Vinegar Pie

My grandmother died in 2001 at the age of 98. One of my favorite things she ever made was what we called Vinegar Pie. I suppose she got the recipe from her mother (who could wander the fields of Oklahoma and come home with supper! literally!) I have no idea where or how Vinegar Pie originated, but have always assumed that it became a staple dessert back before refigeration and the availability of year round apples. It is also very inexpensive to make, so it would have been used a lot during the depression (I am assuming here, since I have not researched... but makes sense to me! grin)

A few years ago, I found that Uncle Bobby had modified Grandma's recipe some and then I had the opportunity to actually EAT some of it... WOW! Love that! So thanks to Aunt Edna (who sent me this recipe tonight after returning from church) here is the recipe...

Bob's Vinegar Cobbler

Preheat oven to 390 degrees.

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup honey (optional)
4 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick margarine
1 tsp. cinnamon

Crust:

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup shortening
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp salt
Enough cold milk to make dough workable.

Combine first 7 ingredients to make vinegar mixture and bring vinegar mixture to boiling.
Mix flour, baking powder, salt and shortening together with fork, fingers or pie knife until resembles cornmeal. Add enough cold milk (a little at a time) to make dough workable. Roll out 1/2 of the dough and cut into strips and drop into boiling vinegar mixture by pinching off dough into approx. 1" x 1" pieces. Boil 5 minutes to cook dumplings. Pour mixture into 9 x 13 " baking pan or pyrex dish. Top with remaining dough. This can be rolled and placed on top like a pie, or cut into strips and placed on like a lattice top pie. (Or whatever you want it look like!) Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top and bake at 390 degrees until crust is light brown.

Note: If you leave out honey, add another 1/2 cup sugar.
For diabetics you can use 2 cups honey and omit sugar.

And there you have it... Vinegar Pie! grin