Welcome back to Tree to Table with Shenandoah Valley Orchards! This month we are joined by Mikey, the Chef and Owner of Mashita restaurant in Downtown Harrisonburg. He will be sharing his delicious recipe for an apple chorizo hash and a craft cocktail starring our Pink Lady™ apples.
The Pink Lady™ Apple
This new medium-to-large, late apple variety was developed in Western Australia by crossing Golden Delicious and Lady Williams. This is the first truly pink apple, and it stands out from all the reds and yellows in the grocery store. Its exceptionally sweet, tangy flavor, fizzy effervescence, and healthy crunch create an eating experience unmatched in other apples. Pink Lady's™ long shelf life has made it a favorite with consumers, as well as retailers. The cells in Pink Lady's™ flesh are very finely grained so they hold their juice, which positions this apple to be one of the top favorites with consumers as it is very good for baking. Pink Lady™ apples are a great choice for this recipe because of their firm and crisp texture, which can hold up well to high heat cooking and long cooking periods.
Mikey prepared an apple chorizo hash using Shenandoah Valley Orchards Pink Lady™ apples. He used potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, arugula, and spinach to create a savory and balanced meal. The sweetness of the apples offset the spiciness of the chorizo, while the potatoes added a savory backbone to the dish. The sweet potatoes added a balance to the smoky and spicy flavors, while the onion provided texture. The arugula and spinach rounded out the dish and made it a complete meal.
Ingredients:
- ½ cup of pink lady apples
- Potatoes (1 part)
- Sweet potatoes (1 part)
- Onions (1 part)
- Arugula (½ part)
- Spinach (1 part)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400F
- Wash, peel and chop both kinds of potatoes into bite-sized pieces
- Peel and chop onion into similar sized bits
- Wash and coarsely chop arugula and spinach
- Coat chopped potatoes and sweet potatoes with 1-2 Tbsp of your oil choice
- Flash roast on baking tray for about 15 min
- When potatoes are done in the oven, add to a hot skillet over medium high heat. Add in onions and your spices of choice and saute for about 10 min, until potatoes are cooked through and onions are translucent
- Add arugula, spinach and cover over medium low heat for a few minutes, until leaves are wilted.
- If you would like to add meat to this dish, prep as desired before beginning the first step. Add to the dish as the final ingredient and serve!
Lastly, we couldn't complete this meal without a craft cocktail. Mikey prepared a delicious and refreshing cocktail that you can easily make at home using the following ingredients.
Ingredients:
- 2 oz apple-infused tequila
- 1 oz simple syrup
- 1 oz triple sec
- 1 oz lime juice
- Garnished with a hard candy tuile studded with caramelized apples.
Thanks to Mary Louise and Mikey for sharing their expertise and delicious recipes with us! Overall, I highly recommend trying out these recipes and enjoying the sweet and crisp flavors of our Pink Lady™ apples. We hope you tune in next time to see where we’ll be cooking with Shenandoah Valley Orchard’s apples next!
