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Kraut Ranza, Cabbage Rolls and Apple Strudel have been filling the First Avenue corridor with delectable aromas the past few weeks as preparations for Deuschesfest swing into high gear. Most of the recipes are available in the Hospital Auxiliary Cookbook, Unser Tagelich Brot, The Staff of Life V, and are easy to adapt to home kitchens. The recipe for apple strudel, however makes dough for four, a bit much for one person to deal with alone. The recipe I use for one strudel comes from the 1967 edition of House and Gardens New Cookbook.

Strudel Dough

1 large egg

2 Tbsp melted butter or margarine

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling

3/4 cup warm water )110 degrees)

Dash salt

Have all ingredients at room temperature. Beat egg with a fork in a large mixing bowl until yolk and white are combined. Add melted butter and flour and blend with a fork. Mixture will be crumbly looking. Work in water a little at a time. As soon as mixture holds together, turn out on lightly floured wood surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Dough should be smooth, not sticky. Cover dough with a warm bowl and let rest for at least 30 minutes while preparing filling.

Apple Strudel Filling

1 cup dry, fine bread crumbs

1 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

3-4 Tbsp melted butter

6 cups, unpeeled, sliced and coarsely chopped tart apples

Combine crumbs, sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl, stir in melted butter, mix well to thoroughly moisten crumbs.

Cherry Strudel Filling

2 cups dry fine bread crumbs

1 cup granulated sugar

4 Tbsp butter

3 cups pitted, and chopped tart cherries

Combine crumbs and sugar in a medium bowl. Stir in butter, mixing until crumbs are thoroughly moistened.

Note: if using sweet cherries, reduce sugar to 1/2 cup. Also, four ounces of cubed cream cheese may be scattered over filling before rolling strudel.

Plum or Prune Strudel Filling

2 cups dry fine bread crumbs

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

4 Tbsp melted butter

4 1/2 cups pitted, chopped fresh prunes or plums

Combine crumbs, cinnamon and sugar in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in melted butter, mixing until crumbs are moistened.

Fruit is not the only filling for strudel. Savory fillings turn strudel into a side dish for roasts and stews.

Cabbage Filling

4 cups finely chopped cabbage

1 cup chopped onion

2-3 Tbsp butter

1 tsp granulated sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Sauté cabbage and onion in butter until onion is translucent and cabbage is tender, but not brown. Stir in sugar, salt and pepper. Cook one minute longer. Cool completely before filling dough.

Cover kitchen table or surface at least 30 inches by 48 inches, with a clean table cloth large enough to hang over the table edges. Sprinkle very lightly with flour. Place dough in the center and roll out with a rolling pin as far as it will go easily, about 12-15 inches. Brush with additional melted butter and let rest about 10 minutes.

Remove rings and watches and beginning at dough center, lift dough onto the backs of your hands and letting the weight of the dough do the stretching, work around the dough until very thin and nearly covers the table. Lay dough out on table cloth and gently finish stretching the edges.

Scatter filling crumbs over dough surface, then scatter fruit over crumbs. Fold in side edges about 1 inch, then starting at one end and using the table cloth, roll strudel up, pulling the cloth towards you as you go.

Position a large baking pan lined with parchment paper along side strudel roll. Carefully lift one half the strudel to the pan, then lift and twist remaining half onto pan to form a horse shoe shape. Brush with melted butter and place in preheated 375 degree oven. Bake about 50 minutes until filling is done and crust is nicely browned. Sautéed vegetable fillings will require less baking time, so check after 40 minutes.

Linda Kuch reminded me of a fun addition to applesauce. She uses Red Hots cinnamon candy to flavor applesauce. The cinnamon candies give the sauce a pretty pink color and no cinnamon specks to distract picky eaters. Since I never make the same size batch, I find adding the candies to the hot applesauce one tablespoon at a time works best.

Peaches and tomatoes are at their prime for canning. Soon there will be pears, and until the killing frost, apples of numerous varieties will be available. For several years I have been following the production of electric water bath canners because, like a slow cooker, I felt they would be great for moving the hot process of canning outdoors.

My choice is the Ball Fresh Tech. Easy to use and no adjustment needed for traditional recipes, the smart design is quick to set up and stores neatly when not in use. The base is cool to the touch so it won’t damage kitchen counters, and the unit is more energy efficient that stove top canning. Additionally the unit may be used for large batches of soups and sauces. Be sure to select the model with a drain spout, then you can set it up by your kitchen sink for easy filling and draining when processing is complete. Well worth the price.

Recently I pinned a number of new fall related recipes to my “To Try” list on Pinterest. Feel free to try any of these recipes and let me know what you think. A number of these recipes feature pumpkin. Share your favorite pumpkin recipes and other fall favorites by sending them to: Welcome to My Kitchen, c/o The Odessa Record, P.O. Box 458, Odessa, WA 99159,email therecord@odessaoffice.com or drop them in the Welcome to My Kitchen in the Odessa Record Office. Start composting garden trimmings now to amend the soil this fall or coming spring.