Summertime Staple

My family always does a big 4th. We all gather at the lake. There is a boat parade, "the games" (a twisted sort of Olympic games, heavily competitive and usually fueled with cocktails), and then there is the food. Lots and lots of good food. Highlights being beef tenderloin, potato casserole, always some type of fresh seafood fare, and delicious tomato pie. Now, I could write about all of these recipes and probably will write about them eventually (actually we featured the tenderloin recipe in a past post), but in honor of summer I am going to focus on this tomato pie.

My Aunt Alva always makes this every 4th of July. I can see it now . . . me, my mom and my Aunt Alva sitting around our kitchen table at the lake, laughing, chatting, tired from the sun - albeit a bit tipsy - and peeling tomatoes, always with a boat drink in hand.

Ahhhh tomato pie . . .there is nothing quite like it. So southern, so summer, and so delicious. Now, I'll have you know I'm not trying to brag, but it's a fact that this is THE BEST tomato pie recipe, and to this day I have never had a better one. In fact, I dare anyone to challenge it. Below is the recipe, so please enjoy. Try it once and you will make it a summer staple as my family has. Happy belated 4th. Enjoy the pie . . . I know you will :)

*And for those that have had a bad experience with a mayonnaise soaked tomato pie . . . you will not find that here.
















Ingredients (makes one pie)

6 - 8 large, ripe, fresh tomatoes
1 bunch of green onions, roughly chopped
1 jar of Zatarans spicy creole mustard
1 deep dish Pillsberry pie crust
Dried basil
1 1/2 lbs of white extra sharp cheese, freshly grated
1 teaspoon of mayo (just enough to bind the cheese)
About 1/4 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese (enough to sprinkle over the top of the pie)
Kosher slat
Fresh cracked pepper
Paper towels

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Follow the directions on the pie crust package to prep the pie crust for baking. With a fork, poke pie crust dough along the bottom of the pie pan and up the sides. Cook pie crust for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and let cool.

As pie crust cooks, add 1 teaspoon of mayo to grated cheddar cheese. Mix/bind with hands and set aside. Peel skin from tomatoes and cut into 1/2 inch to 1 inch slices. Place tomato slices on paper towels to drain. Once all tomaotes are peeled and sliced, I find it easiest to run each slice under water to remove the seeds. After the seeds have been removed from each slice, place tomatoes back on paper towels to drain excess liquid and sprinkle liberally with salt, pepper and dried basil - this method guarantees that you won't have a soggy pie. Flip slices and repeat.

Once tomatoes are ready and crust is cooked and cooled slightly, begin construction of the pie. Spread an even, thin layer of Zatarans spicy creole mustard on the base of the pie crust. Layer tomatoes, then green onions,then cheese mixture in the pie crust. Repeat process until you reach the top of the pie pan, ending with the cheese mixture. Cover the top with the freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 to 7 minutes.
*Tip* Remove pie from oven after 25 mintues and soak up any excess grease on the top or sides of the pie with paper towels. Repeat process every so often until the pie is finished cooking. This will prevent your pie from becoming too greasy and soupy.