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Crazy about apples of selected quality

Crazy about apples of selected quality Recipes, ideas, challenges, facts, anecdotes Our most common varieties

Jonagold and Evelina and Fuji Kiku Sweet apples with a mildly sour taste, Apples of similar taste. Both are Apples with firm flesh that are distinguished by juiciness and elegant crispy juicy, of sweeter taste with mild distinguished by their juicy and sweet aroma that are especially enhanced in sourness and a characteristic pleasant taste, perfected with just the right amount desserts and juices. The variety ripens in aroma, especially suitable for sweets of sourness. The pleasant aromatic fruits mid-September and keeps until the end and compotes. The variety ripens at the can be served in sweet and salty foods and of February. end of September and can be very well compotes. The variety ripens in mid- stored. October and keeps until April.

Idared With its attractive red colour, white The large fruits of this apple tree have Sweet apples of beautiful red-yellow finely grained flesh, pleasant juiciness a sweet-sour flavour with a rich aroma colour, which convince us with their and sourness, it is a popular and the most and are delightful in salads and apple crunchy, refreshing juicy flesh and a represented variety on the Slovenian horseradish. The flesh is of pleasant gentle aroma. We nibble on them just market that is a delight to cook when grainy texture, juicy, crispy, and for the fun of it, they are appropriate for making applesauce or compote. The medium firm. The variety ripens in early roasted stuffed apples, strudels and pies. variety ripens in the beginning of September, but has to be enjoyed during The variety ripens at the end of August October and keeps until the end of May. the season as it stores poorly and keeps and keeps until the end of December. only until the end of December. 2 Delicious apples of sour taste with firm Characterized by a harmonious sweet and juicy meat, which refreshes and flavour with fine fruit acid. This juicy and quenches one’s thirst throughout the crunchy apple is popular with consumers whole winter as they can be well kept. and goes perfectly in desserts and with They are appropriate for salads and as cheeses. The variety ripens at the end of an addition to cold cuts. The variety September and keeps all year long. ripens in mid-October and until the end of March.

Topaz Carjevič These smaller red apples are An old variety of small sweet-sour Characteristically emphasized acidic synonymous with organic apples. They apples of a light green basic colour with taste, juicy, fresh and crispy when bitten. have an excellent sweet-sour taste and red spots. The apples are of noble taste The variety’s most loyal customers are a pleasant aroma. Due to the softer and unique smell, ideal for snacks and younger consumers and no salad or flesh, they are a very pleasant snack and desserts and are in season from late sandwich exist that could not be made appropriate for applesauce and fillings. September on, which is when we enjoy more interesting or refreshing by it. It The variety ripens in the beginning them, as they keep until mid-January. ripens in the second half of October and of October and keeps until the end of keeps throughout the year. February. 3 Why are we crazy about apples?

Apples convince us monasteries and castles. Valvasor stated that with their nutritional value in the 17th century, hundreds of varieties of apples were known in Carniola. During It has always been known that apples have a the time of the enlightened Empress Maria positive effect on health and many sayings Theresa, the importance of a systematic mix food recommendations with tradition cultivation of fruit trees and the cultivating and superstitions. Apples contain about discipline was recognized alongside 85% water and have only about 251 kJ/60 compulsory schooling. kcal, with glucose and fructose being the main sugars. They are rich in vitamins A, Traditionally good vitamins of the B group (B1, B2, B3, B5 and The Slovenians are traditionally successful B6) and vitamin C. Most of the vitamin C, in fruit cultivation; however, our climate is namely six times more than in the apple especially favourable for apples: the fertile flesh, is in the skin just below the surface soil and great temperature differences of the peel. The peel also contains the most between hot days and cold nights of (more than two thirds) of fibres, as well as the continental climate make the fruits almost all the antioxidants. particularly sweet and aromatic. Apples have always been good for us. It is simple The original homeland of apples is the Place a big bowl of apples in the middle of the Middle East. The healing power of apples table: the home will smell pleasantly and the was known to the Egyptians, who planted colourful round fruits act as the finest trees along the Nile River. The ancient decoration. Apples are accessible, we can Greeks and Romans wrote about them, get them in literally every food store and if exclaiming: “An apple a day keeps the they are distinguished by the label “selected doctor away,” a saying that was repeated quality”, we know that we are dealing with throughout Europe, all the way to the British apples that have grown on our soil under Isles. At first, apple trees were planted strict requirements of the “selected quality” randomly, but then, in the Middle Ages, scheme. the first orchards began to grow beside

