The Olympic spirit seems to be everywhere lately, right? It’s the most common topic among my friends anyway. Have you turned them on yet? I love everything about it, and that’s saying a lot because I am the unsportiest of humans. I have memories of her staying up late canning apricots, the Olympics playing on the TV perched on the counter, surrounded by stone fruit. The peaches and apricots covered every flat surface in the kitchen, wall to wall. Windows were flung open to catch the summer breeze, the floor sticky from spills, a stray ant here and there. (That’s just what happens when you bring an entire crop of fruit into your house.) And my mom, cheering her guts out to Kerri Strug landing that vault, and all the other incredible moments that comes from Olympics (Have you watched Yaroslava Mahuchikh break the high jump record yet? Freakin go, Ukraine!) Imagine the best tomato sandwich, with soft buttery white bread, heaps of mayonnaise, plenty of salt and pepper, and the garden’s freshest, juiciest tomato…and then turn it into a pie. My mother-in-law Kris became interested in this pie last summer, when she had a bumper crop of tomatoes from her garden. She made it once and it baked up into a soggy mess (more on how to avoid this below.) But she did a bit more research, dried out the tomatoes more, and also discovered the cornmeal trick (adding it to the bottom of the pie helps absorb moisture). The second time she made it, it was a huge success. She served it to the ladies in her book club and they went wild for it. Here is Kris’s pie: Doesn’t it look so good?? She nailed it. Kris, thank you for taking such detailed notes on your pie-making, it helped so much! I made a few adjustments to the recipe, but you’re the one who saved me from all the rounds of too-soggy pie 🤣 That’s literally what I did when I set out to make this pie. My friend Rachel is an amazing gardener and I asked to buy some of her tomatoes, but she just gave them to me! (Rachel is my friend in real life, but she also happens to be the QUEEN of grocery budgeting, I highly recommend her courses!!) I was so grateful to get my hands on some garden fresh tomatoes for this pie, it makes a huuuuge difference in flavor. Now, a word about technique. Our sturdy-pie quest starts with picking sturdy tomatoes. Roma tomatoes or Beefsteak tomatoes are my top choices for this pie, but you can use any garden tomatoes you have available. (If you are calling up your friends to mooch off their garden, you can’t be too picky ;) We want to choose tomatoes that are not overly-juicy, ones that are a bit sturdy and will hold their shape when baked. Very-juicy tomatoes could disintegrate when cooked, and the moisture will seep into your crust and make it soggy-sad. Whatever tomatoes you have, we are taking pretty extensive measures to get as much moisture out of them as possible, more on that in the how-to section below. The other tip that Kris taught me is to use cornmeal on the bottom of your crust! This adds great corny, hearty flavor, AND helps absorb extra liquid. Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram Now it’s time to Blind Bake the crust. We are actually doing what’s called a “Par Bake,” so follow the instructions for that option. This means that we are weighing down the center of our pie crust (you can see I used black beans here) and baking the edges of the crust. Then, take the weights out. Poke a fork all over the center of the pie crust, which will still be totally raw. This is so it doesn’t bubble up. All the details for this are shown on my Blind Bake pie crust post. Par-bake again for just 3-4 more minutes, until it looks like this: Set your pie crust aside, it’s time to make the filling! Start by prepping the tomatoes, so they have time to release their moisture while we do everything else. Core your tomatoes, and slice off any cracks that are on top of your garden tomatoes. Then slice your tomato in half. Do not cut across the core. If you set your tomato on the counter on it’s bottom, we are lopping off the top half. It’s important to cut this way (it’s called “crosswise” but who can remember these terms 😂) so that we end up with these handy seed pockets. SQUEEZE out them seeds! Actually I start out with a bit of squeezing but then eventually just end up digging my fingers into each of these seed cavities. The goal is to get out ALL the seeds