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a good apple a light n' applelicious fall meal by Yee-Fan Sun | 1 2 3

The boy thinks I’m weird because I’ll go through weeks on end where I’ll want one fruit or veggie all the time. In spring it’s asparagus; I’ll buy fat bunches of the stuff and steam it up, nibble away at tasty lemon-drenched stalks for lunch and in-between meal snacks, hoarding them for all myself because I know the boy doesn’t appreciate that particular veggie’s goodness nearly as much as I do. Come summer it’s all about the cherries; as soon as I spy the first plump crimson specimens mounded up in the market, I’m digging in with mad glee -- lugging home cherries in giant threatening-to-burst bags, washing up big bowls that I’ll then devour in single-sitting marathons. Yes, I’m a little obsessive about my favorite foods … all the more so when they’re seasonal treats whose abundance and affordability are all-too-fleeting.

So maybe it’s not surprising that lately, with the weather having taken a turn that’s decidedly autumnal, I can’t seem to get enough of apples. To be honest, most times of the year, apples don’t do much for me; they seem so common, so ho-hum ubiquitous and bland. But come September, local apples start turning up in the produce section, glorious green, red and gold specimens with slightly awkward shapes and tiny lovely flaws. Unlike the freakishly over-waxed versions that come from who-knows-where and that are universally available all year long, these apples look and smell like real apples, perfectly imperfect, quintessentially fall. I love trying out all the different varieties, enjoying their sweet crisp juiciness as a healthy snack -- and throwing them into various dishes come mealtime as well.

This pairing of “creamy” squash-and-apple soup with a delectable apple-bacon-avocado salad hits the spot when I’m looking for a relatively light weekday dinner or weekend late lunch this time of year. As both the soup and the salad are also rather pretty too look at, they also make fine starters for a grander autumn feast. Whether you’re going the simple soup-n-salad route or hosting a big dinner fete, though, one thing’s guaranteed: you’ll like ‘dem apples just fine, as long as you get ‘em while they’re fresh and local and at their sweet-tart-crisp best.

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