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.

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!