Star Tribune from Minneapolis, Minnesota • Page E5

GLEN STUBBE Pepin Heights orchard in Lake City, is a major grower of the Honeycrisp, state apple and now a crisp, juicy fall staple. LAPSANG-SCENTED MUSHROOM STROGANOFF Serves 6 to 8. Note: Lapsang souchong tea is a smoky variety available almost anywhere tea is sold. Corn flour is finely ground cornmeal, available in a package Red Mill brand carries it) or by grinding the cornmeal yourself. From The Cookbook, by Mitchell Beazley.

2 lb. mixed mushrooms, trimmed Cooking oil (such as canola, peanut or sun ower) 2 Lapsang souchong tea bags (see Note) 2 1 2 c. boiling water 2 tbsp. butter 2 onions, nely sliced 6 garlic cloves, minced 1 tbsp. smoked paprika 2 tbsp.

corn our (see Note) 1 3 4 c. heavy cream 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard 2 tbsp. tomato paste 1 c. sour cream Salt and pepper 1 bunch fresh dill sprigs, chopped Walnut and Leek Pilaf (see recipe) Directions Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut mushrooms into even, bite- sized pieces. Drizzle a little oil into a roasting pan, add the mushrooms, and toss together thoroughly to coat. Roast for 10 to 15 minutes, or until mushrooms are tender but have not yet begun to shrivel. Set aside. Put tea bags into a bowl, cover with 2 1 2 cups boiling water, and let stand to infuse for 4 minutes.

Remove and discard tea bags and set the liquid tea aside. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, add onions and cook, stirring for 5 minutes, or until soft. Add garlic and paprika and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add corn flour and stir together well. Stir in the tea and heavy cream.

Then add mushrooms, mustard and tomato paste. Bring to a simmer and cook gently for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce has begun to reduce and thicken slightly. Add sour cream and cook for another 5 minutes, or until stroganoff is thick and creamy. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide between serving plates, scatter with chopped dill and serve with Walnut and Leek Pilaf.

WALNUT AND LEEK PILAF Serves 8 to 10 as a side dish. Note: From The Cookbook, by Mitchell Beazley. 1 c. walnut pieces 2 tbsp. butter 1 leek, trimmed, cleaned and sliced 1 celery rib, trimmed and diced 1 1 2 lb.

basmati rice, washed thoroughly and strained 3 1 2 c. boiling water 1 bunch fresh dill sprigs, leaves picked and chopped Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place walnut pieces on a baking pan and toast in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until just beginning to color. Remove from oven and set aside. In small saucepan, melt butter.

Add leek and celery, and saut for 5 to 8 minutes until soft. Add washed rice and 3 1 2 cups boiling water, cover, and simmer over low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, or until rice has absorbed all the water and is tender. Remove from heat and let cool a bit in the pan, then stir in the walnuts and dill. sunday taste READ US ONLINE startribune.com/taste Twitter: and NelsonStrib Facebook: Star Tribune Taste wine of the week Spain is so much more than Rioja and Rias Baixas, than cava and sherry. Wine is starting to come here from all pockets of this sun-drenched nation.

One of my favorites from a lesser-know region is the 2014 Celler del Roure Setze Gallets red blend ($12) from Valencia, most identifiable by the circled on the bottle. A hearty, spicy blend of garnacha and three grapes (monastrell, merlot and mando), this is delicious, mouthwatering and just plain fun to drink. The bad news: not going to be in the market much longer, so pounce. And pair it with grilled burgers or brats, or the dish that its region is most famous for, paella. Available at the Wine Shop, Dolce Vita, Solo Vino and South Lyndale.

BILL WARD AN APPLE A DAY Is that a Minnesota apple eating? Probably so, this time of year. If it for Peter Gideon, we might still be munching on crabapples, rather than the Haralson, Honeycrisp or SweeTango that Minnesota is known for. In 1853, Gideon, a horticulturist, built a homestead on Lake Minnetonka, near Excelsior, and planted thousands of apple trees. Within a few years, all those non-hardy trees had succumbed to Minnesota winters, with the exception of a single Siberian crabapple. Undaunted, Gideon bought seeds from sturdier stock from a grower in Maine.

The new seed, crossed with his Siberian crabapple, resulted in a culti- var that became first claim to apple fame. Gideon named the fruit Wealthy, after his wife (and yes, an odd first name). By the turn of the century, the Wealthy apple was among the top five apples grown nationally. And here we reach a moment almost biblical in the telling of its lineage: Wealthy joined with the Malinda apple and begat the Haralson apple, which was developed at the apple-breeding program at the University of Horticultural Research Center and was put on the market in 1922. The Haralson later begat the Honeygold in 1966 (the Golden Delicious had a little something to do with that, too, as one of its Joan Donatelle tells the story and more in Apples, the next volume in the Northern Plate recipe-oriented series from the Minnesota Historical Society Press (175 pages, Her cookbook gives a brief nod to the sweet side of apple use (with recipes for Honey Apple and an Umbrian Apple Roll, among them) and steers more toward the savory use of the fruit, in recipes such as Apple and Bacon-Stuffed French Toast, and Roasted Apples and Roots.

Donatelle, who has worked for Lunds Byerlys for more than a decade, still loves apples after developing more than 130 recipes that feature them (99 of them found in the book). very excited for this harvest she said with true enthusiasm, one apple orchard already under her belt. the intrigue about the apple? fascinating, for one thing. Everyone knows that apples are good for you. But we kind of take them for granted.

