Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Ingredients

Pie crust

• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 3/4 cup shortening
• 5 Tbsp cold water or milk (milk preferred)

Pie filling

• 1 cup sugar
• 6 Tbsp tapioca (tapioca starch preferred, but quick-cooking tapioca is ok too)
• 1 lb rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 4-6 cups strawberries

Procedure

Cut the stawberries in half. Place in a bowl with the rhubarb and add the sugar and tapioca. Mix and let sit for at least 15 minutes. Make the pie crust: Cut the shortening and flour together. This can be done with two knives, with a pastry cutter, or with some electric mixers. (I do mine in a Kitchenaid food processor/mixer.) When the mixture has an even consistency (it should resemble coarse sand), add in the milk (or water). Take about 5/8ths of the dough and roll out on a floured board until it is a little bit larger than a 10-inch pie pan. Put this in the pie pan. (The rest of the dough is for the top of the pie.) Pour the strawberries and rhubarb mixture into the pie crust. Roll out the remainder of the pie crust. Place on top of the pie, crimping the edges of the top and bottom crusts together. Make one or two slits in the top of the crust for steam to escape. Bake 45 to 50 minutes at or until syrup boils with heavy bubbles that do not burst. Strawberries and rhubarb are both seasonal fruits. Their season is late spring/early summer. You can use 3/4 cup sugar if you like it less sweet. I recommend putting a piece of aluminum foil under the pie as it is cooking, because it invariably leaks. This will save you from having to clean up the oven. http://www.rhubarbinfo.com/recipe-pie.html