Flavor units fill the house! A pinch of nutmeg, a dash of allspice as those apple slices cook in a pan of butter & onions….Autumn!
Aah yes, New England in the Fall. There is something magical about it. The trees a blaze with colors that can’t be described in words, it’s an experience that sings to your soul, it catches your breath. A certain awareness of time, of change, surrounds you – yet it still feels distant. Oh, and the crab apples! We had a huge crab apple tree in our front yard.
I was renting a little house, in a Harborside town , a fishermen’s seaport really. My life-long friend happened to be stationed in the Navy a port away. We would sit for hours on the tailgate of his truck and listen to those crab apples drop. Discussing life ambitions, family, and questioning what it all means, the purpose of this thing we call life. Sometimes you need a sign and sometimes you need someone to just flat out tell you when you are on the right path.
One early morning – like 5 am early, I was at work, my friend along side me setting up the coffee. We don’t lock doors in this little village, and in walked a fella. He looked like a character from a storybook. Long fluffy white beard, cane in hand, yellow fisherman boots, he came up to the counter. I explained we don’t open for another hour, and asked if he could come back then. He looked right at me with those sparkling blue eyes and gently replied, ” BOO ! ” Then he turned and left, I never saw him again, not even a glimpse of him reappearing in town.
This fella was the first of many of what I refer to as Eskimos, that have crossed my path throughout my life. These are gentle reminders to me that it is not so much the journey, rather it’s how we behave. That sometimes we have a huge impact on others, even if it is for a brief moment in time. So take the time to make dinner, sit with a friend and discover the way crab apples sound when the are falling.
In this dish I used Fuji Apples;
Steam veggies while browning pork chops. Remove chops, add 2 Tablespoon butter, onion & apple
Add spices, I used 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg and 1/2 teaspoon allspice. Cook until apples are tender. Serve over pork chops with side of veggies, and stir up the gypsy in your soul.
Gypsy Soup 