Wonderful Fall Lentil and Apple Stew

So, its fall, and there is some amazing fresh produce to be had. This rich and hearty stew incorporates apples, onions, and two types of squash. I used a cheap cab sav for the red wine, and it turned out wonderfully. Also, I think the hot sauce adds a lot, but, well, I really like hot sauce. Also, this was the first time I got to use the dumplings I made a week ago – they turned out a little more dense than the last batch I did (I’m assuming because I used high gluten flour for the protein), but they’re full of flavor.

Apple and Lentil stew

1/4 yellow onion, sliced
1/2 golden delicious or supreme apple, chopped
1/2 T shredded ginger
1/2 cup chopped zucchini
1/2 cup of red wine
1/2 can of lentils
6 butternut squash dumplings (see recipe below)
1 sprig rosemary
Salt + pepper
Heavy dash of Cinnamon
1 tsp hot sauce (optional)

Boil dumplings in 1C of salted water until they float.
In a skillet in a minimal amount of olive oil, add onion, ginger, zucchini, and apple - cook until softened. Add cooked dumplings and rosemary, cook until dumplings begin to brown. Deglaze with red wine, and add lentils, salt, pepper, hot sauce, and the dumpling cooking liquid. Simmer until it reaches a stew-like consistency (about 15 minutes), remove rosemary, and serve.

Butternut squash dumplings

1 butternut squash
High gluten flour (or whole wheat flour)

Cut the squash in half, take the seeds out, and roast it at 400 on a sheet pan until it is nice and soft – about 45 minutes. Let it partially cool, and remove the skin. Mash the squash and add flour until it reaches a dough like consistency – somewhere between 1 and 2 cups. Roll the dough out into 1” diameter snakes and chop off ½” dumplings. Put them on a sheet pan and place them in the freezer. Once they’re hard frozen, bag them up. They keep in the freezer for months. Then just toss them in boiling water – once they float, they’re ready.