CARLA’S TOMATO PIE

If you know me well, you know how obsessed I am with homegrown tomatoes in the summer.  My brother-in-law, Wayne, actually calls me a tomato whore – this from a man who has 40 tomato plants in his garden when only he and his wife live at home!  He says he will feed the world, one tomato at a time.  Anyway he generously shares them with me, and I am happy to drive the 45 minutes over to Marble Falls to get a basketful – which I did this week.  I have been making tomato dishes all week, and I remembered Carla’s tomato pie so that’s what I made last night.  I threw some sausage on the grill and voila dinner for the champions.  Justin absolutely loved it – he is a tomato kook too!  It would also be great as an appetizer, or as a light lunch with a green salad.  Trust me, if you like summer tomatoes and cheese, you will love this pie.  Thanks for sharing, Carla!

1 pie shell

About 5-6 medium tomatoes – enough to fill a pie shell

2 cloves garlic, diced

Handful of fresh basil, diced

Black pepper

1+ c. Mozarella cheese, grated *

1+ c. Cheddar cheese, grated*

About ¼-1/3 c. mayo
Diced jalapeños, optional

Bake the pie shell and let it cool.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Peel, and cut the tomatoes into large chunks, a little more than an inch in size.  Put them in a colander to drain and with your hands mix in the garlic and basil.    Mix together the cheeses and just enough mayo for the cheeses to stick together.  Spread half of the cheese mixture over the bottom of the pie shell, so it makes a barrier between the tomato juice and the crust.  Spread the tomatoes and jalapeños, if using, across the cheese and season with black pepper.  Pull apart bits of the remaining cheese mixture and dot it across the tomatoes.  If desired, sprinkle a little extra grated cheese over the areas that don’t have cheese on them.

Bake about 30 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown.  Let cool about 15 minutes or so in order for the juices to settle.  Slice and enjoy.

*I actually bought an Italian blend our HEB puts together of shredded mozzarella, provolone, parmesan, asiago, fontina and romano cheeses and combined it with some shredded gruyere because we love it so much, and it was yummy.  I will experiment with different cheeses every time I make this, just for the variety of the flavors.  As long as you use a cheese that melts well you are good to go!

Hmm, I’m now wondering about trying it with cilantro and Mexican cheeses – I think the combinations are endless with this basic recipe!