TOMATO PIE

Over on the SLOW TRAV MESSAGE BOARD we've been discussing variations on Tomato Pie. Someone mentioned PAULA DEEN’S RECIPE, then other variations were posted, all involving tomatoes, mayo and cheese in various combinations.

I didn't put out any tomato plants this year...it's Italy, tomatoes are cheap and plentiful! Also, when you have neighbors like ours who drop off huge amounts of fresh veggies on a regular basis, why grow your own? After Armando brought yet another basket of tomatoes yesterday, I figured I might as well give in and make a tomato pie just to use up a few! Yeah, it's a tough job but somebody's gotta do it!

I combined several recipes to get one that sounded good to me, and here's the result. I used cheddar (from my carefully guarded stash!), but I'm sure Parmesan would be equally delicious. Here's my recipe:

Tomato Pie

1 9” pie crust, baked
about 6 large tomatoes...peeled and sliced
10-15 fresh basil leaves
4-5 cloves garlic
1 or 2 green onions
approx. 1 Cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
½ Cup Mayonnaise
¾ Cup Shredded Parmesan OR Cheddar Cheese
Salt and Pepper

VERY IMPORTANT! Put tomatoes in a colander, sprinkle w/salt & pepper and let tomatoes drain for at LEAST 20 minutes. Drain off liquid and wipe tomatoes w/paper towel to absorb any extra liquid.

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Bake Pie shell and let cool slightly.

Line bottom of pie shell w/ approx. 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

Layer drained sliced tomatoes on top of cheese in pie crust

Blend garlic, basil and green onion in mini food processor (or chop together) and put this mixture on top of the tomatoes.

Mix mayonnaise, remaining mozzarella cheese, and about half the parmesan/cheddar together. Spread this mixture over top tomatoes and basil/garlic/onion mixture

Top the pie with remaining parmesan/cheddar

Bake at 375ºF for 35-40 minutes

Enjoy!

TOMATOES AND EGGPLANTS - TOGETHER AT LAST?

Remember those jokes about pasta trees and bushes? Although I don't think growing pasta is anywhere in our future, perhaps we will be able to cut down on the space we need to grow some traditional Italian vegetables. It was announced today that a Sicilian man has producd an EGGPLANT TOMATO TREE. The man has grafted both eggplants and tomatoes to a"host" fig tree with supposedly great results. I'm not familiar with the type of fig tree used, but perhaps this would end the need for staking tomato plants if the tree is strong enough to support the weight of the fruit.