New Mexicans don’t need colorful foliage to know that autumn is here. We wait for the whiff of roasting chile that tickles our noses. Another sign of autumn, less well recognized but equally promising, is a sound: c-r-r-u-n-n-c-h. It’s New Mexicans’ collective bite into delicious, locally grown apples.

The state’s apple harvest lasts about four months, from August to November, give or take a few weeks depending on the variety. To the delight of apple lovers everywhere, apples pile up at farmers’ markets and supermarkets. No Sunday drive to see the colors is complete without a stop to buy apples at a roadside stand or to pick them yourself at orchards in the Española Valley, the Jemez Mountains, and the outskirts of Albuquerque and Las Cruces. In kitchens across the state, aromatic apples find their way into pies, jellies, sauces, casseroles—any dish imaginative cooks can conjure.

For Carmen Segura, apple harvest time means days of making jams, jellies, and pastelitos (fruit squares) to sell at the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market, where she and her husband have sold their goods for the past 15 years. Noted chef Deborah Madison, the author of several cookbooks including the award-winning Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, adds New Mexico apples to pancakes, for starters. She makes the humble yet noble fruit an important ingredient of hearty fall and winter entrées.

Whether she is cooking for tomorrow or for Christmas, Segura cooks apples in the microwave, which shortens cooking time and requires no water, preserving nutrients. Whether you are microwaving or using a pot on top of the stove, peel, core, and slice apples to 1/4 inch and cook them gently until just tender. If you’re freezing, sprinkle them with lemon juice to keep them from discoloring, then stash them in plastic bags or containers. Producing large batches and freezing comes naturally for Segura, who prepared meals for her husband and eight children, now all grown. “That’s where I learned to cook,” she says.

Carmen Segura’s Pastelitos
Makes about 16 4” x 3” squares
Prepare a pastry for a large double-crust pie (17” x 12”):
4 c. all-purpose flour
2 c. self-rising flour
1 c. sugar
1 T. cinnamon
2 c. vegetable shortening
1/2 c. cool water
Sift together all the dry ingredients. Cut the shortening into the dry mixture. Add enough water to make a soft dough. Cut the dough into two balls for two crusts.
Apple filling:
16 large cooking apples, peeled and sliced
2 c. brown sugar
2 T. butter
1 T. cinnamon
1 t. cloves
6 T. cornstarch
Mix the ingredients so that you have about 8 cups. Microwave in a large bowl covered with plastic wrap for about 30 minutes, or steam them in a large pot with a bit of water until just tender.
Roll out the crust for a rectangular bottom shell and lay into a rectangular baking pan. Pour the apple mixture into the bottom shell and spread evenly. Roll out a rectangular crust and cover the apple mixture with it. Prick the crust with a fork or slash with a knife in several places. Bake in a 400-degree oven for 40–60 minutes. Cool and cut into squares.
Note: This recipe can be reduced for a smaller pie. Also, the crust can be circular. Segura does not recommend freezing after cooking.

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