It is time for the Crisco Pie Crust Recipe. A pie crust is a simple and tasty recipe and can be used in many ways. Here, we will explain how to make an easy pie crust using Crisco shortening. Using the right shortening agent in the right quantities lends crispiness and crumbliness to all baked products, including pie crusts.

Crisco Pie Crust

B&G Foods, an American company, introduced the brand of Crisco shortening in 1911. In those days, this was the first ever shortening brand to use vegetable oil, which was cottonseed oil. The company acquired the patent rights to hydrogenate this oil in 1903.

This process was known as shortening. In this process, the oil’s fat remains in the solid state even at room temperature. After the company won the patents for this process, it came up with many names to market it and finally settled on Crisco, which can also be considered the short name of crystallized cottonseed oil.

Crisco Pie Shortening

Shortening is used for baking short doughs that don’t need the presence of gluten to stretch them. The gluten in the bread stops it from becoming flaky, thereby messing up the pie crust. Since a shortening agent keeps fat in its solid state even at room temperature, it doesn’t react with water nor activate any compounds that form gluten.

Though the main ingredient of this recipe is Crisco shortening, we would also like to tell you that you can substitute shortening with butter or margarine. However, you have to add about two tablespoons of extra butter or margarine for every cup of shortening you use.

For example, for 1 cup of shortening, you should use 1 cup of butter (or margarine) plus two tablespoons of butter to get a flaky crust. Some people switch to butter or margarine, as shortening agents have unhealthy trans-fatty acids in them.

However, there is no harm in some sinful indulgence at times. So, here is a simple pie crust recipe that you can make at home using the classic Crisco shortening. This recipe helps you prepare flaky and fresh pie crusts that you can use as the base to prepare tasty pumpkin or apple pies or just about any pie of your choice.

Crisco Pie Crust Recipe

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour – 2 cups
• Salt – ¾ teaspoon
• Crisco shortening – ¾ cup (use cold shortening)
• Cold Water – 3 to 6 tablespoons

Instructions

1. Prepare Flour and Shortening Mixture:

• Add 2 cups of all-purpose flour to a large bowl.
• Cut cold Crisco shortening into ½-inch cubes and add to flour.
• Use a pastry blender or flat beater to mix until it resembles breadcrumbs.

2. Forming the Dough:

• Gradually add cold water, mixing continuously. Ensure all flour is moistened.
• Test the dough: Squeeze a small piece. If it holds, it’s ready; if it crumbles, add a bit more water and retest.
• Note: Achieve a dough that’s not too dry or too moist for a crispy crust.

3. Chill the Dough:

• Divide the dough into 2 or 3 discs.
• Chill for at least 15 minutes. For optimal results, chill for 4-5 hours.

4. Roll Out the Dough:

• Roll each dough ball between parchment papers into a 1/8-inch thick disc.
• Ensure each disc is larger than your pie plate.

5. Place in Pie Plate:

• Fold the disc into quarters and gently place it in the pie plate.
• Press into the plate and trim edges, leaving ¾ inch overhang.

6. Bake Your Pie:

• Your crust is ready for fillings and toppings.
• Follow the baking instructions specific to the pie recipe you’re using.

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Some points to note for Crisco Pie Crust

For making cream pies and other sweet pies, you have to make a pastry shell and preheat it. For this purpose, after inserting the dough into the pie plate, prick the bottom and sides of the dough about 5o times (using a fork) and then bake them for about 10 to 12 minutes at 425 degrees F. This way, the crust will turn golden brown nicely without blistering or rising.

The recipe that we mentioned above is for a single crust. You can also use the same ingredients but in double their original quantities for a double pie crust. After rolling the dough into the pie plate as per our recipe, you can fill the unbaked pie with the fillings of your choice.

Now, carefully transfer the smaller disc (for a double crust, you have to roll two discs – one bigger and one smaller) over the filling. Seal the dough carefully and cut off the edges.  You can now bake the dough as per the instructions for that pie.

Though you may have tried many recipes belonging to different cuisine styles, some stay very close to your heart. It brings memories of your childhood and your grandmother’s traditional style of cooking.

The dried beef cheese ball recipe is one of them. It is a super simple but delicious recipe that can be made within minutes. You can eat these balls as the main food or as an appetizer, as you please. The best part of this dish is that you can add or reduce ingredients, as per your creativity, to suit your taste buds.

The combination of green onions, cream cheese, and dried beef makes this dish taste heavenly. Are you planning a party at your home this evening? Make sure you include these dried beef cheese balls as part of the starter menu, and watch your guests drooling over them.

