Post by Granny Smith on Feb 25, 2008 22:43:25 GMT -5
Grandma's Fried Pies
I'll try to explain how I make them, even though I don't measure anything. This is the recipe my grandmother used, and she probably learned it from her mother, so it's at least 85 years old, maybe over 100. Let me know if I leave out anything or any of the directions are too vague.
First, I cook my fruit. I take a bag, or box, of dried fruit (apricot is my favorite, but you can use any kind) and cut it into smallish pieces. Put them into a saucepan and add some sugar (it's hard to say how much, since it varies with the different kinds of fruit and personal taste. I like mine a little tart) and a little water (enough to almost cover the fruit). Cook, on medium heat, until fruit is tender, adding more water, if necessary. Before the fruit is done, taste it and add more sugar if it isn't sweet enough. Cooked fruit should be moist, but not runny. Set aside to cool, while you make the dough.
Into a big bowl, I put 2 or 3 cups of flour, 1 t. baking powder for each cup of flour, a little salt (maybe 1/2 a t.) and a hunk of lard about the size of an egg. Cut lard into dry ingredients, until mixture looks like meal. Stir in some milk, until mixture starts to form a ball. Check it by picking up a bit and squeezing it in your hand. If it holds together, and doesn't crumble, it should be good. If it's too dry, add a bit more milk, if it's too wet, add a bit more flour. Knead a few times to make it smooth, but don't overwork. (What you're doing, basically, is making biscuit dough)
Sprinkle some flour on a board (I use my kitchen table) and roll out the dough about as thick as you'd roll pie crust. Cut out circles (I use a small bowl as a cutter- about 4" in diameter) Make the circles a little smaller than you want your pies to be. Just do a few at a time, so they don't dry out.
On one side of each circle, place about a tablespoon of filling or maybe a little more (depends on how thick your filling is and how big your circles are). Spread filling to about 3/4 inch from the edge of dough on one half of the circle. Dip your finger in water and rub the edge of the dough. Fold in half and seal edges. Pinch them good, so they won't leak. Sometimes, I fold the pinched edges up and pinch them again, just to be sure.
Next, heat some grease in a skillet to a depth of about 1/2 inch. When the grease is hot, turn heat to medium-low. Lay in some of your pies. Don't overcrowd them. Brown on both sides. Once they are nice and brown, take them out of the pan and put them on paper towels to drain.
While those are cooking, get more pies ready to cook and just keep doing that until you have used all of your dough and/or filling, adding more grease to the pan, as needed.
Then, like I tell my kids, clean up the kitchen and you're done.
I'll try to explain how I make them, even though I don't measure anything. This is the recipe my grandmother used, and she probably learned it from her mother, so it's at least 85 years old, maybe over 100. Let me know if I leave out anything or any of the directions are too vague.
First, I cook my fruit. I take a bag, or box, of dried fruit (apricot is my favorite, but you can use any kind) and cut it into smallish pieces. Put them into a saucepan and add some sugar (it's hard to say how much, since it varies with the different kinds of fruit and personal taste. I like mine a little tart) and a little water (enough to almost cover the fruit). Cook, on medium heat, until fruit is tender, adding more water, if necessary. Before the fruit is done, taste it and add more sugar if it isn't sweet enough. Cooked fruit should be moist, but not runny. Set aside to cool, while you make the dough.
Into a big bowl, I put 2 or 3 cups of flour, 1 t. baking powder for each cup of flour, a little salt (maybe 1/2 a t.) and a hunk of lard about the size of an egg. Cut lard into dry ingredients, until mixture looks like meal. Stir in some milk, until mixture starts to form a ball. Check it by picking up a bit and squeezing it in your hand. If it holds together, and doesn't crumble, it should be good. If it's too dry, add a bit more milk, if it's too wet, add a bit more flour. Knead a few times to make it smooth, but don't overwork. (What you're doing, basically, is making biscuit dough)
Sprinkle some flour on a board (I use my kitchen table) and roll out the dough about as thick as you'd roll pie crust. Cut out circles (I use a small bowl as a cutter- about 4" in diameter) Make the circles a little smaller than you want your pies to be. Just do a few at a time, so they don't dry out.
On one side of each circle, place about a tablespoon of filling or maybe a little more (depends on how thick your filling is and how big your circles are). Spread filling to about 3/4 inch from the edge of dough on one half of the circle. Dip your finger in water and rub the edge of the dough. Fold in half and seal edges. Pinch them good, so they won't leak. Sometimes, I fold the pinched edges up and pinch them again, just to be sure.
Next, heat some grease in a skillet to a depth of about 1/2 inch. When the grease is hot, turn heat to medium-low. Lay in some of your pies. Don't overcrowd them. Brown on both sides. Once they are nice and brown, take them out of the pan and put them on paper towels to drain.
While those are cooking, get more pies ready to cook and just keep doing that until you have used all of your dough and/or filling, adding more grease to the pan, as needed.
Then, like I tell my kids, clean up the kitchen and you're done.