4 Slovenian apples in the “Selected quality” scheme

Slovenian fruit growers show their concern for the consumer with the “Selected quality” scheme. The trademark “Selected quality” of fruit ensures the consumers the superior quality products, additional monitoring of the production and processing of fruit and also confirms that the fruit is fully produced and processed in Slovenia. In order to be labelled with the “Selected quality – Slovenia” trademark, the apples must meet high quality criteria: the fruit of selected quality must be fully ripe when harvested, which gives the apples their “full of taste”, while the transport of the apples from the grower or the processor to the buyer on the local market is allowed in the range of no more than 250 km of air distance from the geometric centre of Slovenia (GEOSS). The composition of the soil on which the apples of selected quality are produced is especially controlled, while the use of plant protection products is limited to those used for integrated or organic production. The trademark “Selected quality – Slovenia” may be used exclusively by certified producers and processors of fruit whose production and processing are subject to additional control by the independent control organization. One should thus be careful when purchasing and pay attention to buying apples with the trademark “Selected quality – Slovenia”.

5 Couscous and apple salad

Freshly picked from a tree, with morning cereal, on a pie, in a strudel etc., or even in a salad. Are you sceptical? Valentin Vodnik himself wrote in Kuharske Bukve (Cookery Books) about the salad from raw apples! Our apples in the salad will have a healthy company from the garden and be dressed with sesame sauce. That said, we are already on the way to the homeland of apples, Asia. The fact is that with apples, one travels around the world, despite staying in the home orchard.

200 g couscous Sauce: 300 ml water 1 tablespoon sesame seeds 1 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon honey 2 firm apples of “selected 2 tablespoons olive oil quality”, sour variety, e.g. 1 tablespoon lemon juice Braeburn or Granny Smith salt and pepper 1 fresh red beet by choice: 100 g fresh cheese 1 medium-size carrot from brine ground dry chilli

6 Boil water and add couscous. Mix, cover and take the pot off the stove. After 5 minutes, add butter and mix with a fork. Toss into a bowl. Cut the apple in half, hollow out the core and seeds, cut into thin slices and sprinkle with a few drops of lemon juice. Peel or scrape the red beet and carrot, cut into thin julienne strips. Toss sesame into a mortar and crush it somewhat to get a rough paste. Combine sauce ingredients with crushed sesame seeds in a small bowl and whisk to get a uniform cream. In the bowl, mix the apple, beet and carrot and sprinkle with sauce. Place a pile of couscous on a plate and add the apple salad. By choice, serve the meal with grated young cheese and sprinkle with chilli.

Challenge: Try the recipe with Braeburn and Granny Smith variety. Which variety do you find better for the recipe? Short transport routes from the orchard to the table of apples of selected quality do not burden the environment..

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Salad with raw apples Put beautiful peeled apples, called “taselne”, in cold water to keep them white; cut them in thin oblong long slices, sprinkle with sugar drizzled with lemon, add Portuguese juice or wine made of apple residue and mix; the salad is prepared. Valentin Vodnik, Kuharske bukve (Cookery Books) Baked soft cheese with almonds for apple dipping

Cheese and apple are the best couple. The apples make a harmonious whole with the full flavour of cheese and gourmands take it even a step further: Brie with delicate green Granny Smith, gorgonzola with Kanadka apples, mature Emmentaler Swiss cheese with sweet red varieties. The latter snack is a perfect way out when the doorbell rings at the last moment. By the way, apple tasting is considered one of the healthiest social activities.

