Fine Fall Food

INGREDIENTS

• 1 basic pie dough recipe, rolled out and lining a 9 or 10-inch pie dish, or 8×8 baking dish, chilled (or one frozen pie crust)
• 2 large tart Granny Smith apples, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped (about half a cup)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 3/4 lb sweet Italian sausage (bulk, or removed from casings)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 cups shredded fontina, provalone, and or asiago cheese
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup feta cheese
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten

METHOD

1 Preheat oven to 425°F. Line the inside of a pie shell with heavy aluminum foil, pressing the dough against the side. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove foil, poke the bottom of the pie crust with the tines of a fork to create air vents. Return crust to oven, bake for an additional 4 minutes, or until the crust just begins to brown. Remove from oven and let cool. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.

2 Melt butter in a large skillet on medium heat. Add the apples, onions, and sugar, cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. In the last 30 seconds or so, add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Transfer mixture to a separate bowl. Increase the heat to medium high and in the same skillet add the Italian sausage. Cook, stirring only infrequently, until sausage is browned on all sides and is cooked through. Remove from heat. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon to a dish lined with paper towels to absorb the excess fat.

3 In medium sized bowl, mix together the cheeses and beaten eggs.

4 Place sausage on bottom of pre-baked pie crust. Add the cooked apple onion mixture over the sausage. Pour the cheese egg mixture over the apple mixture and spread it so it evenly covers the pie.

5 Bake at 350°F for 35 to 40 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Yield: Serves 8.