Recipe #4 Debreziner Sausage with Salsa Cruda:
Serves 4-6 people
For this recipe I modified (hacked) this recipe from Fine Cooking.
4 Debrizener sausages
1lb of penne pasta
2lbs of tomatoes, chopped, with seeds removed
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1/2 English cucumber, chopped
1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/3 cup dill, chopped
1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
1/2 cup virgin olive oil (good quality)
salt and cracked pepper to taste.
Combine all herbs, vegetables and oil and let rest for at least 15 minutes. If you want to change the flavour profile a bit you can also drizzle some balsamic vinegar over the tomato mixture.
Put the pasta water on and salt the water if preferred. Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package.
Warm the sausages on the stove until heated thoroughly. Debreziner sausages are already pre-cooked. Remove from the stove, slice thinly and add to the salsa cruda.
Drain the pasta, shake to remove the excess water and add to the salsa cruda mix. Stir and serve.
Honey Apple Pie:
This recipe is from Margo Oliver's Weekend Magazine Cookbook published in 1967. Truly one of the best cookbooks I have ever used. I cannot recommend this cookbook highly enough. It's so good I am attempting to find copies for each of my sons!
Apples today are sweeter than the apples used when this cookbook was published. The apples from my parents farm that were planted over a 100 years ago are much, much tarter than today's apples. There were many more varieties and apples were a staple for both cider (hard and soft) as well as cooking. As you couldn't trust the water to drink at least you had cider, wine or ale. (Read the Pleasures of Slow Food for a great discussion on what happened to apples after WWII) So this is one of the few recipes that I cut down the amount of sugar she uses.
For the pastry, I prefer to use a food processor to cut in the fat. My hands are not cold enough to rub the fat into the flour and create the tiny fat beads that make for great pastry. And remember, resting your pastry in the refrigerator is crucial prior to rolling it out. Let it warm for about 10 minutes before you roll it out.
Standard 2 crust Pastry
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup lard or 3/4 cup shortening, chilled
1/4 cup ice water
Place the flour and salt in the food processor. Spin for 5 secs. (Or just place it in a bowl and stir with a fork.)
Cut up chilled fat and place chunks on top of flour. Pulse five times and spin for five. (Or coursely cut in the fat with knives or pastry blender into the flour.)
Pour flour/fat mixture into a bowl and spinkle 1 tbsp of water into the flour at a time. Use a fork to mix it in until all the flour is damp. Gather into a ball and press firmly. \
Divide into two, shape into a ball and flatten slightly. Chill for half an hour.
Remove from refrigerator and let rest for 10 minutes to half an hour.
Roll thin on a floured board or pastry board. Roll from centre rather than back and forth. Roll out until 1 inch larger than the pie pan. Lift on rolling pin and ease pastry loosely into pie pan.
Honey Apple Pie:
Make 1 batch of Standard Pastry.
Heat oven to 425 degrees.
1/2 cup of sugar
1 tsp nutmeg (freshly grated is better)
6 cups of sliced peeled apples
1 1/2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup liquid honey
1 tbsp grated orange rind
Roll out pastry and place in bottom of pie pan. Mix sugar, nutmeg and apples. Place in pie pan, dot with butter.
Roll out remaining pastry and cut into 1/2 inch strips. Moisten bottom edge of pastry with water and make a lattice top with the strips, sealing them to the bottom pastry. Turn bottom pastry over the strips and flute to make a high edge. Cover edge with strips of aluminum foil to prevent browning.
Bake for 50-60 minutes or until apples are tender and the pastry is golden brown.
Combine honey and orange rind. Remove pie from the oven and pour honey minture through the openings in the lattice when the pie is baked. Return to the oven for 5 minutes.
Serve warm or cold.