1 small wheel of soft cheese (Brie, when we serve: Camembert and even better, a sour green apples of “selected similar Slovenian cheese) quality”, cut into sticks, for 3 tablespoons almond leaves example Granny Smith 1 teaspoon honey sweet red apples of “selected quality”, cut into sticks, for example Gala fragrant yellow apples of “selected quality”, cut into sticks, for example, Golden Delicious

10 Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Place the cheese wheel on a baking tin covered with baking paper. Drizzle honey onto the cheese and sprinkle with almond leaves. Put into the oven for 10 minutes, then serve on a plate. Dip little pieces of bread in the melted cheese and nibble on sour apples. If you have a suitably large round ceramic model, serve in an even more elegant manner: place the cheese into the model, as seen in the picture, and bake 10 minutes longer.

Apple education of schoolchildren is achieved by asking riddles, for example: The rest of the sepals of an apple fruit are in other words called:

a) Calyx b) Bee c) Bread Challenge d) Fly Oh, how many different varieties ... Which of them have you tried? We challenge you to test all of them this month! Dipping them in cheese or not!!

11 The apple is as old as the civilization. The Bible says that the apple came into existence three days before man; it was a forbidden fruit for Adam and Eve, however, Eve persuaded Adam to pick it. The piece of apple that got stuck in Adam’s throat men today still carry under their chins as Adam's apple.

The best apples are locally grown and fresh or properly stored.

Friko with radish-apple salad

Are you familiar with “friko”? It is a dish from Northern Slovenian Littoral, freakishly simple and well integrated into the local environment, since the ingredients are of exclusively local origin. And if roasted potato is considered an independent dish, then friko is a true feast. The apples make the best addition, since they merrily jump into the salad, together with the company of the radish. This apple salad can also be served as a side dish to baked potato or roast.

friko: salad with radishes and sauce: 25 g butter apples: salt, pepper 1/2 kg potatoes, as 1 mixed seasonal olive oil lettuce, lamb’s lettuce starchy as possible Apple vinegar (not young) etc. 1 tablespoon mustard 250 g Tolmin cheese, 1 bundle of radish can also be aged 4 sour apples of salt and pepper “selected quality”, e.g. varieties Braeburn or

Granny Smith 1/2 lemon, as needed

14 Peel the potatoes and roughly grate with a grater. Use the same grater to grate the cheese. In a pan on medium heat, heat the butter to make it foamy and add potatoes. With two wooden blades or spoons fry and turn it until it gets a bit soft and starts to stick together, which will take about 7–10 minutes. Add salt according to taste. Add grated cheese and fry while stirring until the mass is uniform, then spread evenly in the pan to get the shape of a flat cake. Reduce the fire and let friko bake for 5–7 minutes on one side. When it turns golden-brown, flip it around. Do this by rolling it out of the pan onto a board, from where it will easily slide back into the pan. Bake for 5 minutes on the other side. Wash the lettuce, dry thoroughly and, if necessary, cut into strips. Core the apples, cut them into thin slices or cubes, then dip into lemon juice so they do not turn brown. Cut the radish into slices. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and dress with the sauce made of olive oil, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper.

Challenge: Try to make the most colourful salad and publish your rainbow – apple creation on Instagram or Facebook. Add hashtags #selectedquality and #slovenianapple.

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Apples are a natural source of dietary fibres. Herring salad with apples

In this food for fast days, inspired by the northern horizons, apples are expressed in all their glory: they provide texture, freshness, acid and colour. This versatile fruit thus proves that it can handle any type of company.

for 4 people: sauce: 3 potatoes in skins 100 g sour cream 6–8 pickled or kippered 100 g yogurt herring (also known as salt and pepper “ruslovi”) a pinch of dry dill, by choice 2 apples of “selected quality”, lemon for dropping preferably Elstar or 0.5 dl apple vinegar 1 red onion

Core the apples and cut them into thin slices. Drizzle with lemon juice and mix. Cut the onions into slices, put into a bowl and pour vinegar over. Cut the herring into 4 cm big pieces. In the bowl, mix the sliced herring, apples, drained onions and dress with the sauce made from sour cream and yoghurt. Add a bit of salt (but carefully, since the herring is salty as it is) and pepper. Mix thoroughly and let soak in the refrigerator for a good hour (the photo shows the salad before mixing). Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in skins. The herring salad is served on warm cooked potatoes.

