Sausage and Apple Pie

Sausage and apple Pie, finished and cut

Pork Sausage and apples is a period concoction; pies are too, and putting anything in a pie goes back to the Middle Ages. I didn’t have any blackbirds to bake in a pie for the last muster but this seemed to satisfy.

Several members asked me for the recipe and as I didn’t have one, you’ll have to be indulgent as to quantities of ingredients. I’ll start with the crust . For meat pies, I like a lard crust. While flaky, they hold up better to the moisture and are substantial .

Pie crust:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1 teaspoon salt
•  ²⁄₃ cup lard (or Crisco if you’d rather)
• 5 -7 tablespoons cold water. I actually use vodka which I store in the freezer. it’s colder than water and the alcohol evaporates when baked.

Directions

1. Put flour into a mixing bowl with the lard or shortning
2. Using a pastry cutter or your floured fingers, cut the lard into the flour until it’s very crumbly.
3. add salt and water.
4. Mix until dough is formed.
5. Roll out on flat surface.

I made the crust at home , rolled it out and on waxed paper and brought it with me. Since I made 2 pies, I did two batches which made 4 – 9 inch crusts. I put 2 of them  in pie pans and set aside while I made the filling.

Filling:

• 2 lbs homemade lean pork sausage (or any kind you want)
• 2 medium sized sweet onions, chopped fine
• 1 medium red pepper, 1 small  green pepper, chopped fine
• 6 medium apples (I used Macintosh but half whatever apple you have AND  half Granny Smith would be great.), peeled and chopped
• 1 lb divided, grated extra sharp cheddar cheese
• 3 tbs butter
• 1 tablespoon + of flour (maybe more)
• 1 egg scrambled
• 1/4 organic apple vinegar
• 1/4 cup + Stevia (If it weren’t for my diabetic friends, I’d use dark brown sugar)

Directions:

1. In a skillet, Crumble the sausage and brown it. Remove after it’s done and set aside.
2. Deglaze with a little bit of vinegar. Then melt butter, add the onions and peppers and fry until semi soft and the onions are golden. Ad the apples and cook down a little.
3. Add the sausage back to the pan and mix with the remaining vinegar and sugar or stevia. cook a little to combine.
4. At this point, you’re done and then you fill the crusts high. the crusts should be in pie pans ready to be filled.
5. Brush the egg on the sides and bottom of each crust.
6. mix a bit of flour in the filling to bind the liquid when baking.
7. Layer the cheese on top and fill each pie.

Egg washed pie crust and filling

 

Add the cheese

Put the crust lids on, pinch the sides to close and spread remaining egg wash on tops. Cut vents in to let the steam out.

As to baking. , I put each one in a dutch oven and used what is described as a quick fire, coals on top and on bottom. If I was making this in my oven, I’d start at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes and them reduce to 375 for about 40 minutes or so.

Dutch ovens are stacked with coals between. I turned them every 15 minutes.

Piling the filling in

MMM MMMM Good!

I made a salad. The dressing was a simple dressing of 3 parts good olive oil (I used infused oil with lemon), a bit of Stevia or sugar, a pinch of salt and pepper and 1 part apple cider vinegar. Can’t get anything this good in a restaurant!!!

 

 

Eat that Grass? To Make a Salmagundy

Salmagundy (picture from the Williamsburg website)

When I went to Ireland, getting a fresh salad was neigh impossible. If one asked for a salad, you got a wedge of iceburg and a tempid dressing. The comment I kept hearing was salad was for livestock- grass was not preferred on a plate. Looking to England, I figure that the attitude might be the same. Much to my surprise, I found an 18th century recipe for a salad called Salmagundy. I made this salad and it reminds me of a Cobb salad, great in hot weather and very refreshing.

Looking a bit further, I found that Salmangundy goes back to the 17th century. It’s derived from a French word.

