YIAYIA'S STRAWBERRY PIE

The taste of summer.

Yiayia loved summer. She lived for being at the lake with family, tending to her garden and cooking for a small village no matter how many people were there. If you were driving up north with her, you knew two things were certain. 1. You would be listening to old country music for the two hour duration. And 2. You were not passing a fresh fruit stand on the side of the road without stopping.

Many of her recipes are elaborate Greek pastries and delicacies, but her strawberry pie is basically fool proof. I like to think of this recipe as her throwing together whatever she had in the pantry for last minute house guests. Jello and cornstarch? Check check! Not serving dessert for visitors is a Greek sin.

From the archives, Yiayia's Strawberry Pie.

INGREDIENTS:

- baked 9 " pie shell

- 1 qt fresh strawberries

- 1 1/2 cups water

- 3/4 cup sugar

- 2 tablespoons cornstarch

- 3 oz strawberry jello packet

- top with whipped cream (optional)

RECIPE:

Wash and drain 1 qt of fresh strawberries.

In a pan, place water, sugar and cornstarch and bring to a boil until clear. Remove from the stove and stir in the jello package - cool slightly.

Arrange berries in pie shell. Pour warm mixture over berries. Chill and top with whipped cream.