18 Challenge: The apple is so “out” that it is “in” and is therefore an ideal hipster food that avocados cannot compete with! In your opinion, which fruit is more photogenic? When posting photos, do not forget to add hashtags #selectedquality and #slovenianapple. 19 Fairy cakes with blood sausage, mashed potatoes, turnip and apples

This special dish was inspired by Parisian bistros. However, made with homemade apples, which are first boiled, then put onto the mashed potatoes and the blood sausage, which is broken into little pieces, it becomes very homely. At home, we have always been served blood sausages, mashed potatoes and , right? When not in the mood for cooking adventures, the slices can, according to the recipe below, be served with Matevž puree and turnip, as is customary in Central Slovenia.

for 4 persons: blood sausage stuffing: Apple side dish: potato base 2200 g blood sausage 2 sour, firm apples of (puree): 2 shallots or 1 onion “selected quality”, e.g. Braeburn 1 kg floury potatoes salt, pepper and 1 teaspoon butter 50 g butter pimento 1 teaspoon brown 1.5 dl sweet cream olive oil sugar nutmeg turnip topping: 1 cinnamon stick salt and pepper 2200 g sour turnip salt and pepper cumin 2–3 juniper berries

20 Peel the potatoes, cut them into pieces, toss them into a pot and pour water over so that they are covered for about a centimetre, salted and put on the stove. Cover and cook on a mild flame until they become soft. Toss the turnip into a frying pan, add water that covers it for a about a centimetre, add cumin and juniper and put on the stove. Cook until soft. Remove the filling of the blood sausage and discard the wrapping. Finely chop the onions. Pour a thin layer of olive oil into a frying pan, add the onion and salt and quickly fry. Add the filling of the blood sausage and stir while frying. If necessary, add extra salt, pepper and pimento. Cut the apple into thin slices. Put the frying pan with butter on the stove and add thin apple. Add cinnamon, sweeten it and pour 3 spoons of water. Stew for 10 min at a mild temperature to soften the apples. Drain the cooked potatoes. Put the still hot frying pan with potatoes back on the hot plate for a few seconds to drain the excess moisture. Add butter, pour cream and mash into a smooth puree. Spice with nutmeg. Remove the cooked turnip and drain. Now put together these wonderful cakes. You need round metal models, such as the ones that are used to make donuts. Place the model in the middle of a plate. Fill a third with potato puree, even it, load a layer of blood sausage filling and cover again with puree. Finally, load a small heap of boiled turnip on top. Carefully raise the model, so as not to destroy the construction. Place stewed apple slices on the side..

21 Humek's Practical Fruiterer from 1923 offers the following record about the Bobovec variety: “Bobovec is considered an excellent apple for meadow orchards, plantations along roads, borders, meadows, pastures and more remote places. It is safe against theft, as the fruit does not have an attractive exterior and is not edible when picked straight from the tree.” Bobovec was in its time the leading variety of our meadow orchards and the quote adds an additional important characteristic.

Apple-marinated medallions of black-belted pig with apples and sage

The acid in the apples makes the marinade watery, distinct and of harmonious taste. Apples are appropriate for marinades for all types of pigs; for a beautifully marbled piece of black-belted pig or Slovenian pork of selected quality or also for wild boar meat. The steaks are marinated in a pan and when the weather is nice, these medallions can also be grilled outside. However, the story does not end in the pan: since the apples feel so good in the marinade, they keep the stakes company also in the pan.

