Last year I made a tomato pie and decided to repeat it again this summer, as tomatoes are in full bloom right now. I couldn’t remember which recipe I followed last year so opted for Laurie Colwin’s version out of More Home Cooking: A Writer Returns to the Kitchen this time. I loved it. The kids were so-so. They LOVED the crust though. They would have opted for BLT’s instead, given a choice I’m sure. 😉 But for a grown up kind of easy supper, this is fantastic. I served it with some succotash on the side.
Tomato Pie
Ingredients
Crust:
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup 1 stick butter
- 4 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 cup milk
Filling
- 2 pounds fresh ripe tomatoes, peeled and sliced
- fresh basil to taste, sliced or chopped
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese divided
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 2 Tbs lemon juice
Instructions
- Mix the flour, butter, and baking soda together in a food processor. Then add the milk and blend. This is a wet crust. Divide it in half and roll out on waxed paper with some flour on top and bottom so it won’t stick to your rolling pin. Lay one crust in a 9″ pie pan.
- Heat the oven to 400.
- Lay the sliced tomatoes in the crust, salt and pepper as desired, sprinkle with the basil and 1 cup of the cheese. Thin the mayonnaise a bit with the lemon juice and spread over the tomatoes. Sprinkle the other 1/2 cup of the cheese on top.
- Roll out the rest of the pie crust and put on top, tucking the edges under the bottom layer and then pinching together between your thumb and the knuckle of your forefinger as you circle around the pie. Cut a few slits in the top crust.
- Bake the tomato pie for 25 minutes at 400. If you like, Laurie Colwin suggests you can do this in the morning and then reheat at 350 just until the cheese is melted at dinner time. I personally rarely think that far ahead so just baked it at dinner time.
As an aside, if you have like cooking and food and have never read Home Cooking: A Writer in the Kitchen or More Home Cooking: A Writer Returns to the Kitchen go buy one today. Follow these links and I’ll make 50 cents or so, but that’s not the important part. Just keep your eyes open for these books. They’re fantastic! Lovely writing, real cooking, real family life. Just lovely.
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