In the Garden...And Another Tomato Pie

By Vickilane

This lovely girl, nonchalantly munching forsythia in our front yard is probably the one who has wiped out three-quarters of my corn and most of my beans. 

She has left the tomatoes alone, thank goodness, though between the blight and the dry weather recently, they're not what they should be.

She doesn't appear to care about cucumbers, peppers, squash, or kale, thank heavens.

John is talking about a deer proof fence for next year, Miss Lady, so enjoy the garden while you can. . .

Meanwhile, here's another tomato pie, this one from a recipe one of my students sent me. It uses mayonnaise, fresh mozzarella, and Greek olives and is delicious. 

Nan's Tomato Pie (To Die For) with notes from Vicki
Single Pie Crust Recipe  (I use a sour cream pastry crust, yum!) I used the recipe I used in my previous tomato pie recipe
4 medium ripe tomatoes, peeled and cut into half-inch slices (24 oz) 1/2 tsp. salt Half-cup mayonnaise (if you're so inclined, homemade is preferable) of course I used homemade; it's what's in the fridge 4 green onions, both white and green sliced 2 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped fine 1  cup (4oz) Parmesan Cheese, divided 8 oz. fresh mozzarella, sliced thick 1/4 cup, Greek cured olives, diced I used ordinary pitted Kalamatas, not finding the dry cured at my local store Salt & Pepper, freshly ground
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Make pastry, chill, roll out.
Place tomatoes in a single layer on paper towels; sprinkle with salt; let stand for 30 minutes. Pat dry with paper towels.  Stir together mayo, onions, basil and 3/4 cup parmesan cheese.  Roll out pastry into a 13-inch circle, fit into a 9-inch pie plate, crimping edges.
Par-bake crust for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly browned.  Sprinkle remaining parmesan cheese over bottom of crust. Arrange tomato slices over cheese; spread mayo mixture over tomatoes. Layer mozzarella on top in a circular pattern. Scatter olives on top. Season liberally with salt and pepper.  Bake for 34-37 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

Nan's take on tomato pie is delicious and rich. The melted fresh mozzarella looks disconcertingly like mayo but it's not. If I'd paid attention to the directions to make a circular pattern with the mozzarella, it would probably have been more attractive. No matter. It was a terrific supper and, served cold the next day, made a fine lunch.