[recipe] Strawberry Pie

I compulsively bought two pounds of strawberries a couple of weeks ago, without any time to eat them or cook with them before leaving town for MDSW. So I stewed them!

I cut them in half and tossed in a pot at low flame for a few hours until they condensed. No sugar or anything (well, a tad of leftover Manischwietz). The next week, when I had more time, I bought another pound of strawberries and shoved it all in a Pie ^_^

Hot Water and Lard Pastry

Ingredients (makes 2-3 single crusts)

• 1 cup lard or shortening
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups flour

Directions

1 - Put lard in a medium bowl and boil the water.

2 - Pour water over shortening and blend until all the water is absorbed and the mixture is smooth.
3 - Add the flour, salt and baking soda.
4 - Once it is mixed and in one large ball, cut into 3 balls of dough, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours. If you want a larger pie crust, just do 2 balls of dough. Uncooked dough can be kept in the fridge for about a week or frozen.

6 - Bake these pie crusts up as you would any others, at 350-400 for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.
7 - Follow instructions for double crust fruit pies.