To me, nothing says fall quite like pork chops with fresh picked apples. I’m not sure where the association comes from, since I can only remember my mother making pork chops with peaches. Nevertheless, when the leaves are falling and the temperatures finally take their sudden plunge (seasons never change gradually here in DC!), you can bet pork chops will be found in my cast iron skillet. This variation prompted my sometimes meat-adverse toddler to shout, “More meat please!”, much to his father’s delight. The caramelized garlic and apples and sweet sauce are a perfect counter to peppery pork, and sure to warm you up after a cold day.

Recipe: Pork Chops with Apples and Maple-Rum Reduction

Ingredients:

• 4 bone-in pork chops
• salt and pepper
• 8 garlic cloves, skins on and smashed with side of knife blade
• 1 apple, thinly sliced
• 1/4 maple syrup
• 1/8 c golden rum

Instructions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Generously salt and pepper pork chops. Heat skillet over medium high heat and sear pork chops about 2 1/2 minutes per side, until golden brown. Add garlic cloves and apple slices to pan, pour maple syrup over the top and cook in the oven 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and remove pork chops, apples and garlic from pan, covering to keep them warm. Place pan on stove over medium heat and add rum. Cook until sauce reduces at least by half and begins to thicken. Remove from heat. Arrange pork chops, apples and garlic on plates and drizzle with the sauce. Makes 4 servings. Enjoy!

We recently ventured out to Stribling Orchard’s Apple Festival to kick off fall with fresh-plucked apples. It didn’t feel particularly like fall as it was a scorching 95 degrees. Stribling is a sixth-generation family farm with a lovely view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The occasional train passing by below the orchard provided an added thrill for the kids.

The toddler picked a few apples, had some fun with the picking stick, and then we headed back to the shade of the country store to indulge in a caramel apple.

We got some beautiful young celery in our CSA bag last week, and I was planning to use it in some sort of soup when I had the thought to use some of our apples as well. This can be served hot or chilled, in case you also live somewhere where the weather and calendar aren’t always in sync.

Recipe: Creamy Apple Celery Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 T butter
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 4 large apples, peeled and chopped
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• black pepper to taste

Instructions: Melt butter in stock pot over medium low heat. Add onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add celery and cook 2 minutes more. Stir in apples and broth and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer over medium low heat for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and puree with immersion blender. Serve with freshly ground pepper warm, or chill for at least 1 hour to enjoy cold. Makes 4 servings.

Notes: This creamy soup is lower in fat than your traditional cream of celery, and the sweetness of the apples will appeal to kids and adults alike.

(Enough preaching - now on with the recipes!)

Autumn means two things at the farmers’ market: apples & squash! This week’s shopping bag contains 5lbs. Jonagold & Staymen apples, pork chops, spaghetti squash, arugula & aged cheddar, plus a loaf of sourdough and wedge of Smoky Blue cheese from the local bakery and cheese store. On the menu this week:

• spaghetti squash with mascarpone
• 5-spice pork chops with cider jus
• harvest salad (recipe below)
• apple-pumpkin muffins

Harvest Salad: For a quick lunch, I tossed arugula and a chopped apple with balsamic vinegar and topped with crumbled Smoky Blue cheese. The spicy arugula was a nice balance to the intense, nutty cheese. It would have benefited from some chopped hazelnuts, to complement the cheese which is cold-smoked over hazelnut shells.

Toddler Version: My kid has a pretty good appreciation for gourmet cheese, but even still isn’t quite ready for blue cheese. So for an easy kid’s plate, I serve chunks of apple, cheddar & gouda, and sourdough toast.