Broccoli, feta, hazelnut and cherry tomato salad

Another favourite recipe from the Avoca Café in Ireland.

½ cup hazelnuts (or cashews or almonds), toasted
About 1 pound broccoli florets in bite-sized pieces
4 oz. feta cheese, cut into small cubes
8 oz. cherry tomatoes, halved
7 oz. dressing (see below)

To toast nuts, spread on a baking tray, in a 350° F oven for 5-10 minutes. They can burn very quickly towards the end, so be careful. Turn them onto a tea towel and rub off the skins. Allow to cool. Put the nuts in a bowl with the broccoli, cheese and cherry tomatoes. Gently toss with the dressing and season with pepper. Salt is usually not required as the feta is usually salty enough.

Dressing
Equal parts (about 300 ml each) sunflower oil, olive oil, peanut oil and red wine vinegar.
2 cloves garlic
3 Tbsp grainy mustard
2 Tbsp honey
Salt and pepper to taste

Blend all ingredients and liquefy. This dressing can be stored in a bottle and shaken vigorously before using. It will keep for several weeks in the fridge.

Jennifer’s famous apple pie

I think Jennifer has perfected the apple pie recipe with this one, modeled on variations in the Five Roses Flour Cookbook.

1 double crust pastry recipe, below.
6 medium apples (Courtland works well)
6 Tbsp brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup flour
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
¼ cup butter or margarine
1/tsp grated lemon rind (optional - Jennifer usually omits it))
6 Tbsp whipping cream (can be omitted, but why would you want to?)

Preheat oven to 450° F. Prepare pastry and line a 9” deep dish pie plate, reserving some for top crust. Core, peel and slice apples. Combine brown sugar, sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt together, and then mix with apples (we layer the apples in the pie crust and alternate with sprinkling the sugar-cinnamon mixture as we go, it saves time). Spread apple mixture into unbaked pastry shell. Dot with butter; sprinkle with lemon rind. Pour whipping cream over the top. Cover with top crust, sealing carefully and making slits to allow steam to escape. Bake at 450° F for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350° F and bake until apples are cooked, about 30 – 35 minutes.

Double Crust pastry recipe

2 cups flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup lard
8-9 Tbsp ice-cold water

Stir flour, sugar, salt and baking powder together. Cut in lard and butter with pastry blender or two knives until mixture is crumbly. Add water, a little at a time, using just enough to bind the mixture so that dough can be patted lightly to form a ball. Handle as little as possible. Split dough roughly in two. Roll dough from center outward, with a light, even pressure to form a circle, 1/16” thick and 1” larger than inverted pie plate. Fold double and lift gently into pie plate. Unfold and fit loosely in place. Do not stretch. Bake as directed for filling.