Pappardelle ~ Apple, Fig, Pistachio, Mint, Saffron Cream

Pappardelle with Saffron Cream
Apple, Fig, Pistachio, Mint

• Our 5 Star Makeover Cooking Club is featuring apples for the fabulous September event.
• My family and friends are celebrating the Jewish New Year 5773. And I’m thinking about noodle kugel. Kugel is a sweet Jewish casserole. I bake mine with egg noodles, golden raisins, cottage cheese, cinnamon, and apples. I was also thinking about my saffron matzoh balls…
• My little guy Wilson needed some tests. When I dropped him off, his awesome veterinarian gave me a big basket of fresh figs from her garden.

These three events cosmically intertwined. Apples & figs collided with noodles & saffron. And the result was a delightful vegetarian pasta with a luxurious saffron cream sauce. It was an exotic marriage of sweet & savory, creamy & crunchy. The colors were glorious ~ golden yellow saffron, pale green granny smith apples, pink salmon-hued figs, and bright green mint.

The 5 Star Makeover Cooking Group hosted by Natasha the 5 Star Foodie & Lazaro of Lazaro Cooks! is an outstanding monthly event for sharing ideas and creating gourmet makeovers of selected classic dishes or flavor combinations. September’s theme is APPLES.

“Apples. Lots of space there for creative playing. Makeover a classic dish where apple is the main attraction or make something totally new. Just have fun with it. That’s what this is all about. “

Laz & Natasha have posted the round-up of our Cooking Group’s apple creations here. Please join us, in pomme heaven…

Saffron Cream Recipe (vegan)

• 1  1/2 T. olive oil
• 1 shallot minced
• 1/2 c. dry white wine
• 1 c. vegan cream
• 1 generous pinch saffron threads
• 1 1/2 T. nutritional yeast flakes
• sea salt
• cayenne pepper

In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, sauté shallot in olive oil until soft but not brown. Add wine then reduce by half. Add cream, yeast flakes, and saffron whisking for 5 minutes. Season with sea salt and cayenne pepper to taste.

Toss pappardelle pasta with the saffron cream. Finish the dish with wedges of granny smith apple, fig, chopped pistachio, and a chiffonade of fresh mint.

With the conclusion of Yom Kippur

I wish all of you ~ my family and friends ~ a New Year that is sweet and good. 

May you be inscribed in the Book of Life for a healthy, peaceful, and fulfilling year.

And may this new year bring satisfaction, achievement, and happiness. L’Shana Tova!