If you love tomatoes the way I do, this is the season you’ve been dreaming of. I buy “hothouse” tomatoes most of the year, but they don’t come close to fresh, homegrown. After a few months of winter, I try to recall how summer tomatoes taste, but they’re only a distant memory. But now, after a long rainy season, Indiana tomatoes are about as good as they ever get. Tomatoes are available at stands scattered round town, and friendly gardeners are sharing their bounty with everyone they know. The time is nigh for tomato pie.

The time is nigh for tomato pie. Homegrown tomatoes are plentiful now.

I’ve shared my tomato pie recipe before, but this year I want to emphasize the most important part of the directions. After you bake the pie for 30 or 40 minutes, take it out of the oven and let it set for 20 minutes. I know, that sounds like a long time. But tomatoes get very hot in the oven, and also a bit watery. If you serve the pie straight from the oven, it’s liable to burn your mouth, and it’s going to be too runny. Be sure you let it set up, so that it’s nice and firm when served.

Various recipes call for different sizes and arrangements of tomatoes. I’ve found that slicing three big tomatoes about half an inch thick, then arranging them in pinwheel fashion works best. And it makes a prettier pie if you mix yellow and red tomatoes. However, some people don’t like yellow tomatoes, and they aren’t always available.

Unless you make pie crust from scratch, this is a pretty easy recipe, and doesn’t take a whole lot of time to make. I prefer using prepared, packaged pastry from the supermarket. . Most recipes call for ½ teaspoon of salt, but I leave that out because the cheeses are fairly salty, and I prefer low sodium foods.

Fresh Tomato Pie

Ingredients:

1 9-inch pie shell, unbaked.

3 large, ripe tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, or one teaspoon dried

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup grated Cheddar cheese

¼ cup cracker or bread crumbs.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 9 inch pie pan with one pie crust. Prick the side and bottom with a fork, and bake about 10 minutes. Remove to a rack. (you can do this earlier in the day if you like) Crust will be partially baked but not too brown.

Slice the tomatoes and place in a pinwheel fashion to fill the pie shell. Sprinkle with basil. Combine the garlic powder, mayonnaise, Parmesan and Cheddar together in a small bowl. Use a spatula to spread the mixture evenly over the tomatoes. It won’t completely cover them. Sprinkle with bread or cracker crumbs.

Bake the pie at 375 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes until golden brown. Allow pie to cool 20 minutes before serving.

Makes 6 servings. About 300 calories per serving.

The time is nigh for tomato pie!

Don’t you love all the fresh tomatoes available at this time of year? There’s nothing like a ripe, homegrown tomato. My mouth waters just thinking of how yummy they are. My favorites are the yellow and orange varieties, which have a different flavor. But no matter what the color, now is the time for easy peasy tomato pie.

Homegrown tomatoes are plentiful. It is time to make tomato pie.

Make this easy peasy tomato pie with luscious, homegrown tomatoes

Since l love yellow and my husband prefers red. I mix the two when I make this recipe, although most will probably just stick to red. I’ve fooled around with two or three tomato pie recipes, and have come up with the combination that I like best. You can make your own pie crust. If that’s what you prefer. But packaged pastry from the supermarket Is much easier.

EASY PEASY TOMATO PIE

Pastry for a 1 crust pie, unbaked.

3 large ripe tomatoes

½ cup chopped onion

¼ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried

½ cup mayonnaise

1 garlic clove, chopped

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup grated Cheddar cheese

¼ cup dry bread or cracker crumbs.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. To prepare the crust, line a 9 inch pie pan with pastry. Prick the side and bottom with a fork and bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove to a rack, and leave the oven on.

Slice the tomatoes and overlap them in the pie shell. Sprinkle with onion, salt and basil. Stir mayonnaise, garlic, Parmesan and Cheddar together in a small bowl. Spread the mixture over the onions, and sprinkle with bread or cracker crumbs. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown. Allow pie to cool 10 minutes before serving. Some prefer it served cold.

Makes 6 servings. About 400 calories per serving.

Tag: homegrown tomatoes

THE TIME IS NIGH FOR TOMATO PIE

NOW IS THE TIME FOR TOMATO PIE