Friday, May 17, 2013

Æbleflæsk (apples and onions cooked with bacon)

Æbleflæsk (Apple with Pork)
Æbleflæsk (Apple with Pork)
Looks good enough to eat.   (and it disappeared minutes later)
I'm going back to my Danish roots again. Mainly because I managed to score some really awesome bacon the other day, and had some apples that needed to be eaten or cooked or something. And I also had some lovely Vidalia onions in the cupboard/pantry and being Danish they all added up to one dish, Æbleflæsk.



Danes are known for eating well.   Not much was wasted on a farm, and housewives often put together what they had on hand for a meal.   Rye Bread was, and is, a staple, and there are many open face sandwiches which have Rye Bread as a base.    I made another dish awhile back which employed cabbage and bacon (Brunkål med Flæsk) on top of a slice of Rye Bread,  and this dish is just as good, but in a slightly different way.

Only four ingredients, but totally sublime together. And served on a nice piece of Rye Bread, heaven.
Don't discount the combination, the apples and onions carmelize together and with the smokiness of bacon, become totally sweet. I have to say I add onion to my Æbleflæsk, I really don't know how traditional this is, but I love onions and apples cooked together and when you add pork, especially good bacon, it's out of this world.
Start by frying up a couple slices of good, meaty bacon, you really don't need more than a couple or three slices per person.

While they are frying, cut up an onion into slices. I usually just cut the onion in half lengthwise and then slice it from there. Set aside, and wash, core and slice an apple.
Note to self:  Take stickers off apples before photo session.
Apples and onions, oh my.   Yum.

Remove the cooked bacon from the pan, set aside. Drain most of the bacon fat from the pan and reserve it for another use. Next add the apple and onions and let them cook together over low heat, until they soften, then turn the heat up a little, and finish cooking.
Apples, onions and bacon in the pan.

I like my apples and onions to get some color to them. I also like the bacon cooked together with the apple and onion   Add the reserved bacon back into the pan, and cook for a few more minutes. Serve on a piece of good rye bread, the denser the better. This is a sandwich which is meant to be served open faced and eaten with a knife and fork.
Looks good enough to eat.   (and it disappeared minutes later)

Go ahead and try this, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. The smoky flavor of the bacon enhances the caramelized apples and onion and  puts this over the top.  


yield: 2 servingsprint recipe

Æbleflæsk (apples and onions cooked with bacon)

prep time: 5 MINScook time:  15 MINStotal time: 20 mins
Only three ingredients make up this dish. Usually served hot on a piece of rye bread, this makes for a satisfying lunch or light dinner, or just because.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 apples, cored and sliced
  • 1-2 sweet onions
  • 4-6 slices of meaty bacon

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Start by frying up the bacon. 
  2. While they are frying, cut up an onion into slices. I usually just cut the onion in half lengthwise and then slice it from there. Set aside, and wash, core and slice the apples. 
  3.  Remove the cooked bacon from the pan, set aside. Drain most of the bacon fat from the pan and reserve it for another use. 
  4. Next add the apple and onions and let them cook together over low heat, until they soften, then turn the heat up a little, and finish cooking. 
  5. Add the reserved bacon back into the pan, and cook for a few more minutes. Serve on a piece of good rye bread, the denser the better. This is a sandwich which is meant to be served open faced and eaten with a knife and fork. 
  6. * You can also make this vegetarian by omitting the bacon and cooking the onion and apple in some olive oil. Not only would it be meat free, it would also be a lot more heart healthy. I've done it like this many times. And apart from the tsp. of olive oil, it's also pretty fat free. Onions and apples aren't high in calories, and their health benefits prepared with olive oil, well, let's put it this way, it's all good for you that way.
All recipes and their respective images are either original or adapted and credited, and are all the sole property of Sid's Sea Palm Cooking © 2011-2020, with all rights reserved thereof.

This recipe and many more Danish Recipes are in my cookbook Hygge- Danish Food and Recipes Dansk Mad og Opskrifter til et Hyggeligt Hjemme, available on Amazon. Also available as an ebook.

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Sidsel Munkholm - Author
Sidsel Munkholm - Author

Sid loves to cook, feed people and have fun in the kitchen. She shares her successes and the involuntary offerings she sometimes gives the kitchen goddess as well. And she's still looking for the mythical fairy to help her clean the kitchen after a marathon cooking session. Currently working on a cookbook showcasing the recipes from her Danish heritage.

2 comments:

  1. Mmmnnn, nom nom! My mum used to make us a lunch dish that was similar except it used chopped tomatoes (fresh, not tinned) with a teaspoonful of tomato ketchup and lots of black pepper - with bacon. Cook the tomatoes in the bacon fat and heap onto buttered toasted bread. Just to die for! :)

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    Replies
    1. I will have to try that sometime. It sounds intriguing. And tomatoes cooked in some bacon fat, so so good. I'm glad you stopped and left me a comment.

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