this time of year it's what you do.

so as i had mentioned before we went apple picking. why? why do we do this? it's crowded. it's a lot of waiting. it's a lot of scavenging. it's a lot of are we done yet? it's  lot of lines. and then we end up with more apples then we know what to do with.

Ouiser - "Because I'm an old Southern woman and we're supposed to wear funny looking hats and ugly clothes and grow vegetables in the dirt. Don't ask me those questions. I don't know why, I don't make the rules!" ~steel magnolias.

we do it because it's what you do. it's especially what you do when you live in the suburban area that is surrounded by numerous orchards and farms. it's what you do when you get caught up in the moment of seeing the long lines weaving their way down the highway of other families who have made the pilgrimage out here from the big city for this very reason. it's what you do when you think of all the wonderful yummy things you can create with this. it's what you do as a family in the fall.

so we did it. and we found out that the eating apples we picked were not really for us {good to know} and out of that trip came this and other things. also out of that bounty was this little chutney-type savory meat accompaniment that anyone would be proud to display on their table amongst the dinner spread.

the inspiration focused itself out of the rosemary and thyme i have growing all around and the want to incorporate that. then the thought of applesauce for the meal entered my mind. then the thought of cranberry sauce sneaked in there as well to completely confuse the palette. as i shooed him out of there my eyes rested on the apples and a light-bulb went off. something sweet. something savory. something apples. something extraordinary.

as a lover of condiments and their effect to alter a meal from one step to the next - the husband mentioned the other day he has never seen a fridge so full of condiments ever - i gathered all my starting characters and was off to the races. what i turned out was so heavenly that i was actually eating it straight out of the pan and forgetting to slather it all over my pork {which was heavenly in it's own right}. the burst of all the fresh herbs against the sweet apples, savory onions added the right notes i was hoping the achieve and was absolutely brilliant. perfectly fall. perfectly perfect. take advantage of this time of year with a pork loin, some fresh rosemary & thyme, and the fresh harvest of apples - i'm sure glad i did.

savoury apple chunk

peel, core and chop 3 apples (you want to end up with 3/4 lb of apple). set aside. heat 1 to 2 tablespoons of canola oil in a skillet over medium heat. dice half a medium onion and add to pan. season with salt and pepper. sautee a bit until translucent about 4 minutes. add 1 tsp of cinnamon and a generous pinch of nutmeg. cook for one minute. add apples and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. sautee for about 3 minutes. add 2 teaspoons of chopped fresh rosemary and the same of thyme {i added a bit more cause i really like that taste - adjust your quantities accordingly; also reserve some thyme leaves for garnish at the end, just makes it extra pretty}. sautee for about 2-3 minutes to release the flavours from the herbs. add 1/4 cup of apple juice and squeeze a half a lemon over the top, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and, stirring occasionally, allow to bubble away and reduce for about 15 minutes - taste halfway through and adjust your seasoning. allow to cool slightly and serve along side any savoury meat. bon appetite!  

i took a loin of pork and slathered it in a mixture of whole-grain mustard, some extra-virgin {always} olive oil, diced garlic, minced fresh rosemary & thyme and salt/pepper. baked it in the oven, let rest for 10 minutes, sliced up and served with chutney. yum!