Tomato pie

Sounds questionable, right?  I had never even heard of tomato pie until a brunch hosted by some of our dearest friends.  Someone had brought this dish to share and it was amazing.  Tomato pie.  I had seconds when no one was looking.

   

I've made it twice since that brunch and my only regret is not knowing about it sooner.   My sister asked if it tasted like pizza and the answer is sort of... but not really. It's sweet and savory and tastes more like a lasagna. 

Apparently it's a classic Southern recipe. I'm embarrassed to never have heard of it before (when asked about my heritage I reply that my mother's family is half Eastern European half Southern (pre-revolutionary war)). So it stands to reason my grandmother would have made this at some point.  But really, there is no recipe needed.  It's a "feel as you go" kind of dish.

It is simply this: you pre-bake a pie shell.  While it's baking - squeeze the seeds and juice out of some tomatoes (maybe 3 large ones), slice them 1/2 inch thick and put them in a colander in the sink. Salt liberally.  

Chop a sweet yellow onion into 1/4 dice, or just chop however.  Get a handful of basil from the garden and slice thinly.

When you're done with that, rinse the heck out of the tomatoes to get rid of the salt.  Squeeze the liquid out.  Pat tomatoes dry.  In your pie shell place the onion, then the basil, then the tomato.  Don't worry about it looking nice because it will be covered by cheese.

In a separate bowl - mix together roughly 2 cups shredded cheese ( I used mozzarella & cheddar) and 1 cup mayonnaise.   At this point I added a big glug of hot sauce and another of Worcestershire sauce.   Stir it up and drop this mix over the pie.  Try to smooth it out a bit. Grind pepper over it.  Bake at 350 until the cheese is bubbly, flat and golden - 30 minutes?

It makes me think that it would be just as good with maybe corn and shrimp added - It's pure joy, the best of summer in a dish. Good for breakfast or supper.