Tomato Pie

If you've got some late-season tomatoes to use up, this is the first of some really yummy recipes that I've found to do it! We don't have a surplus of tomatoes ourselves. My plants are in pots on our apartment deck and are JUST starting to yield tomatoes. However, both of our parents have forests of tomato plants, so we've been the willing recipients of several loads of tomatoes =-)

I found this recipe here at simplyrecipes.com. I don't really know what course of a meal this pie is suppose to be? We ate this as a main dish for a lighter supper, but I suppose that it could be used as a side dish as well?

The flavors in this pie are amazing! Mine did turn out a little watery. I tried to squeeze the tomatoes the best I could, but I guess they could always be squeezed a little more? Next time, I think I may try cutting them a little early, salting them a little, and letting them set in a collander for 30 minutes or so before putting the pie together so that it doesn't end up so watery. The "juice" didn't affect the taste and the hubby didn't care. We ended up just draining it off the pie dish after we scooped out the first couple pieces. Enjoy!

Tomato Pie - adapted from SimplyRecipes.com

1 (9-inch) pie shell

1 red onion, chopped and carmamelized on the stove

3-4 tomatoes, cut in half horizontally, squeezed to remove excess juice, roughly chopped, to yield approximately 3 cups chopped tomatoes

1/2 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

2 c. grated Mozzarella cheese (can use sharp cheddar or Monterey Jack - I just used what we had)

3/4 c. light Mayonnaise

1 tsp. Frank's Hot Sauce

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Caramelize onion on the stove. Place pie shell in oven and cook for 8-10 minutes or longer until lightly golden. If you are starting with a frozen crust, cook it a little longer. If you are using a homemade crust, freeze the crust first, then line the crust with aluminum foil and pre-bake it for 20 mintues, then reomve the foil and bake an additional 10 mintues.

Squeeze as much moisture from the tomatoes as you can, suing either paper towels, a clean dish towel, or a potato ricer.

Sprinkle the bottom of the pre-cooked pie shell with cooked onion. Spread the chopped tomatoes over the onions. Sprinkle with basil and oregano.

In a medium bowl, mix grated cheese, mayonnaise, hot sauce, a sprinkle of salt, and freshly ground pepper. The mixture should be the consistency of a gooey snow ball. Spread the cheese mixture over the tomatoes. Place in the oven and bake until browned and bubbly, anywhere from 25 to 45 mintues.