Tomato Pie

[gumbo lover]

Anyone have a method they like?

I haven't made one in a while and I just winged it when I did.

[CamillaCute]

I love tomato pie! I use a Pillsbury crust and cook it a bit before filling. When cool, I layer tomatoes, fresh basil chiffonade, few vidalia slices, salt, pepper, granulated garlic powder and a little bit of shredded mozzarella. Then another layer of same. I then mix about 1/4 cup light mayo with 1/4 to 1/2 cup parmesan and/or romano together well and spread as evenly as possible over tomato mixture. Top with a bit more parm/romano. Bake for about 30 minutes at 350. Broil for about 2-3 minutes to brown cheese. Let cool a bit and WOW! So delicious!

CC

[Suzy Wong]

Never heard of it. Sounds (good) like cold brrrrrrr weather food.

Is it from a certain part of the country?

[kcdixiecat]

I just arrived in Kentucky yesterday. Mom had a basket of tomatoes that needed to be eaten..(damn, the bad luck)...so, this is what I have in the oven baking at the moment. Well, the basic recipe..then I'll tell you what I did differently!

Ingredients
1 (8-oz.) package diced cooked ham
1/2 cup sliced green onions (about 4 onions)
1 (9-inch) frozen unbaked pie shell
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
2 medium plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 large egg
1/3 cup half-and-half
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Garnishes: fresh basil sprigs, tomato slices


Preparation
1. Sauté ham and green onions in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat 5 minutes or until ham is brown and any liquid evaporates.
2. Brush bottom of pie shell evenly with mustard; sprinkle with 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese. Spoon ham mixture evenly over cheese, and top with single layer of sliced tomatoes.

3. Beat egg and half-and-half with a fork until blended; pour over tomatoes. Sprinkle evenly with basil, pepper, and remaining 1/2 cup cheese.

4. Bake on lowest oven rack at 425° for 20 to 23 minutes or until lightly browned and set. Cool on a wire rack 20 minutes. Cut into wedges to serve; garnish, if desired.

Yield
Makes 4 to 6 servings

I didn't use ham..I used bacon. I fried a package of bacon..OMG yes..the entire package..chopped it up and used it in place of the ham. Then I used two beefsteak tomatoes. It smells WONDERFUL. I'll tell you how it turned out after I try it.

[JudiB]

Oh wow, thanks ya'll.

I've never heard of this before, and it sounds WONDERFUL! Thank you, I can't wait to try it!

[gumbo lover]

I made the usual one with the mayo topping last night. It's awfully rich, though. Basically, you pre cook a pie shell. I layered the bottom with thin sliced Vidalia onions, topped those with drained slices of homegrown tomatoes and then fresh basil, chiffonade. I mixed a cup of mayo with mozz and parm. cheeses, chopped green onions and cayenne. Baked for about 35 minutes at 350.

I finally remembered what I used to do, which was to prebake the pie shell a bit and then line the bottom with whole mild mozz, then the tomato slices. Seasoned the tomatoes with S & P and then drizzled with olive oil. Topped that with the cut basil and baked for about 30 minutes. I believe I like this version better, though last night's was pretty good.

[Titchou]

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/TOMATO-AND-ONION-TART-10151

Best tomato and onion pie I've ever tasted!

[justagirl]

I never heard of tomato pie until some one recently posted about one at August. These sound really good. I'm going to have to play around and see what I come up with. Thanks yall. Great ideas.

[Schuarta]

You've got my attention. I've copied the recipes and will try one soon. A good item to compare against my favorite of Fried Red Tomatoes. I'll let you know my results with a tomato pie.

[gumbo lover]

They are wonderful with homegrown tomatoes. You can search for some recipes. Most of them are similar and are a version of what Paula Dean (I think) has on the food network site. That one's easy to play with if you want to go that route. OR, you can go the route of the quiche texture with the eggs OR the simple version I described above and you can tinker with herbs etc...

Some folks use plum tomatoes when the homegrown are out of season or the hot house will do, but there's nothing like this with homegrowns.

Also, some recipes suggest peeling the tomatoes. I don't find that necessary, but draining them is truly necessary. Might not be if you use grape tomatoes, though, which I thought about since getting some of the Liuzza Creole grape tomatoes today. (They are tasty.) Another tip is that the pie crust will crisp better on the bottom if you bake it on a baking sheet-with regard to premade crusts in a foil pan.