0.80 kg tenderloin steaks of marinade: black-belted pig, wild boar, 1 sour and juicy apple of or domestic pig of “selected “selected quality”, e.g. quality”, cut 2 cm thick Idared 2 red apples of “selected 1 teaspoon dry rosemary quality”, e.g. Idared or 1 teaspoon dry sage salt and pepper 6–8 sage leaves baking oil 1 teaspoon butter salt and pepper

24 To make the marinade, finely grate the apple and place it in a bowl, along with rosemary, sage, salt and pepper. Add steaks to the bowl and mix thoroughly with marinade. Allow to marinate at room temperature for 1 hour. Flat the pork medallions with a palm, add salt and pepper. Cut apples into tiles of 3–4 mm; a bit smaller than the medallions (the apple peelings can be eaten). By choice, cut the apples into sticks, as is shown in the picture. Cut sage leaves into wide noodles. Pour a thin layer of olive oil into the pan, heat it and place the marinated steaks on it so they start to roast. After five minutes, flip to roast the other side. Take out of the pan when done. Or, as the picture shows, the tenderloin can be roasted in one piece. Add butter to the side of the pan, place sliced apples and sage on it and gently stir while stewing. Put baked butter with apples and sage on the stakes and serve.

Challenge: Innovative snacks can also be prepared from these ingredients: with toothpicks, pin a slice of apple and a sage leaf onto the thin pork steak and quickly roast. Serve as an individual snack, i.e. “finger food”.

25 Apples are good for health, regardless if they are fresh, cooked, baked or pickled. They are good for digestion and metabolism. Their contributes to the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels.

Cheese burgers with blue mould, apples roasted on butter and roasted mushrooms

500 g lean minced beef 1 tablespoon butter salt and freshly ground a bit lemon juice black pepper a pinch of brown sugar olive oil 4 mushrooms 100 g cheese with blue salt and pepper mould, preferably of baking oil Slovenian origin 4 buns 2 apples of “selected quality”, e.g. Idared or Golden 4 leaves of lettuce Delicious

Preparation of burgers: Toss the meat in a bowl, add salt and pepper. Mix and shape four balls. First, cut off four pieces the size of a walnut from the piece of cheese and cut the remaining cheese into slices. Make a hole the depth of half a thumb into each meat ball, put a piece of cheese in and shape into the correct shape again. The same goes with the remaining meatballs. Oil the balls with olive oil and flatten them slightly to get the shape of a thick hamburger.

28 Apple roasting: Now prepare the apples. Cut them crosswise into 0.5 cm thick slices to get large circles. Drizzle with a bit of lemon juice. Heat up butter in a small frying pan, add apple slices (two for two burgers) and slowly roast to slightly soften. Finally sprinkle with a pinch of brown sugar. Mushroom roasting: Thinly cut the Champignons. Heat oil and mushrooms in a pan and stew until they release the water and turn golden. Add salt and pepper. Hamburger roasting: Heat up a ribbed or regular pan with a thick bottom. Place oiled burgers on the hot pan and roast them first at medium temperature to make crust. Flip over to get crust on the other side. At a moderate temperature, roast for 2 to 3 minutes on each side for the burgers to warm through and the cheese to begin melting in the middle (which can be seen only once the burger is cut). Place a quarter of the remaining cheese, which will also begin to melt, on a still hot burger. Compiling the burgers: Cut the buns and grill them in the heated pan in which you roasted the hamburgers. Place a washed lettuce leaf on each bun, then some roasted champignons, followed by a roasted burger, then buttery apple slices, cover with a bun and, by choice, pierce it with a long toothpick to make the dish look as attractive as possible.

29 Naming of apples: The apple variety Golden Delicious is the leading variety in the European market production of apples, as well as in our country. At the beginning of the 20th century, when literal translation of foreign words was popular in our country (for example, carbohydrates l – carbon guides, car – self-propeller etc.), the variety was named after the verbatim translation from English, meaning “golden delight” (a translation from “golden delicious”). The name obviously did not stick, although the fruits are certainly considered to be delightful.

Roasted apples with cottage cheese and millet porridge

Apples and porridge – could it be more homely?

