THE PICK OF THE CROP

 

Here are three good reasons to put Cape apples in the shopping trolley this month…a trio of mouth-watering new recipes for summer.

Sunshine Chicken and Cape Apple Salad is a pasta dish that conjures up summer on a plate, combining the flavours of sweet peppers, pesto and olives with cold chicken and crunchy Cape Granny Smiths.

Crunchy Cape Apple Sundae is a quick and simple no-cook dessert using naturally sweet Golden Delicious, and Cape Apple Crumble incorporates muesli, nuts and raisins with Granny Smith apples to give a new and healthy twist to the family favourite pudding.

As well as being delicious, Cape apples are a great source of energy and of essential vitamins and minerals. An average medium-sized apple (about 150g) contains around 80 calories, about one-fifth of our daily requirement of fibre, and vitamins C and A, as well as potassium, calcium, potassium, and phosphorus

Cape Apple Crumble

Serves 4

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

  • 3 tbsp apricot jam
  • 1 tbsp apple juice
  • 3 Cape Granny Smith Apples, quartered, cored and chopped into small pieces
  • 50g raisins
  • 100g muesli
  • 25g desiccated coconut
  • 50g chopped mixed nuts
  • 25g butter
  • 1 tbsp clear honey

1. Mix together the apricot jam with the apple juice then stir in the apples and raisins. Transfer to a 1 litre oven proof dish.

2. Combine the muesli and desiccated coconut with the nuts. Melt the butter with the honey and stir into the muesli mixture.

3. Spoon over the apples and place under a pre heated grill for 2-3 minutes or until lightly golden.

4. Serve with a dollop of crème fraiche or Greek yoghurt.

 
Crunchy Cape Apple Sundae

Serves 4

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: None!

  • 2 Cape Golden Delicious Apples, quartered, cored and diced into small pieces
  • 1 tbsp orange juice
  • 8 scoops vanilla ice cream
  • 6 oatmeal biscuits, crushed
  • chocolate sauce to serve

1. Coat the apple in the orange juice.

2. Place a scoop of ice cream into 4 tall sundae glasses and add half the apple.

3. Sprinkle over half the crushed biscuit and repeat with layer of ice cream, apples, finishing with a layer of biscuit.

4. Drizzle over chocolate sauce and serve immediately.
Sunshine Chicken and Cape Apple Salad

Serves 4

Preparation Time 15 minutes

Cooking Time 10 minutes

1 red and 1 yellow pepper, deseeded and halved

2 tbsp olive oil

300g dried Penne Pasta

2 tbsp pesto

1 tsp lemon juice

salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 Cape Granny Smith Apples, quartered, cored and sliced

2 large cooked boneless chicken breasts, sliced

8 pitted black olives, halved

1 x 50g pack rocket leaves

Shavings of fresh Parmesan to serve (optional)
Brush the peppers with a teaspoon of the olive oil and place, cut side down on a baking tray under a pre heated grill for 4-5 minutes, or until charred. Cover with a clean tea-towel and leave until cool enough to handle then peel and slice. 2: Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet, drain and allow to cool slightly before coating in the pesto.3: Place the remaining olive oil, lemon juice and seasoning, into a screw topped jar, shake well and then pour over the sliced apple in a large serving dish. Add the chicken, olives and rocket then toss together with the pasta and peppers.4: Serve immediately, topped with Parmesan if using.

For an even quicker taste of sunshine use a jar of peppers instead of the fresh and replace the chicken with a 200g can of tuna, drained and flaked.

Recipes courtesy of Cape Fruit. Visit their web site HERE