Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Roll pie dough out thinly into two circles to fit a 9" pie pan. Line pan with one circle of dough and trim edge; prick bottom crust overall with a fork. Put it and top crust into refrigerator, covered, while you get the apples ready. Quarter, core, and peel the apples. Slice the quarters crosswise into very thin slices. You want enough apples to fill the pie pan to the rim and heap up in the middle; they shrink when baked. Add apples to pie pan in about three layers. Sprinkle each layer with sugar and several dashes of cinnamon and nutmeg-more cinnamon than nutmeg.

Judge the amount of sugar by how tart the apples are. Last, add several dots of butter or margarine over surface. Drizzle 2-3 tablespoons tea over filling. Slash top crust and lay over apples; crimp to bottom crust and trim. Bake at 350 for approximately 1 hour, or until top is lightly browned and apples are tender. To test, poke a toothpick through the slash in the top crust. It should go easily through the apples with little resistance. Serve hot, or at room temperature.

Notes:
Use firm, semi-tart apples, such as Jonathan, McIntosh, Granny Smith, or Rome.
*Not* Red Delicious, one of the most mis-named apples in history, IMNSHO. With good apples, you dont need to add any other filling, or thickener.

Slice your apples
*thinly*. You dont have to get the slices see-through, but you dont want chunks; they dont cook fully enough. Close to 1/16th of an inch thick is ideal. About half as thick as your pie-crust, actually. (and stop going eep!; thats what the danged food processor is for, if youre not good with a knife. (g) no, the slicing thingy on your cheese grater is a bit
*too* thick.) -Yes, I know using tea sounds weird; most people use lemon juice. Hey, it was something acid, and lots more available than lemons were, back in the 30s in Idaho. There was always a pot of tea sitting around... No, it doesnt make the pie taste funny!

Apple pie was
*the* pie in my thick slice of Tillamook extra-sharp cheddar - room temperature (g) - and Im a happy woman. This is definitely an old-fashioned pie. Very few ingredients, no shaking apples with sugar, no thickening, nothing fancy added. Easy and delicious. Of course, Im prejudiced, LOL; but Ive never tasted a restaurant pie as good, no matter how gussied-up.

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