Tomato Pie

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INGREDIENTS­

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1 tablespoon fresh basil

1½ tablespoons fresh dill

3 green onions

1½ tablespoons fresh oregano

1 tablespoon fresh parsley

2½ pounds tomatoes

½ tablespoon salt

¾ cup mayonnaise

¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

¾ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1 9″ pie shell

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SPECIAL UTENSILS

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mandoline (optional)

aluminum foil

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Serves 4. Takes 1 hour 20 minutes.

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PREPARATION

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Preheat oven to 360 degrees, Dice basil, dill, green onions, oregano, and parsley. Use mandoline or knife to Slice tomatoes into slices ¼”-thick slices with mandoline or knife. Place tomato slices 1-layer deep on paper towels. Sprinkle slices with salt. Place paper towels on tomatoes. Pat tomatoes dry. Let sit 15 minutes. Pat tomato slices dry again with new paper towels. Add mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, basil, dill, green onion, oregano, and mayonnaise to mixing bowl. Mix with fork or whisk until well blended.

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Arrange ⅓ of the tomato slices over the pie crest. Spread ½ of the cheese/mayonnaise mixture over the tomato slices. Repeat. Arrange last layer of tomato slices over the 2nd cheese/ mayonnaise layer. Press these slices firmly into the cheese/mayonnaise. (This makes the layers come together.) Wrap only the edges of crust with tin foil to prevent the crust from browning excessively.

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Bake at 360 degrees for 35 minutes or until the mayonnaise/cheese mixture turns golden brown and begins to bubble. Garnish with parsley.

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TIDBITS

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1) Lucy of Olduvai Gorge had a brother called Tomato. His skeleton has yet to be discovered. That’s why know so little of him. While most homonids were content to be hunter-gathers, Tomato developed the tomato by careful cross pollination. He then scattered tomato seeds along his way to North and South America. It’s only fitting that we named the tomato after him.

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– Paul De Lancey, The Comic Chef, Ph.D.

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