Easy summer garden meal: Fresh Tomato Pie
The semi-tropical weather we've been enjoying this summer has resulted in lots of tomatoes. We are amazed to have basil plants approximately twice as tall as usual. The annual surprise about which plant will produce a bumper crop and which will not continues to keep backyard gardening fresh and interesting. We have enjoyed plentiful basil pesto and a variety of tomato-based dishes.
Janice Leach | Contributor
On a post contemplating what to do with too many tomatoes, a commenter suggested tomato pie and I thought "Yes! That's what I want for dinner!"
I searched recipes online and in our cookbooks, and the simplest tomato pie caught my attention. I already had a pre-baked homemade pie shell in the refrigerator so this recipe was a cinch -- one of those embarrassingly easy recipes that one hesitates to share because it might reveal one to be a slouch. The results were so good that I've overcome that resistance.
At this risk of appearing to be a kitchen simpleton, I'll share the recipe here.
Fresh Tomato Pie
Ingredients
1 (9 inch) pie shell, baked
5 ripe tomatoes, sliced
1 onion
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Ground black pepper to taste
10 leaves of fresh basil, sliced thinly
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Slice and sauté the onion in the butter on medium low until soft. Place in the bottom of the pie shell.
3. Slice tomatoes and arrange them over onions. Add black pepper to taste.
4. In a medium bowl, combine mozzarella, Parmesan, mayonnaise and basil. Spread this mixture evenly over tomatoes.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
Variations
If you are part of the anti-mayonnaise mob -- a vocal minority indeed-- you could replace the mayonnaise with two eggs and your result would be a more quiche-like tomato pie.
If you want a healthier version, you could again replace some or all of the mayonnaise with yogurt or low-fat sour cream.
We have made a couple versions of the Fresh Tomato Pie recently. I predict this recipe will remain in heavy rotation until the supply of fresh tomatoes runs out.
Janice and Jim Leach garden a backyard plot in downtown Ann Arbor and tend the website 20 Minute Garden.
Comments
Jim and Janice Leach
Thu, Sep 16, 2010 : 3:42 p.m.
Shelle, Thanks for trying the recipe! It really does capture the fresh tomato taste. Your comment motivated me to make Tomato Pie for dinner tonight. There are several ways to insure a non-soggy bottom crust. One is to use paste-style tomatoes like roma or Amish paste, if you have that option; they start out more "meaty" and less juicy. Another way is to drain the tomatoes after you have sliced them by putting the slices on paper towels for 10 or 15 minutes, and then adding them to the pie. My final suggestion comes by way of Molly Kasden (of _Moosewood Cookbook_ fame) in her _Enchanted Broccoli Forest_ cookbook where she provides a "quiche formula" that I've followed for years. After the crust, the first layer to her quiche is the cheese because as it melts it forms a moisture-resistant barrier between the filling and the crust. For our tomato pie tonight, I'm using Amish paste tomatoes and I've also adjusted the ingredients order so that the shredded cheese went in first, then the onions, the tomatoes, and finally the mayonnaise and parmesan. If you give the recipe another try with some of these adjustments, I hope it comes out more to your liking! Thanks again. Janice
Shelle
Wed, Sep 15, 2010 : 11:32 a.m.
The flavor of this pie is great but the liquid caused the crust to be soggy on the bottom. Any suggestions for avoiding this next time?
Jim and Janice Leach
Thu, Aug 26, 2010 : 10:35 a.m.
I used a single bottom pie crust. The top of the pie had a nice browned look because of the cheese in the recipe. The not-so-good photo doesn't capture that well. Thanks for asking!
Erich Jensen
Thu, Aug 26, 2010 : 8:35 a.m.
Is this a single bottom crust recipe or 2 crust (picture looks like it has a top one)?