We forget they are a super food. I love to say a super food among us because we look for all these exotic super foods from far away, but we have some of the best apples in the world produced right here. Scientific evidence is coming forward all the time proving that apples are good for us. The apple is part of the rose family and dates back hundreds of thousands of years to the oldest civilizations. Throughout history, in many cultures and religions, there are references to apples.

deep-seated in our collective knowledge. Everyone loves apples; we can all relate to them. There are thousands of varieties produced in the U.S., but we generally think of a half-dozen varieties. What insight can you offer for cooking with apples, beyond apple pie? Some apples cook down and are very soft. They may be great for sauce, but may not be as good if you want to retain any texture.

the main difference. Apples bred today have much higher sugar content than long ago. Old recipes I looked at needed much more sugar than they do now because those apples were less sweet. Today you need as much sugar as you used to. In Minnesota, people like their apples crisp and their pears soft, and out East a lot of people like their apples soft and pears crisp.

interesting how we have our regional preferences. Are cooks confused about types of apples? People get a bit hyper about what kind of apple to use for a particular dish. You can substitute apples, but the main thing for nutrition is to include the peel. It gives more color and visual interest, too. In some of the recipes, the peel would get in the way in the dish, so I recommend peeling the apples.

I tried to use as many Midwestern ingredients as I could, from wines, cheeses and ciders. The recipes definitely have a feeling of fall to them because when the local orchards have all the great apples. Some of the Minnesota apples will last through January. Are there any Minnesota cultivars that you lean on? Honeycrisp, of course; our state apple. Different cultivars come in different parts of the season.

Sweet Sixteen is a favorite of mine. SweeTango of course. SnowSweet is very nice, but I found it in many places. It comes out in October, and the flesh stays very white and oxidize; good on a cheese plate. Haralson is a great standard for pies.

Prairie Spy is less available. Any tales of apple picking that you can share? For the past two years, for the cookbook testing, we picked apples every weekend at a different orchard. Last year we went to Italy in the midst of this. When I came back, my car smelled like apples until January. It was like an air freshener.

Follow Lee Svitak Dean on Twitter: LEE SVITAK DEAN FOOD EDITOR sunday supper Taste editor Lee Svitak Dean serves up an idea for dinner table. Lapsang-scented mushroom stroganoff Meet the author Sept. 26: Book signing, noon-2 p.m., Apple Farm, 6428 Manning Stillwater. Free. Sept.

27: Book signing, 3-5 p.m., Barnes Noble, Eden Prairie Center. Free. Oct. 1: Book signing at Outdoor Diva Night, p.m., Midwest Mountaineering, 309 Cedar Av. Mpls.

Free. Oct. 3: Book signing, 1-3 p.m., Minnesota History Center, Heffelfinger Room, 345 W. Kellogg St. Paul.

Free. Oct. 10: Book signing, a.m., Mill City Farmers Market, kitchen demo area. Baking Lab demo with Joan Donatelle and Sue Doeden, 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m., Mill City Museum.

Free with museum admission. Both events are at 704 S. 2nd Mpls. APPLE FAMILY TREE These fruit variations were developed by the University of Minnesota apple breeding program and released in the indicated year. 1868: Wealthy 1922: Haralson 1936: Beacon 1940: Prairie Spy 1943: Red 1946: Chestnut Crabapple 1957: Centennial Crabapple 1964: Regent 1966: Honeygold 1970: Red Baron 1977: State Fair 1977: Sweet Sixteen 1978: Keepsake 1991: Honeycrisp 1996: Zestar 2006: SnowSweet 2007: SweeTango 2008: Frostbite 2014: MN55 (not yet named) ROASTED PUMPKIN APPLE SOUP Serves 10.

Note: Use any firm, sweet- tart apple for this soup. From Apples, by Joan Donatelle. 1 (2-lb.) baking pumpkin, quartered and seeded 4 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 1 2 lb. apples, cored and chopped, plus 1 for garnish, unpeeled 2 carrots, peeled and chopped 3 small shallots, chopped 1 rib celery, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 tbsp.

minced fresh sage 1 2 tsp. grated nutmeg 4 c. chicken stock 2 c. apple cider 1 4 c. honey 1 tbsp.

pepitas (raw pumpkin seeds), or sun ower seeds 2 tbsp. pumpkin seed oil, or substitute walnut or olive oil Directions Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Drizzle pumpkin quarters with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Lay cut-side down on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast for about 45 minutes.

As the pumpkin is roasting, core and slice the garnish apple into 20 thin slices. Toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil and lay on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast for about 15 minutes, until golden. Allow to cool. When the pumpkin is tender, set aside to cool.

Scoop out the flesh. Meanwhile, in a large stockpot set over medium-high heat, warm remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add carrots, shallots, celery, chopped apples, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the vegetables and apples are beginning to soften, add the garlic, sage and nutmeg.

Stir for about 1 minute, until garlic is fragrant. Stir in the pumpkin, stock and cider, cover the pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for about 15 minutes. Stir in the honey. Using an immersion blender, pur the soup until smooth.

(Alternatively, work in batches to carefully pur the soup in a blender.) Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve in warmed soup bowls. Garnish each serving with 2 slices of roasted apple, a pinch of pepitas or sunflower seeds, and a drizzle of pumpkin seed oil. Donatelle Associated Press A SweeTango apple on a tree at Pepin Heights orchard. SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2015 STAR TRIBUNE VARIETY E5.