Tomato Pie ::

Great stuff, especially this time of year!

Ingredients:

1 9" pie shell (I got the cheap frozen one from the Wal-Mart)
3 or 4 ripe tomatoes
1 onion (I would have preferred Vidalia, but all I had was yellow)
12 large fresh Basil leaves
1 cup mayonnaise (I used the light kind)
1 cup Mozzarella cheese
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup crumbled bacon or browned hot sausage (Jimmy Dean!)
salt and pepper to taste (I always prefer sea salt and coarse ground black pepper)

I took the pie shell, after thawing, and put it in a 350° oven for about 10 minutes just to brown it a bit.

I sliced the tomatoes and put them in a colander to drain while I thinly sliced the onion. During the summer I always grow Basil so I went outside and whacked off 12 large leaves and chopped them finely. I put the onions on the pie shell followed by a full layer of tomatoes. I found that 3 tomatoes were enough. I then sprinkled the fresh Basil over the tomatoes followed by salt and pepper and either the crumbled bacon or browned sausage.

I mixed the mayonnaise, Mozzarella and Parmesan well in a bowl and covered the top of the pie with this mixture. This was then put in a 350° oven for between 45 minutes and one hour. When it was done I let it cool for 10 or 15 minutes before slicing.

For the vegetarians in the audience the bacon and sausage can be easily eliminated. I also found that 3 or 4 ripe tomatoes are too many unless you go with a deep crust which I’m getting ready to do. About 1 ½ tomato seems to work well for one pie with the 9” pie crust. I also got an e-mail from a friend outside Charleston, S.C. who does pretty much the same thing with zucchini. I also substituted grated Pepper Jack cheese for Mozzarela. Gives it a bit more of a kick!