4–8 apples of “selected for dressing: poppy sauce quality” (smaller to grill 3 tablespoons poppy seeds faster), e.g. Carjevič or 1 vanilla sugar Jonagold 2 tablespoons sugar 200 g cottage cheese 1 tablespoon starch flour a knife tip of cinnamon or ground ginger or both 200 ml sweet cream a handful of raisins 1 tablespoon flax seed Lemon, best bio Sugar by choice 100 g millet porridge 350 ml milk 2 tablespoons sugar butter for the baking tin

32 Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Rinse the porridge and toss it into milk to cook for at least 10 minutes. Cut the apple and scoop out on the side of the stalk. The scooped out apple flesh can be made into an apple sauce or simply be eaten. Rub lemon inside the apple. Oil the baking tin and place the apples closely together. Slightly grind the flax seed in a mortar, toss it in a bowl and add enough water to cover it. Soak raisins in enough water for them to inflate. Mix the cottage cheese, drained raisins, flax seed mixture, spices, half-boiled porridge and lemon peel in a bowl and sweeten by choice. Stuff the apples with thus prepared mixture and put them into the oven. Grind the poppy for the poppy sauce with the help of a coffee grinder or a mortar. Put cream, sugar and vanilla sugar in a frying pan. Save two spoons of cream and beat it with starch flour separately in a cup. Add ground poppy seeds. Boil to get a dense liquid pudding sauce. Serve the stuffed grilled apples with the poppy pudding sauce.

The late Slovenian fruiter France Lombergar said that the fruits of the old apple variety Ananas reneta were very popular with noblewomen due to their small size, since the noblewomen’s tiny mouths were suitable only for the consumption of small fruits.

33 Apple is also an important part of Greek mythology. Erida, the goddess of hate, was offended because she was not invited to the wedding of Peleus and Thetis. Out of jealousy, she threw an apple inscribed “for the most beautiful one” among the gathered goddesses, an apple which was wanted by Hera, Athena and Aphrodite. Paris handed it over to Aphrodite, as she promised him the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen of Troy. The apple thus indirectly triggered the Trojan War, and hence the collocation “apple of dispute”. Well, just make sure that there are enough stuffed apples so that you do not run out and they do not become “apples of dispute”.

Apple flowers in pastry with cottage cheese cream

4 apples of “selected 1 egg quality”, e.g. Idared or lemon juice Jonagold 2–3 tablespoons sugar 200 g pastry 1 tablespoon melted butter 100 g cottage cheese a knife tip of cinnamon 1 pack vanilla butter for the baking tin sugar

Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Thinly flatten the pastry with a roller. Cut it into squares, 8 x 10 cm. Prepare a baking tin for muffins and grease the hollows with butter. Spread the dough in the hollows so that you get the shape of a “basket”. Pierce with a fork and put into the oven for 5 minutes. In the meantime, cut the apples in half, hollow out the cores and seeds, then cut them across, together with the skin, into thin slices. Toss them in a bowl, drizzle with lemon juice, pour melted butter over, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. To make cottage cheese cream, mix cottage cheese, egg and vanilla sugar. If necessary, sweeten with a spoon of sugar. Spread the cream on the bottom of the half-baked pastry baskets. Place apple slices in the shape of “petals” on top: spread them with the peeling upwards over the cottage cheese cream. On top, drizzle the juices that accumulated in the bowl where the apples were marinated. Put back into the oven for another 15 minutes so that the edges turn gold.

36 Challenge: Awesome roses! We bet that if you make them and post them on the Instagram, you will get more likes than ever! Do you accept the challenge? Apples to the power! – in a rustic pie with oat flakes and apple caramel

Apples to the power of tastiness!

6 tablespoons butter, Filling: Liquid apple caramel: coconut oil can also 4 apples of “selected 400 ml cider (should be used quality”, preferably be of good quality, 80 g oat flakes Evelina or Pinova truly from the apples 50 g ground almonds 2 tablespoons butter of “selected quality”) 60 g wholemeal 1 teaspoon cinnamon 2 tablespoons butter flour 1/2 bio lemon 1 teaspoon cinnamon 100 g really dark 1/2 cup dark brown brown sugar sugar (muscovado) 1 teaspoon cinnamon a pinch of ground ginger a knife tip of sodium bicarbonate 2 eggs

