Apple And Pumpkin Recipes

The flavors and textures of apple and pumpkin blend together beautifully, and are ideal for fall and winter dishes.

When fall and winter holidays roll around, two familiar flavors tend to show up in abundance: pumpkin and apple. Both are featured in many classic holiday recipes, from pumpkin pie to apple crisp.

One of the great things about these two fruits (yes, pumpkin is not technically a veggie!), is that they lend themselves to all types of holiday cooking, including desserts, sauces, soups, salads, meat dishes, vegetarian recipes and even vegan cuisine. Pumpkin and apple also blend well together in terms of both flavor and texture. In addition to, or instead of, the standard apple and pumpkin dishes on your holiday table, consider trying the following recipes — they may just become your new favorites.

Pumpkin Apple Empanadas

Pumpkin is a traditional filling for empanadas, but this recipe gets some added texture and sweetness from apples. Using prepared pie crust makes creating these dessert empanadas easy and convenient.

Ingredients:

Package of two pie crusts, rolled up
15-ounce can solid pack pumpkin, or two cups of pureed fresh pumpkin
1.5 cups peeled apples, shredded or finely diced
¼ cup melted butter
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon powdered ginger
1/8 teaspoon salt
Tablespoon of fresh lemon juice

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Unroll each pie rust and roll to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out circles with an empty cup, cookie cutter or biscuit cutter–make the circles as large or small as you’d like.

Toss the apples with the lemon juice in a small bowl. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix together the pumpkin, melted butter, brown and white sugars, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Gently fold in the apple mixture.

Place one to two tablespoons of filling on one half of each pie crust circle, ensuring you do not overfill the empanadas. Fold the other half of the crusts over the filling, and seal the edges by pressing down with your fingers or a fork.

If desired, before baking brush the tops of the empanadas with melted butter or beaten egg white, and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the empanadas are golden brown and the dough is completely cooked.

Savory Roasted Pumpkin and Apples

This medley makes a great accompaniment for chicken and pork, but can also be served as a vegetarian or vegan meal if served over rice, or with a green salad. Use firm apple varieties that will hold their shape during baking, such as Golden Delicious, Empire or Cortland.

Ingredients:

Four cups of cubed, fresh pumpkin
Two cups of apples, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
½ teaspoon dried basil
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place olive oil in the bottom of a large bowl and mix with spices and brown sugar. Gently fold in the pumpkin and apple, until all pieces are coated with oil and spices. Spread in one even layer on a baking sheet and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, tossing occasionally so that all sides of the apples and pumpkin are evenly browned. Serve warm.

Though dishes combining the flavors of apple and pumpkin are ideal for the fall and winter seasons, you can easily serve them year-round, especially the two recipes detailed above. Try serving pumpkin apple empanadas as the finale of a summertime Tex-Mex dinner, or roasted pumpkin and apples alongside a fresh spring salad mix for lunch — your guests will be sure to enjoy these dishes.