I do not make my own pie crust. It's just not something that interests me and this is more of a quickie meal for me. Last night, I used a Marie Callender's frozen crust for the first time and was pleasantly surprised by the outcome. Nothing beats homemade, but time is of the essence sometimes.

[Schuarta]

Bingo! I've made them! Great taste! New gormet item!

THE TOMATO PIE

http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=20234503&uid=9723635

Used a combination of the recipes above. It's a winner! :laughup: :laughup: :laughup:

If you haven't made one yet, give it a try! :whip:

[JudiB]

Beautiful pics, schuarta, thanks! My goodness that looks wonderful!

[cstoehr]

Beautiful pics, schuarta, thanks! My goodness that looks wonderful!


I wholeheartedly agree! BTW, will mine turn out as good or do I need some of the various liquors in the photo in order for them to turn out like yours.:D

[Schuarta]

I wholeheartedly agree! BTW, will mine turn out as good or do I need some of the various liquors in the photo in order for them to turn out like yours.:D

Sorry, thats a wife thing. Since we've had the earthquake swarm here in Reno, even though it's been "quiet" since June, not everything has returned to its normal location. All of the liquor and wine bottles are on the kitchen counter against the breakfast bar, opposite the side with the stove. :rolleyes:

[cstoehr]

Sounds easier to reach to me!

Believe it or not, since the we closed our restaurant I have liquor and wine in every cabinet and closet space available, and also on my kitchen counter! LOL When the "religious" groups come over to speak to me now on a Saturday morning (you know the drill), I just head them into the kitchen and they all of a sudden find reasons to just leave the literature and not stay! ha ha

[Isabella Maja]

I have 2 huge bowls of fresh creoles. I'm going to make a tomato pie, but think I'm going to do it in tart shells (because that's what I have & I like a smaller version).

Anymore tweaking to these methods before I attempt it?

[dragongrrl]

I was thinking about this thread the other day and how good it sounds. Then it gets resurrected. Funny.

[Schuarta]

Isabella, thanks for bringing this up again. I made one in June, and I still have a frozen crust in the freezer. I'll do another this week. :toast:

http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=20234503&uid=9723635

Better yet - tonight!

[edible complex]

Anymore tweaking to these methods before I attempt it?

combined all recipes into one:

Tomato Pie

Ingredients
1 (8-oz.) package diced cooked ham or bacon
1/2 cup sliced green onions (about 4 onions) or sliced vidalia onions
1 (9-inch) frozen unbaked pie shell
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
2 medium plum or creole or beefsteak tomatoes, thinly sliced and drained
1 large egg
1/3 cup half-and-half
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup black olives (optional)
Optional Mayo Topping: mayo mixed with parm/romano cheese (see #4 below)
Garnishes: fresh basil sprigs, tomato slices


Preparation
1. Sauté ham or bacon and green or vidalia onions in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat 5 minutes or until ham or bacon is brown and any liquid evaporates.

2. Brush bottom of pie shell evenly with mustard and olive oil; sprinkle with 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese. Spoon ham or bacon mixture evenly over cheese, and top with single layer of sliced tomatoes. For a crispier pie shell, prebake pie shell a bit.

3. Beat egg and half-and-half with a fork until blended; pour over tomatoes. Sprinkle evenly with basil, pepper, black olives(optional) and remaining 1/2 cup cheese.

4. Optional: Mix about 1/4 cup light mayo with 1/4 to 1/2 cup parmesan and/or romano together well and spread as evenly as possible over tomato mixture. Top with a bit more parm/romano.

5. Bake on lowest oven rack at 425° for 20 to 23 minutes or until lightly browned and set. Cool on a wire rack 20 minutes. Cut into wedges to serve; garnish, if desired.


Yield
Makes 4 to 6 servings

[Schuarta]

EC:

Went almost completely by your updated recipe, including mayo/parmasan topping. Only problem was that I forgot to put tomato slices on paper towels to reduce moisture. Started at 6:15, ate at 7:45. It was great, IIDSSM. :D

See new pictures on:

http://www.nolaeats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2073

[dragongrrl]

I finally made a tomato pie! It was outstanding despite several misfires. I'm going to make another and do better.

1. I didn't care for the mustard on the pie crust so that will go.
2. I didn't dry off the tomatoes and the pie was FLOATING. LOL. Even so it was so freaking good.
3. I'd like to try the egg/cream binder this time.
4. I like black olives, but I'm not sure about adding them to this. I'll have to think about it.

Anyway, thanks to all the great cooks for this recipe. Loved it.