Apple Chowder

Today we’re going to be doing a recipe that we have lovingly named “Apple Chowder”. First, we’re going to learn a little bit about apples. Malus Domestica was originally cultivated in Eastern Europe and Southwestern Asia. This very successful member of the rose family now has over 7, 000 varieties, which are grown wherever the climate is temperate. Apples feature prominently in many mythologies, but one you might not be familiar with is the Norse myth, where a magical apple imparts eternal youth. And they might not be too far off on that.

Apples are nutritional superstars, rich in antioxidants and packed with fiber. Apples contain both soluble and insoluble fiber, which have wonderful health benefits. Insoluble fiber acts like a broom and carries bad – “the LDL” – cholesterol out of your body. And soluble fiber, which is the pectin in the fruit, actually can bond with toxins like heavy metals like mercury and lead, like and escorts it out of your body. Think of your body as a high-end night club, and soluble fiber and insoluble fiber are like your bouncers escorting those unseemly elements out the door. The skin of apples is packed with flavanoids, which are nutritious pigments that give apples their distinctive and beautiful colors. One of the effective of these for promoting body health is called queretin, and it’s an antioxidant superstar, especially when teamed up with Vitamin C, which apples also have in abundance. Studies have shown that these two nutrients work together synergistically within the body, so it’s important to eat the whole apple – skin, flesh – together in a fresh, unprocessed state for maximum nutrient uptake. Since it’s so important to eat the skin, I strongly recommend buying organic apples. Apples are frequently included in the “Dirty Dozen, ” or the top twelve fruits and vegetables that are most contaminated with pesticide residues. Fortunately, there’s a wide variety of air-low varieties for you to try.

Today we have five different varieties of organic apples. Pink Lady, which is nice and crunchy and tart, has a nice sweetness; Fuji, which has a wonderful flavor, it’s one of my favorites, it’s nice and sweet; Granny Smith, which has nice, firm flesh, very tart, prized for baking; Gala which has a lovely mild flavor; and our wild card today, the Arkansas Black.

For Apple Chowder, you will need: one large or two medium apples of your choice, half a cup each chopped pecans and walnuts, a quarter of a cup raisins, a half a cup cashew butter, a dash of vanilla, a dash of salt, two tablespoons maple syrup, and a quarter teaspoon each cinnamon and mace. You’ll also need a food processor, a good knife, and a cutting board.

First we’re going to make a delicious cashew cream sauce, which we’re going to put over the chopped raisins, nuts, and apples. First our cashew butter. So delicious, so awkward. Maple syrup. Dash of vanilla. Dash of sea salt. Start with a couple tablespoons of water to thin… Yeah. Okay. This is looking pretty. So you’re all done with this when you have a nice, kind of thick, but still pourable, creamy consistency. And this looks really nice to me right here. Mmm. From here, you just coarsely chop the nuts, give your apple a nice little dice, mix everything in a bowl together, and garnish with raisins and spices. That’s all there is to it. Give it a stir and you’re ready to enjoy it. This is a dish that’s good, it’s good for you, and it’s so sweet and tasty it could even be a dessert. By the way, the verdict on the Arkansas Black, which we have in here is that it’s fabulous. A very nice apple, a woodsy, fresh flavor. If you can find one, you should check it out. You’ll like it a lot.

(from Learning English through media, lingual.net)

Give Russian equivalents for the following word combinations:

Answer the following questions:

1. What region was apple (Malus Domestica) cultivated in?
2. What magical features of apples are mentioned in mythology?
3. What are apples rich in?
4. Why is it important to eat both skin and flesh of apples?
5. Why are apples included into the “Dirty Dozen?
6. What sorts of apples are mentioned in the text?
7. What are the basic features of apples mentioned in the text?
8. What do you need to cook apple chowder?
9. Describe the process of cooking apple chowder?

READING 2

1. Jamie Oliver, a famous British chef, tells us how to cook the British dish Toad in the Hole. Put the stages of cooking the dish in the correct order:

Ingredients

· sunflower oil

• 8 large quality sausages
• 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 2 large red onions, peeled and sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
• 2 knobs butter
• 6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 level tablespoon organic vegetable stock powder, or 1 vegetable stock cube

For the batter

· 285 ml milk

• 115 g plain flour
• 1 pinch salt
• 3 free-range eggs

(A) For the onion gravy, simply fry off your onions and garlic in the butter on a medium heat for about 5 minutes until they go sweet and translucent. You could add a little thyme or rosemary if you like. Add the balsamic vinegar and allow it to cook down by half. At this point, I do cheat a little and add a stock cube or powder. You can get some good ones in the supermarkets now that aren't full of rubbish. Sprinkle this in and add a little water.

(B) At this point, take the tin out of the oven, being very careful, and pour your batter over the sausages. Throw a couple of sprigs of rosemary into the batter. It will bubble and possibly even spit a little, so carefully put the tin back in the oven, and close the door. Don't open it for at least 20 minutes. Remove from the oven when golden and crisp.

(C) Allow to simmer and you'll have a really tasty onion gravy. Serve at the table with your Toad in the Hole, mashed potatoes, greens and baked beans or maybe a green salad if you're feeling a little guilty!

(D) Put 1cm/just under ½ inch of sunflower oil into a baking tin, then place this on the middle shelf of your oven at its highest setting (240–250º C/475º F/gas 9). Place a larger tray underneath it to catch any oil that overflows from the tin while cooking. When the oil is very hot, add your sausages. Keep your eye on them and allow them to colour until lightly golden.

(E) Mix the batter ingredients together, and put to one side. I like the batter to go huge so the key thing is to have an appropriately-sized baking tin – the thinner the better – as we need to get the oil smoking hot.