Saint Ilie is a very popular saint in Romanian culture. He is celebrated on the 20th of July and is known as the one who saved Israel after three years of drought. He is also known as the saint who brings rain. He lived some 800 years before Jesus, during the time of King Ahab.
One of the way Romanians celebrate Saint Ilie is by preparing this delicious apple pie. The apple is considered to be Saint Ilie’s fruit and that is why people are not allowed to eat it until the 20th of July. Apples are taken to church on the holiday to be blessed, ritual by which they will become gold apples in the afterlife.
Here is how you make this pie. For the dough, you need 250 g of Gold Maya white flour, 140 g of butter, 6 teaspoons of cold water and a pinch of salt. For the filling: 4 or 5 apples, sugar and cinnamon.
You start by making the filling. First, you wash the apples and grate them. Then you put the sugar over them and let it melt. During this time, you can prepare the dough. You sift the flour in a bowl and mix it with water and salt then you knead it until it becomes soft. Now add the butter to the dough and knead it until the butter melts.
There is a second way that you can prepare the dough. You sift the flour into a bowl and then add the butter. You mix them with the mixer until the butter melts and then you add the cold water and knead the composition until you get soft dough.
Now you cut the dough in two pieces, one of which you put in the tray and then into the oven, so that it can bake. When the dough is half cooked, you take it out, put the filling and cover it with the second piece of dough – which you have first spread – and then put it back in the oven.
You leave it in the oven for 40 to 60 minutes. Once it is done, you can sprinkle some sugar on top of the pie. It is recommendable for the pie to be served cool.
Sources:
Andra Mihaela Cimpean
International editions: