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Apple cider vinegar is for braising, glazing, and vinaigrettes (3 easy recipes to try)


Apples with a bottle of apple cider vinegar

Apple cider vinegar has been the darling of the wellness community, who advocate drinking it for its health benefits–weight loss, blood sugar management, and bloating among them.

However, drinking apple cider vinegar regularly or without diluting it comes with risks. In addition to an upset stomach, it can cause the enamel on your teeth to erode and damage your esophagus’s lining. And frankly, the benefits of apple cider vinegar are more or less the same as red wine vinegar.

We’d rather get our dose of apple cider vinegar the old-fashioned way:  using it in recipes perfect for fall cooking. Apple cider vinegar offers a bit of sweetness and light acidity that can turn an ordinary dish into a memorable one.

Three of our favorites are apple cider vinaigrette, which is superb on a spinach salad; chicken thighs braised in apple cider vinegar, which might be the best chicken dish you’ve ever tasted; and a turnip-potato puree with apple cider vinegar, which has a brightness that contrasts with the mild flavors of roast chicken or fish.

Don’t let the fall or winter pass by without trying these.

Apple cider vinegar braised chicken thighs

Chicken thighs braised in apple cider vinegar

Poulet au vinaigre, or chicken in red wine vinegar, is a popular French dish, particularly associated with the culinary traditions of Lyon. Chicken is cooked in a sauce made from red wine vinegar, white wine, and various aromatics, resulting in a tangy and flavorful meal.

This recipe follows the same principles but uses apple cider vinegar instead.  Apple cider vinegar and carrots impart a slight sweetness to this dish that complements the vinegar’s acidity and the buttery taste of the chicken.

Serve with broad noodles or mashed potatoes. Baked apples make an excellent dessert. It may become your favorite fall and winter meal.

Ingredients

  • 1 T. Olive oil
  • 4 chicken thighs
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 carrots sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 3 shallots, sliced
  • 1 T. Flour
  • ½ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1-1/2 cups chicken Stock
  • 1 T. Butter

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a heavy, oven-safe pot over medium-high heat (an enamel Dutch oven works best). Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper, and add them to the pot, skin-side down. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the skin turns a rich, golden color and begins to crisp. Remove chicken from the pot and set aside. Pour out all but 1 Tbs of the oil/fat that has cooked off.
  3. Add the carrots, garlic, and leek to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until they begin to soften. Add the flour and cook for one minute. Deglaze the pot with the vinegar, scraping up any browned chicken that is stuck to the bottom of the pot. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the chicken back to the pot, skin-side up.
  4. Cover the pot and transfer it to the oven. Allow the chicken to braise for 50 minutes.
  5. Heat the broiler. Remove the chicken for the pot and place on a broiler pan or heavy baking sheet. Broil for 5-6 minutes, until the skin crisps back up. Meanwhile, Place the pot back on the stove and allow it to reduce over medium heat. Stir in the butter.
  6. To serve, spoon the sauce over the chicken thighs.

Adapted from healthy-delicious.com

Mashed turnips with pepper and apple cider vinegar

Turnip puree with apple cider vinegar
Image courtesy of Gelberger/Sweet and Salty/Cuisine Actuelle

This turnip and potato mash with apple cider vinegar is the perfect accompaniment to a roast pork loin, chicken or turkey, or a thick white fish, such as cod. The small shards of black peppercorn add an earthy counterpoint to the vinegar and the creaminess of the turnips and potatoes.

Whip it into an elegant puree or smash it into a rough mash–it’s versatile. Whatever works for the occasion.

Ingredients

  • 1 kg Turnips
  • 1Big potato
  • 40 g Butter
  • 4 tbsp. Apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp. thick crème fraîche
  • Salt
  • Pepper from the mill

Directions

  1. Peel the turnips and the potato. Cut them into one-inch cubes. Add to salted water in a saucepan, bring to a boil, and cook for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick can be inserted with a slight resistance. Drain.
  2. Melt the butter in a frying pan. Add the vinegar, and brown the turnips and potato for 5 minutes.
  3. Blend the mixture until smooth and creamy or more rustic, with the cream.
  4. Using a pepper mill (or a hammer) grind pepper into the size of large grains. Do not pulverize–the pepper should be visible in the dish.
  5.  Add salt to taste. Serve very hot.

Recipe adapted from Cuisine Actuelle

Spinach salad with creamy apple cider vinaigrette

Spinach salad with apple cider vinaigrette

This isn’t a recipe for spinach salad, per se, more like a few fruit and veg combinations with spinach that shine with apple cider vinaigrette, which is the star here. The first on the list below is from Zi Zia, a Pizzeria and Trattoria in Bloomfield, New Jersey, which is what inspired my quest for a great apple cider vinegar salad dressing. (Thanks to the owner for reading the ingredients–but not the measurements!–to me over the phone.)

Mix the salad

To a bowlful of baby spinach add your choice of garnishes (ideas below), then drizzle with apple cider vinaigrette to taste. For a vegetarian or vegan version of these salads simply omit the bacon and/or cheese.

  • Crispy pancetta, candied walnuts (or buy on Amazon), dried cranberries, and blue cheese crumbles
  • Thinly sliced tart apple, such as Granny Smith, crumbled feta cheese, coarsely chopped toasted walnuts
  • Sliced firm, sweet apple–Honeycrisp or Jonagold, thin slices of red onion, candied pecans, golden raisins, crumbled goat cheese
  • Chopped Honeycrisp or other similarly crisp, juicy, sweet-tart apple variety, smoked almonds, chopped, mature sharp cheddar cheese, broken into pieces

Creamy apple cider vinaigrette

This vinaigrette can be made by whisking ingredients together in a bowl, using a hand blender, or vigorously shaking the ingredients in a jar. We like this Bonsenkitchen Hand Frother, which aerates and emulsifies the ingredients into a creamy dressing.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 C. plus 1 t. apple cider vinegar
  • 1 to 2 T. honey
  • 1/4 C. olive oil
  • 1/2 C. mayonnaise
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt

Directions

  1. In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar and 1 T. honey, until honey is fully incorporated. Add salt. Stream in the olive oil while whisking constantly.
  2. Add mayonnaise bit by bit while continuously whisking. Taste.
  3. If the dressing is too tart add more honey by the teaspoon, until you get the desired sweet/tart balance.
  4. Add additional salt to taste.

Apple cider vinaigrette can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 weeks (or longer).

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