BAKED BRAMLEY APPLES WITH CHORIZO AND GOAT'S CHEESE

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Cooking for one is hard. Gary’s away for most of the week, and it’s just so tempting to simply throw on some pasta to boil or shove some bread in the toaster when I get home late from work…

So lately I’ve been on a mission to find suppers that are easy to make, quick to prepare and suitable for just one person. And BY JOVE I THINK I’VE GOT IT!

I give you: baked apples stuffed with chorizo and goat’s cheese.

Yes, the name needs a little work. But who knew that savoury baked apples would be so delicious??

They’re sooo easy to throw together and, if I do say so myself, YUM.

Tangy Bramley apples, stuffed with a savoury filling of salty chorizo, crunchy pine nuts and creamy goat’s cheese, baked until they’re soft and steaming and delicious.

I serve mine with a crispy green salad, and I just want to eat it again and again and again!

Gary actually thought I was making loaded potato skins when I made them for him this weekend… until he started eating. And even when he realised they were baked apples, he actually really liked them!

So yeah. Baked apples. Boyfriend approved.

Let’s get started shall we?

So, a couple of things.

First, Bramley apples work best for this recipe. I’ve tried making baked apples before with other types of apple, and it just doesn’t work as well. The higher fruit acid content of Bramley apples gives a tangier tasting apple that retains its flavour when cooked. They also have a melt in the mouth texture which makes them perfect for baking.

My other tip is to sit your apple on a flat surface and carefully slice the top off while the fruit is sat there. When I first attempted it, I misjudged everything and ended up with an apple that tilted sidewise and tipped all the filling out of it… That was fun.

So depending on the size of your apple, you can either hack off the top or, if you’ve got a spectacularly large apple, just slice it in half. I went for the slicing-the-top-off option here.

Also, the coring part of this recipe is what I found trickiest. My best suggestion is to use a small, sharp, serrated knife to carve out the circle in the apple, and then use a spoon to help scoop out the extra flesh and pips.

You should be left with a neat little apple “bowl”, all ready to be filled with chorizo-cheesy goodness!

BAKED APPLES STUFFED WITH CHORIZO AND GOAT’S CHEESE

INGREDIENTS (for two people)

2 Bramley apples
1 tbsp of lemon juice
1/3 of a chorizo ring (I used Sainsbury’s own because BUDGET)
1 shallot
1 tsp of dried sage
1 tsp of olive oil
1 small handful of pine nuts (not toasted or anything – just raw)
2 tbsp of creamy goat’s cheese (no rind please!)

METHOD

1. Turn your oven on to 200 degrees (180 for fan ovens!) and line a tray or tin with silver foil.

2. Prep your apples: chop off the top (or simply slice in half, depending on how big they are!), then carve out the centres and get rid of the pips, core and extra flesh. Be careful not to pierce the skins. You should be left with a bowl-shaped apple that sits straight on a flat surface. Drizzle the insides of the apple with the lemon juice. This will stop them from turning brown. Pop them on your prepped tray, and put to one side while you make the filling.

3. Score a line down your chorizo sausage and remove the skin. Then chop the meat into very small chunks. Peel and finely chop your shallots.

4. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Once it’s sizzling, add the chorizo, shallots and sage. Stir until the shallots are translucent and soft, and the chorizo is just getting crispy round the edges. Add the pine nuts and stir everything for a few more minutes, until the pine nuts are lightly toasted.

5. Pour your chorizo and shallot mixture into a bowl. Add your goat’s cheese and mix in thoroughly. Dollop your filling into the apples, until it’s just poking out of the top.

6. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, depending on how big your apples are. The fruit should feel soft and the topping should be bubbling slightly. Serve your baked apples hot from the oven, with a side of green salad!