I'll be honest, I made something very similar to this pie a couple of years ago and my thoughts were to revise it a bit, change the post date and have another go with it but then I had second thoughts. It was so good, why not just reinvent the wheel a bit and keep both wheels? This Savory Tomato Pie is barely more than a crust filled with tomatoes and covered with some bread crumbs. As a matter of fact because of that very simplicity it's not a particularly great pie to serve in any way other than a bowl; it really falls apart. Don't let that stop you from making it if you want something super easy though; it still tastes fantastic.
This year though I had my own tomatoes and a whole lot of them. I wanted to make two of these pies and give one to my neighbors Amy and Casey (if you know how much I LOVE my homegrown tomatoes you might better appreciate that gesture of giving some away!). Amy is trying to start a business, manage a 6 year old and keeping up with the details of selling their previous home...hmm, I wonder who I know who could identify with CRAZY times like that? Oh yeah, me circa 2013! So while she was running to Costco and to the other house and to pick up her son Lee I offered to make her a tomato pie; thankful that both her husband and son, picky eaters that they are, would welcome it. My intent to change it up a bit was twofold; I wanted something a bit more filling and richer, yes, but I also thought I had an old recipe in one of my binders that I sort of remembered having back in the 'olden days' that was exactly what I was looking for; something with those richer components that I thought would hold it together a bit more.
I found just what I was looking for in my ugly, yellow, cross-stitch designed recipe card binder; from the same dear woman who had helped me make my first quiche. As it turns out, this recipe is now all over the internet but I made a couple of my own changes and though I can't actually remember that first one so many, many years ago I can say this one is sure good. Alma's filling called for a combination of cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese and mayonnaise. I didn't have any cheddar but did have some ricotta. Now I can't imagine it any other way. Instead of layering the cheeses and topping the pie with mayonnaise I decided to mix all three of them together instead and dollop the mixture into two layers with the tomatoes and basil. SO good. Last but not least, I brought one component of the savory tomato pie mentioned above to this recipe; it's topped with a cheesy bread crumb mixture and I opted for doing something similar with Panko and Parmesan. Similar yes but absolutely not the same!
If you've still got some fresh tomatoes or can acquire some soon; you must do this. I had it for breakfast, lunch and dinner one day and then breakfast the next morning. I mean in lieu of that I do think I could have just sat down and eaten the entire thing...so I really tried hard to pace myself. How fitting that I'm sharing this pie on the 'last day of summer.' I wish summer wasn't over but I know this; this pie will be made again before the tomatoes are gone. It really is that good. Try it; you'll see!