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You need a cast iron pan, suitable for the oven. Set the oven to 200 °C. The pie base is prepared first: mix butter or coconut oil, oat flakes, ground almonds, wholemeal flour, sugar, spices in a frying pan. Mix until it is unified and the butter or coconut oil completely melted. Remove and add the sodium bicarbonate and both eggs. Mix and spread over the bottom of the cast iron pan. Put into the oven. Now prepare the filling. Cut the apples into cubes without peeling: just cut them, hollow out the core and the seeds and then cut them into 1 cm large cubes. Immediately drizzle lemon juice over them so they do not turn black. Challenge: In a frying pan, melt butter and sugar. As soon as it starts Enjoying the pie to boil, add apples and cinnamon and stir until it begins presents an ideal to cook. Remove after five minutes and cover the pie base opportunity to ask in the oven with this filling. (not too hard) apple Do this very carefully: take the pie out of the oven and puzzles: pile up the filling with the juices in the middle. Put back Which of the into the oven for another 10 minutes. following apple The apple caramel must be made immediately so that varieties is not of it thickens appropriately: simmer the cider up to one Slovenian origin? third (20 minutes). At this point, mix it with butter and • Gorenjska voščenka cinnamon and remove it. When it cools down, it will • Kanadska reneta harden nicely into caramel syrup. • Goriška sevka The pie is served drizzled with caramel and, by choice, • Dolenjska voščenka with vanilla ice cream.

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This to the power is not the only link between apples and scientific formulas! Sir Isaac Newton himself was once supposedly sitting under an apple tree, thinking about the legitimacy of the universe, when an apple fell on his head. He thus discovered the law of gravity and laid the foundations of modern physics. In honour of Sir Isaac Newton, plant breeders named a variety of small red apples Isaac.

Plant breeders usually choose female names when naming their new varieties. The deceased Slovenian breeder of apple varieties, dr. Jernej Črnko, was also asked if he named the new variety after his wife, Majda. As he did not want to admit it, he justified his answer in the following manner; the MAJDA variety contains the letters MA – after the City of Maribor, where the breeder came from, the letter J is the first letter of the mother variety (Jonatan), and the letter D is one of the letters of the father variety (Golden Noble). In the end, Črnko added the letter A, saying that (almost) every Slovenian female name ends with it. Classic

We each have a favourite strudel. According to the Slovenian tradition, the strudels are wrapped in filo pastry, since this unobtrusive and simple dough especially enhances the apples’ fragrance. The apples are heat-treated beforehand so as to maintain the freshness.

Filo pastry: Filling: 400 g flour 1 kg of firm, sour apples 1 tablespoon vinegar of “selected quality”, e.g. Carjevič or Braeburn salt 3 fists fresh white crumbs 1 tablespoon sunflower oil 6 tablespoons sugar 2.5 dl lukewarm water A knife tip of ground (or 1 pack filo pastry without cinnamon preservatives) 1 vanilla sugar 100 g butter butter for the baking tin powdered sugar for sprinkling

42 Mix flour, 1 tablespoon of oil, salt, vinegar and lukewarm water to make soft and flexible dough. The water is poured gradually, the dough must be elastic and soft and churned for at least 15 minutes. Grease the dough with the remaining oil, cover it and let it rest for half an hour. Roll the dough out. If you are using purchased dough, leave the first part out. Set the oven to 180 °C. Peel the apples and grate them on the bigger grater profile so as to get short, thin slices. Melt the butter in a frying pan. Challenge: Drizzle the butter thoroughly onto the dough, also on the Another puzzle ;) edges. Sprinkle the whole dough surface with apples, which What is it? should be wrung beforehand to release the juice. The It's got a core, juice is, naturally, for drinking. Sprinkle with crumbs Yet it’s not a planet. It's not a ball, and sugar, regular and vanilla. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Although it does Tear off the fat edges of the dough on the sides, then roll. wrap it by lifting the cloth that you used for rolling it out. It can be green, Grease the baking tin and put strudel in it. If you are a yellow or red, fan of end pieces, cut the strudel beforehand into pieces, Making the strudel large as a baking dish, or you can wrap it into a snake. in your oven Well, if you use purchased dough, you will not have this deliciously fat! dilemma, since the sheets of the dough are smaller and

there is nothing left but to make individual packets. (An apple) (An Bake 45 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar while still hot.

