Sunday, August 28, 2011

Forcing it with Tomato Pie

HEY, I figured something out.

I swear, it wouldn't stop underlining until I linked it. :)

I'll start by saying that if you have a farmers market or produce stand anywhere near you that you've been thinking about checking out- DO IT. There is no reason not to support local farms. You're going to get the best of what's in season at a reasonable price, and if you're lucky enough to be buying produce from Amish farmers like I am, you can count on a lack of harsh chemicals. That said, end of summer vegetables are really wonderful, take advantage of them while you can- especially tomatoes.

Look at the beautiful babies, so money... and they don't even know it.

I found this recipe online. Unfortunately, the instructions were confusing, so I thought I would simplify them and give them to you. I brought this to a party last night- it killed. I am not feeling terribly eloquent at the moment, but I promise you- this is awesome.

Tomato Pie
(my recipe and my massive tomatoes yielded two pies, and they were awesome.)

- 8 or 9 inch Pie Crust*
- 1/4 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black Pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 2 Tbl shredded fresh basil
- 4 ripe tomatoes (I used local Bradleys)
- 1 cup yellow cherry tomatoes** cut in half
- 1 cup red cherry tomatoes cut in half
- 1 cup fine bread crumbs, I used an Italian variety to add flavor- PER PIE
- 1/2 cup coarsely grated fresh Mozzarella cheese- PER PIE
- 1/2 cup coarsley grated Asiago cheese- PER PIE

*You can go to the trouble of making homemade crust if you have that kind of time. I bought a two pack of Kroger brand deep dish 9" pie crusts and they worked just fine.

**I could not find yellow cherry tomatoes, so I used non-acidic cherry sized tomatoes. Fantastic.

Method

IF YOU ARE MAKING YOUR OWN CRUST(S): preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, prick the crust all over with a fork and brown it for 8-12 minutes depending on your oven.

IF YOU ARE BUYING THE CRUST(S): Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, thaw the crusts, prick all over with a fork, and proceed with the following instructions.

Place all of the appropriately chopped tomatoes in a large bowl. Add the salt, pepper, garlic, and basil to the bowl and gently incorporate. You want the tomatoes to stay in tact, I gently mixed the ingredients by hand. Allow the tomato mixture to rest and soak in the goodness for ten minutes.

Fill the pie: layer the tomatoes with the breadcrumbs and cheese, beginning on the bottom and ending on top with a layer of breadcrumbs and cheese.

Place in the oven and bake until warmed throughout, about 30 minutes and until the crust is golden brown. Serve immediately. Drink wine.
Immediately.

-E