and juicy mush stuff. You just want sturdy tomato flesh left in your hand. Then take each half and chop it into a large dice. I like to cut the tomato one more time like this, for nice bite-size pieces. Keep chopping until you have about 4 cups of tomatoes, or about 1 and 1/2 pounds. Add all the tomatoes to a colander set in a bowl (to capture the juice). Add 1 teaspoon salt to the tomatoes, and stir it around so each piece is coated in salt. Let the tomatoes sit in the salt for at least 20-30 minutes while you prep the rest of the filling. First thing is to add in that cornmeal. This is delicious, and helps absorb moisture in your pie. Next add a layer of cheese, I used cheddar here. This creates another barrier between the tomatoes and the crust. Next add some onions and basil. You can just chop your basil like any other herb, into bits. No need to do the fancy chiffonade here, where you roll the leaves and slice. I prefer smaller pieces of basil in my pie. Now let’s go back to those tomatoes. After several minutes you should see some juice in the bowl at the bottom, the salt doing its work. Lay out some paper towels and add the tomatoes in a single layer. Press more paper towels on top. We just want these tomatoes to be as DRY as possible! Add HALF of the dried out tomatoes to the pie. Meanwhile, in another bowl, add in all the filling ingredients: mayo, a bunch of cheese, garlic, a bit of cayenne. And spread this mixture on top of your tomatoes. Add the rest of the dried out tomatoes. Top the pie with more cheese, any kind you like. At this point, follow the instructions for making a tin foil pie crust shield. This protects our crust from getting over baked, and bonus, makes your pie look like it’s ready for a trip to outer space. Pop it in the oven and bake until the top is golden and crispy!! Voila! Aren’t you so excited to dig in?? It really does taste a little like pizza…plus pie crust 🙌
Cut or sliced watermelon, cantaloupe, peaches, or any other fresh summer fruit! Corn on the cob, fresh green beans, summer squash, or any other fresh summer vegetables Strawberry Spinach Salad » deliciously sweet and tangy. and so easy to throw together Raspberry Avocado Salad with Poppyseed Dressing » a simple green salad with bright flavors Bacon Baked Beans » bacon-y, beefy baked bean goodness Easy Broccoli and Bacon Salad » everyone needs a recipe for the best broccoli salad and this is IT Grilled Chicken Marinade Recipe » this makes my favorite grilled chicken of all time, and it would be SO GOOD with this pie! Best Smoked Pulled Pork Recipe » the most incredible juicy and tender pork smoked right on a gas grill! Be sure to check out this Slow Cooker or Oven Roasted option if you don’t have a grill Black-Eyed Peas with Bacon and Sausage from Olivia’s Cuisine
To serve, take the pie out of the refrigerator and let it sit for an hour or two to reach room temperature. If you want it served warm, let it sit on the counter for about 30 minutes, then put the whole pan in a COLD oven (especially if your pie pan is glass) and set the oven to 350 degrees. Check on the pie after about 10 minutes to see if it is warmed through or if it needs more time. You can also warm up one slice at a time in the microwave, but the crust will not crisp up like in the oven. To use from the freezer, let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then warm in the oven the next day using the instructions above in the how to store tomato pie section. You can even put the mostly frozen pie directly in the oven, just make sure it is NOT preheated if the pan is glass (your pan could shatter)!
Tomato Tart with Blue Cheese » similar to this recipe, but with a delicious blue cheese flavored quiche-like filling! How To Make The Best BLT Sandwich! » you thought you didn’t need a recipe…BUT YOU DO Tomato Basil Summer Veggie Casserole » an easy and healthy casserole that uses up so many great garden veggies Caprese Salad Skewers Appetizer » it’s amazing how just a few simple flavors can turn into magic! Grilled Tomato, Basil & Mozzarella Salad (Caprese Salad Recipe) » a whole salad based on the appetizer, but even better because everything gets grilled. I absolutely love this meal. Pan-Seared Salmon with Cherry Tomatoes and Mozzarella (30 Minutes) » the cherry tomatoes shine in this 30 minute dinner! Burrata with Heirloom Tomatoes from Love and Lemons