The French word “salmagondis” means a hodgepodge or mix of widely disparate things. The dish aims to produce a wide range of flavors and textures, a kind of salad stew, and popular on pirate ships, believe it or not. (Wikipedia) I found 2 Recipes for salmagundy dating back to the 1500’s and they sound pretty good to me.

• “Cut cold roast chicken or other meats into slices. Mix with minced tarragon and an onion. Mix all together with capers, olives, samphire, broombuds, mushrooms, oysters, lemon, orange, raisins, almonds, blue figs, Virginia potatoes, peas and red and white currants. Garnish with sliced oranges and lemons. Cover with oil and vinegar, beaten together.” (from The Good Huswives Treasure, Robert May, 1588–1660)

• “A mixture of minced veal, chicken or turkey, anchovies or pickled herring, and onions, all chopped together and served with lemon juice and oil.”

I found the following recipe on the Williamsburg website “History Is Served: 18th Century Recipes for the 21st Century Kitchen.

http://recipes.history.org/2011/03/to-make-a-salmagundy/

 

18th Century

TAKE two or three Roman or Cabbage-Lettuce; and when you have wash’d them clean, swing them pretty dry in a Cloth; then beginning at the open End, cut them cross-ways, as fine as a good big Thread, and lay the Lettuce so cut about an Inch thick in the Bottom of a Dish: When you have thus garnish’d your Dish, take a couple of cold roasted Pullets or Chickens, and cut the Flesh of the Breasts and Wings into Slices about three Inches long, a quarter of an Inch broad, and as thin as a Shilling, lay them upon the Lettuce round the one End to the middle of the Dish, and the other toward the Brim: Then having bon’d and cut half a dozen Anchovies, each into eight Pieces, lay them all round betwixt each Slice of the Fowls; then cut the lean Meat of the Pullets or Chickens Legs into small Dice, and cut a Lemon into small Dice: Then mince the Yolks of four hard Eggs, with three or four Anchovies, and a little Parsley; and make a round Heap of these in the middle of your Dish, piling it up in the Form of a Sugar-loaf, and garnish it with small Onions as big as the Yolks of Eggs, boiled in a good deal of water, very tender and white; put the largest of the Onions on the middle of the minc’d Meat on the top of the Salamongundy, and lay the rest all round the Brim of the Dish, as thick as you can lay them; then beat some Sallad-Oil up with Vinegar, Salt, and Pepper, and pour over it all; garnish with Grapes just scalded, or French Beans blanched, or Station-Flowers, and serve it up hot for a first Course.

– Nott, Cooks and Confectioners Dictionary, Art. 35.

21st Century

(I split everything in half for two and it worked extremely well)

• 1 whole chicken, roasted
• 1 head red leaf lettuce
• 4 eggs, hard-boiled
• 1 head green leaf lettuce (I used hearts of Romaine although the hydoponically grown “living” leaf lettuce would be wonderful too )
• 2 small onions (I used spring onions)
• 2 2-oz. tins of flat anchovy fillets, partially drained
• 1 lemon
• 4 Tbsp. olive oil
• 8 slices of ham (6” round, medium thickness)
• 4 Tbsp. vinegar
• salt and pepper

1. After chicken is roasted, separate meat from the bone. Coarsely chop, keeping the dark meat separate from the white meat.
2. Shell hard-boiled eggs. Separate the yolks from the whites and mince each separately.
3. Finely chop the onions and parsley, and dice the lemons. Keep separate.
4. Cut ham slices into 1” squares.
5. Wash and drain lettuces, separate leaves, and dry.
6. On a large round plate, arrange your ingredients as follows, working from the outside into the center in rings: red lettuce leaves, green lettuce leaves, white chicken meat, anchovies, minced egg yolks, diced lemon, dark chicken meat, onions, ham pieces, parsley, and egg whites.
7. In a small bowl, add oil, vinegar, and salt and pepper (to taste). Mix well and drizzle over entire salad. Serve.