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Don’t you want to just devour beautiful apples? In 1968, the Beatles established an advanced music publishing company Apple Corps in response to the outdated performance of the British labels. The name was chosen by Paul McCartney, who was inspired by the picture of a green apple with the inscription “Au revoir” by the French painter René Magritt, who at that time exhibited at the New York Museum of Modern Art. The same apple, this time in a red version and of the McIntosh variety, also impressed Steve Jobs a few years later. He, however, did not cut it in half, like the Beatles did for their vinyls, but bit a piece of it off and made it the logo of the world's most prolific company. Yup, the company that possibly invented the device you will use to share the photo of your first apple strudel. Mulled wine with

There are very few things that warm us up in the winter as much as aromatic mulled wine. How about instead of using wine as the basis, this year we use good, first-class juice of Slovenian apples? An ideal drink to have fun, whether in a non-alcoholic or in a more merry alcoholic version. It will fill the space with wonderful scents during the preparation, so all you need are snowflakes and the winter merrymaking can start.

Merry version 4 cinnamon sticks (for adults): 6 whole pimentos, if you 1 l turbid apple juice from have them “selected quality” apples 3 star anise 0.5 l rum 10 cloves 200 ml apple or 1 bio orange, cut into slices other fruit spirits

In a large pot, combine all the ingredients, mix and cook at a moderate temperature. Slowly cook for a good hour, stirring occasionally. Pour into a thermos and enjoy moderately. Let’s not forget that when drinking beverages that contain alcohol, moderation is required.

46 Gentle version (non-alcoholic): 3 cloves of carnation 1 l apple juice from “selected 2 star anise quality” apples dark brown sugar or maple 2 dl pomegranate juice syrup, by choice 1 vanilla stroke Lemon peel of 1 lemon, in 1 vanilla stick strips

Combine all the ingredients in a large pot and cook them. Once they boil, cook for 5 minutes at a moderate temperature for the tastes to mix. Take off the stove, strain and serve hot.

47 Crazy about apples of selected quality Recipes, ideas, challenges, facts, anecdotes Published by: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, Dunajska 22, Ljubljana Text and recipe design: Valentina Smej Novak, Totaliteta d.o.o. Contributing authors: Boštjan Godec, PhD (KIS), Tjaša Gorjanc (GZS-ZKŽP) Editorial Board: Tatjana Zagorc, PhD (GZS-ZKŽP), Petra Medved Djurašinović, PhD (GZS-ZKŽP), Janja Kokolj Prošek (MKGP), Nina Barbara Križnik (GZS-ZKŽP), Štefi Videčnik, MA (MKGP), Ana Le Marechal Kolar (MKGP), Tjaša Gorjanc (GZS-ZKŽP) Photos of dishes: Matej Fišer Photos of fruit: Boštjan Godec, PhD (KIS), Tadej Kreft, Depositphotos, Totaliteta archive Translation and proofreading: K&J Group d.o.o. Design and layout: Samo Grčman Ljubljana, 2019

CIP - Kataložni zapis o publikaciji Narodna in univerzitetna knjižnica, Ljubljana 641.55:634.11(083.12) SMEJ Novak, Valentina Crazy about apples of selected quality : recipes ideas challenges facts anecdotes / [text and recipe design Valentina Smej Novak ; contributing authors Boštjan Godec, Tjaša Gorjanc ; photos of dishes Matej Fišer, photos of fruit Boštjan Godec ... [et al.] ; translation K&J Group]. - Ljubljana : Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, 2019 Izv. stv. nasl.: Nori na jabolka izbrane kakovosti ISBN 978-961-6761-69-7 1. Gl. stv. nasl. 299272192

This project is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Interreg Alpine Space programme. Support from the European Union: 1.820.666 € Funded by the „Federal Transnational Cooperation Programme“ of the German Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community

Crazy about apples of selected quality