Zucchini 'Apple" Pie

It's getting to be that time, you know, when you can't even give zucchini away. This recipe, courtesy of my mother, is fun, 'cause all your friends will swear that it's apple pie. If you really want to fool them, peel and seed the zucchini first so there's no give-away on appearance. I've had people who swear they 'hate' zucchini, come back for seconds and more.

Ingredients

• 2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts
• 4 cups zucchini, thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup organic or brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons tapioca
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons butter (optional)
• 1 tablespoon milk (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a 9 inch pie pan with one pastry pie crust.
2. In a large bowl, stir together sugar, tapioca, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cornstarch. Add zucchini and lemon juice and blend well. Put mixture into pie crust. Dot with butter. Place second crust over pie crimping the edges together. Then brush top crust with milk and sprinkle with a little sugar if desired. Vent the crust.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and bake for an additional 50 minutes

Yield

1 Pie, 6-8 servings