this dish on a crisp fall evening and don’t forget to pour yourself a glass of the red wine too!

Sausage and Fennel Pasta

Ingredients
1/2 fennel bulb

1 onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 tbsp fennel seeds
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup red wine
Two 400ml cans plum tomatoes
One 500 g package of rigatoni



Directions
Heat oil in a large pan over medium high heat, add chopped onion and sauté for a few minutes. Remove sausage from casings and add to pan. Use a fork to break up the meat and stir continuously, until almost cooked. Add fennel, garlic and fennel seeds. Cook for a few minutes and then add wine. Boil until wine is almost all evaporated and add the cans of tomatoes. Use a potato masher to smash the tomatoes in the pan. Simmer sauce uncovered for about 15-20 minutes. While the sauce is simmering bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add your pasta. When pasta and sauce are finished cooking, pour sauce over past and top with parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Makes 4 hearty portions