Here are some points to remember before you know how to make these cheese balls

• Sometimes, if you cannot find your favorite brand’s dried beef in the supermarkets, you can also buy chipped beef. The taste of the cheese balls will remain as authentic as you want.
• Many people may find chipped beef to be too salty. So, we recommend you clean the meat thoroughly before using it to roll the balls to reduce the salt content in the dish.
• If you are health-conscious and don’t want to buy dried beef from the market, you can make it home. Yes, it is a lengthy process, but the time you spend on this is worth every second, considering how tasty your cheese balls are going to turn out to be!

How to Make Dried Beef Cheese Ball Recipe

• Choose the part of the beef that has the lowest fat content if you decide to make dried beef at home. Air drying is the most common method used by many.
• Cut the meat into strips using a sharp knife – the kind that butchers use.
• Mix all the flavorful ingredients that you intend to use (like vinegar, marjoram, thyme, pepper, and salt) in a bowl. Mix the contents very well to ensure that they give out the maximum flavors.
• Add the freshly-cut beef strips to this spice mixture. Ensure that the strips are immersed well in the mixture. Cover the bowl with a tape or cover of your choice.
• Place the covered bowl in the refrigerator and allow it to remain there for about 12 to 14 hours.
• For the air-drying process, you have to use a special storage box that has aluminum foils, proper lighting (a 75W incandescent bulb) and aluminum bars (for hanging the beef strips). A 12-volt fan is an additional bonus in the storage box. This will keep the strips away from fungus, if any.
• If you don’t have a specific storage box like this, you can use your refrigerator’s sandwich box for this purpose. You can make modifications to this box by adding the fans, bars, light and fan.
• Use some paper clips to hang the beef strips on the bars securely. After you set up the box, you can switch on the box’s power by plugging it into the nearest outlet.
• Allow the meat to dry on the bars for 12 hours. Check the box after 12 hours. If the strips still have some juices on them, let them dry for some more time. If they are completely dry, you can take them out.
• Allow the dried beef to cool down before you use them to roll the cheese balls.
• Your homemade, healthy dried beef is now ready to be used for your favorite recipes.

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Dried Beef Cheese Ball Recipe

Ingredients

• Cream Cheese – 8 ounces,
• Dried Beef – 3 ounces,
• Green Onions – 2 (finely chopped),
• Onion Salt – ¼ teaspoon,
• Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) – 1 ¼ teaspoons,
• Worcestershire Sauce – 1 tablespoon,
• Nuts for decoration – optional

Instructions

• Once you gather all the ingredients and keep them ready, prepare the cheese balls within ten minutes. Here is how you can do it:
• Take a big bowl and mix cream cheese, dried beef, and chopped green onions.
• Mix the contents well before you add the other ingredients of salt, MSG and Worcestershire sauce.
• Now, roll the ingredients into a ball, and refrigerate the balls for about 30 minutes. Wrap the ball properly with plastic wrap. Use the plastic wrap in the shape of a cross-shape for the ball to get a perfectly round shape. This way, it will settle well, once it is placed in the refrigerator.
• After 30 minutes, please take out the cheese ball from the refrigerator unwrap it. Cut a small portion and serve them with unsalted crackers, butter crackers, or celery sticks.
• Tangy and tasty cheese balls made from dried beef are now ready.
• Make them in batches and store them in the refrigerator. They stay good for about 2 to 3 days.

Some changes you can try to this recipe

• You can also add a teaspoon of freshly ground pepper for additional flavor and taste, along with salt and Worcestershire sauce.
• After shaping the balls, you can coat them with dried bits of beef pieces, groundnut powder, almond nuts, or small bacon pieces before refrigerating them.
• If you like the dried beef to be spicy and flavorful, you can also add a small amount of vinegar, marjoram, thyme and hot pepper to the dried beef when you are rolling the mixture into small balls.
• You can also mix about 4 ounces of buttermilk ranch seasoning into the mixture to get unique flavors from your cheese balls.
• You can use any brand of dried beef or chipped beef. However, you can also make your own dried beef following the below-mentioned methods.
• You can omit MSG completely, if you wish, for a healthier version of dried beef cheese balls.
• You can roll the cheese balls in a mixture of dried beef pieces and green onions to make the dish look colorful and yummy.

This authentic recipe has been named after the famous Mount Vesuvius Volcano in Campania, Italy. Some also believe this dish is named thus because it was first served in a restaurant in the Vesuvio district of Chicago. The chicken Vesuvio recipe is one of the most sought-after dishes in Chicago’s Italian-American restaurants.

