Tomato Pie Fresh from the Garden

I still have lots of tomatoes in my Kitchen Garden.  I've canned them diced, in sauces and salsas, we've had slices in salads and soups and on sandwiches, and we've still got tomatoes coming. So for a change of pace, today I made a tomato pie.

I've never made a tomato pie before and have been wanting to try it.  I was inspired by my dear friend Jenny at Black Fox Homestead and used her recipe as a guide.

I used a variety of tomatoes from my garden for this pie:  Amish Paste, Italian and Marglobe.

Slice them about 1/2" thick and place them in a single layer on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Drizzle them with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and crushed pepper.

Bake them at 350° for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.  Oops.  I let them go a little too long (about an hour and 20 minutes) and they started to burn.  My dear friend assured me they would be ok . . . like fire roasted tomatoes.  

I used 2 very large and six medium size tomatoes, but that wasn't quite enough to fill a pie. So I sliced up several more tomatoes, but this time instead of taking the time to roast them, I drained them well and then pressed them between layers of paper towels to get out as much juice as I could. (If they're too wet, your pie will be too.)

While I was waiting on the tomatoes, I baked a 9-inch pie shell.  I used my mom's recipe for the best ever fool-proof pie crust. While the crust is still warm, sprinkle it with a layer of shredded cheese. I used both cheddar and asiago.

Then layer the tomatoes with fresh basil leaves. I didn't have any fresh basil, so I sprinkled the layers with crushed dried basil.  I'm sure the fresh basil would be even better! See the difference in appearance between the raw and the roasted tomatoes?  They have a different taste too.  I like the smoky taste of roasted tomatoes, but I kind of liked the combination in this pie.

Combine some mayonnaise and shredded cheese (I used asiago; you could also use parmesan or romano) and spread it on top of the tomatoes.

Sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese on top.

Finally, bake the pie at 350° for 1/2 hour or until the cheese is melted and slightly golden.

This tomato pie tastes best when it has cooled to warm or room temperature, so be sure to plan ahead, and then enjoy!

Ingredients:

About 2 lbs. of tomatoes

Fresh or dried basil

1 1/2 cups shredded cheese

1/2 cup mayonnaise

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

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