Happy 4th of July!!!!
"You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism."
Erma Bombeck
Tomatoes are one of my favorite vegetables. There is nothing like a home grown tomato, fresh from the garden. I have gotten very spoiled, because even though we are in our fourth house together, Phil and I have always had a vegetable garden, so I have always had access to the best summer tomatoes. Phil is the one with the green thumb, and has grown everything from New Jersey tomatoes, to cherry tomatoes to the most exotic heirloom tomatoes, and I have loved every single variety. Sadly, with home grown tomatoes, it is feast or famine. From June to August, we have dozens of tomatoes every week! I cannot keep up! All summer long I eat tomato sandwiches, pasta with fresh tomatoes and mozzarella, snacks of sliced tomatoes, tomato salads...you name it. Then, in the winter, when I am forced to use store bought tomatoes, I am always disappointed. They are almost always tasteless and mealy. I just assume skip on the fresh tomatoes from September to May.
I did not start eating tomato pie until I moved to the South. It is a very Southern dish. Tomato pie is a fabulous way to use an abundance of fresh tomatoes. It is simple to make, and you can have it in the oven in 10 minutes. It makes a delicious light lunch, or a lovely starter before dinner.
Summer Tomato Pie
1 nine inch deep dish pie crust
7 -8 ripe tomatoes, sliced into 1/8inch thick slices)
2 c. shredded cheese (any kind of cheese works in this recipe, I like sharp Cheddar, but have used an italian blend, Mexican blend, Parmesan cheese and shredded mozzarella, all with excellent results)
1 c. light mayonnaise
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
Preheat oven to 425. Place one layer of the sliced tomato in the pie shell. Lightly salt and pepper the tomato. Repeat this process until the crust is filled.
In a medium bowl, mix the cheese and mayo. Spread over the layered tomatoes.
Bake at 425 for 35 minutes, or until top is golden brown. Enjoy!
***Optional: Add in 2 - 3 T. fresh chopped basil to the tomatoes while layering.
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