You can prepare this dish in many different ways and use some of your creativity as well. However, we will tell you the most common way to make the Italian Chicken Vesuvio and the ingredients you need for the same.

Though this dish originates in the southern part of Italy, it is believed to have been first served in a beautiful restaurant named Little Italy in Chicago. This dish has many variations, as the Vesuvio can also be prepared using pork chops, steaks, or only potatoes.

Chicken Vesuvio Recipe

Ingredients

• Chicken – about 2 to 3 pounds (you can use only chicken thighs and legs, or you can use the breasts as well)
• ideally, it would be great if you have two pieces each of breasts, thighs, legs, and wings
• Salt – about 2 teaspoons
• Pepper – 1 teaspoon (always use freshly ground black pepper for this recipe)
• Olive Oil – about 1/3 cup (for the skillet)
• Canola oil – 2 cups (for frying the potatoes)
• Russet Potatoes – 3 (peeled and cut into wedges
• keep them thick)
• Garlic – 2 cloves (use freshly crushed garlic cloves for additional flavors)
• Dried oregano – 1 or 2 tablespoons
• White wine – ½ cup
• Parsley leaves (freshly chopped) – 2 tablespoons

Kitchen Equipment:

• Oven
• Heavy skillet or Dutch oven
• Deep frying pan
• Tongs or spatula
• Thermometer (for checking chicken’s internal temperature)
• Platter for serving

Instructions

1. Preheat Oven:
   • Set your oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Prepare Chicken:
   • Clean the chicken pieces in cold water.
   • Pat them dry completely.
3. Marinate Chicken:
   • Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
4. Brown the Chicken:
   • Heat 1/3 cup of olive oil in a skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat.
   • Place the chicken in the hot oil, starting with breasts, followed by thighs and other parts.
   • Cook until each side is golden brown.
   • Once browned, remove the chicken, keeping some oil in the skillet.
5. Bake Chicken:
   • Put the chicken back in the skillet.
   • Transfer it to the preheated oven, uncovered.
   • Bake for 25 minutes, turning the chicken occasionally.
6. Fry Potato Wedges:
   • Heat canola oil in a deep frying pan.
   • Once it reaches 350 degrees F, fry potato wedges in batches.
   • Fry until golden, then place on tissue to drain oil.
7. Combine Ingredients:
   • 5 minutes before the chicken baking time ends, add fried potatoes, garlic, oregano, and wine to the skillet.
   • Return the skillet to the oven for another 5 minutes or until the chicken’s internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
8. Final Touches:
   • Remove the skillet from the oven.
   • Add chopped parsley and gently stir.
   • Transfer everything to a serving platter.
   • Pour the remaining juices from the skillet over the chicken.
9. Serve:
   • Your Italian Chicken Vesuvio is ready to be enjoyed!

If you’re a fan of this delicious Italian Chicken Vesuvio recipe, don’t forget to pin the image below! Share the culinary love with friends and family who would appreciate this mouthwatering dish!

Some variants you can try – Italian Chicken Vesuvio Recipe

• After the chicken and potatoes are cooked for 25 minutes, remove the skillet from the oven and place it on a stovetop. Melt some butter and add frozen green peas to the dish. Cook on a low flame until the butter turns silky, making your whole dish tasty. Switch off the flame and serve immediately.
• If you want to make this dish healthier, you can skip frying the potatoes. Instead, you can bake them. Apply some olive oil to the skillet and place the cut potatoes in them. Keep sautéing them until they turn golden. If your skillet cannot hold all the potatoes at once, you can sauté them in batches to ensure even cooking. Once the potato wedges turn golden brown, you can place the seasoned chicken, garlic, oregano, wine sauce, and other ingredients on top of them and cook everything for about 30 minutes.
• For best results, always use dry wines like Sauvignon Blanc when using white wine. To make the Italian Chicken Vesuvio recipe juicier and tastier, you can add chicken broth and white wine.
• Instead of olive oil, you can use any other high-heat oils of your choice. However, grapeseed and coconut oils are good choices.
• If you don’t get thighs or wings, you can still make the dish very well with boneless and skinless chicken breasts alone.
• If you want to make this dish a non-alcoholic one, you can skip the white wine completely and replace it with a combination of low-sodium chicken broth and lemon juice. However, remember to use only a little lemon juice, as it can make the entire dish sour.
• When you are frying potatoes and garlic, you can add about ½ chopped onion to the pan.
• Also, If you’d like, you can add some peas to this recipe.