Tomato Pie


Well, there ain’t nothin’ in the world that I like better
Than bacon and lettuce and homegrown tomatoes
Up in the mornin’, out in the garden
Get you a ripe one, hey, don’t get a hard one
Plant ’em in the spring, eat ’em in the summer
All winter with out ’em’s a culinary bummer
I forget all about the sweatin’ and diggin’
Everytime I go out and pick me a big one
Homegrown tomatoes, homegrown tomatoes
What’d life be without homegrown tomatoes
Only two things that money can’t buy
And that’s true love and homegrown tomatoes

Now you can go out to eat and that’s for sure
But it’s nothin’ a homegrown tomato won’t cure
Put ’em in a salad, put ’em in a stew
You make your very own tomato juice
You can eat ’em with eggs, eat ’em with gravy
Eat ’em with beans, pinto or navy
Put ’em on the side, put ’em in the middle
Put a homegrown tomato on a hotcake griddle
Homegrown tomatoes, homegrown tomatoes
What’d life be without homegrown tomatoes
Only two things that money can’t buy
And that’s true love and homegrown tomatoes
If I’s to change this life I lead
I’d be Johnny Tomato Seed
‘Cause I know what this country needs
Homegrown tomatoes in every yard you see, yeah
When I die, don’t bury me
In a box in a cemetary
Out in the garden would be much better
And I could be pushin’ up homegrown tomatoes
Homegrown tomatoes, homegrown tomatoes
What’d life be without homegrown tomatoes
Only two things that money can’t buy
And that’s true love and homegrown tomatoes …
                                                       — Guy Clark
———–

The only thing I like better than growing homegrown tomatoes is eating them — and the only thing better than that would be my friend David singing this great song to me while my husband and I were making an epic homegrown tomato dinner to share with him!  Of course, our Grilled Heirloom Tomato Pizza is our all-time favorite, but every once in awhile, nothing can beat a creamy, cheesy tomato pie.

This recipe is adapted from several I have seen on line.  I like to do my research and then pick and choose what I like from other’s recipes.  I don’t usually make anything the exact same way twice, as I always use the ingredients I have on hand before buying new.  I find that, once I have the technique and the gist of a dish I’d like to try, it’s easy to make it my own.

Tomato Pie

Ingredients

3-5 ripe tomatoes, depending upon size
handful of fresh basil leaves, chopped
thinly sliced Vidalia onion, about 3/4 cup
about 2 cups assorted grated cheese (I used a Mexican blend)
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1/3 cup fine bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 pre-baked deep dish pie shell
(I used a double crust recipe for a spring-form pan)
salt & pepper
2 Tbl extra-virgin olive oil


I am guessing at the amounts I actually used.  I just sliced enough tomatoes and onion for several layers to fit into my pan.  If you have only a few tomatoes, use a regular deep dish pie pan and only do one layer.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Slice the tomatoes and place them in a colander in the sink in one layer. Sprinkle with salt and allow to drain for 10 minutes, then gently pat them dry.

Combine the mayonnaise with the grated cheeses and set aside.

Combine the bread crumbs, the chopped fresh thyme and the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle about 1/3 of this mixture in the bottom of the pie crust.

Top with a layer of tomatoes, some of the basil, a layer of onions, and half of the cheese-mayonnaise mixture.  Sprinkle with half of the remaining bread crumb mixture, then add another layer of tomatoes, some more basil, another layer of onions and the remaining cheese-mayonnaise mixture.

Sprinkle the top with the remaining bread crumb mixture, and drizzle with the olive oil.

Bake until bubbly hot and golden brown.  For this size pie, you will need to bake it for about an hour, to ensure that it is hot the whole way through.  If you are using a single layer in a regular deep dish pan, it will probably be done in 30 minutes.  If it is browning too quickly, turn the oven down to 350 degrees, and cover loosely with foil for part of the cooking time.

ALLOW THE PIE TO COOL AT LEAST 20 MINUTES BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO SLICE IT.Enjoy!