My Nana's One Crust Pie Pastry

Whenever I think of my Nana, Helena Loughlin, which is quite often, I always remember her as, with no finer word to say, soft. I lost her when I was very young but what wonderful memories she left to me! Oh, how I loved touching the powdery flesh of her arms and holding the hands that formed sugar cookies. She sipped iced coffee from latticed jelly jars on her sunny porch while we talked, shelling peas into a colander. Housedresses and beaded hairnets. Molasses pantry cookies that she slathered with cream cheese. I did my best to entertain her with songs I made up and she could somehow loose the dentures from her mouth with a cluck of her tongue which of course sent me into howling fits!

As Baby and I have been completely consumed with making meat pies as of late, my cousin suggested that we use the recipe for the pastry crusts that Nana used to make. So much reminiscence has been swirling around my mind ever since that I thought I should present the recipe here.

How I love you so, Nana!

One Crust Pie Pastry

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup flour

Salt

1/2 cup Crisco

3 T plus ice water

Method

Sift flour and salt into a bowl. Cut in shortening with a blender or two knives until crumbly. Add ice water, stir with a fork and add more water just until it holds together. Make into a ball and knead just a little.

Important: handle as little as possible.