No-Mayo Tomato Pie
No, that’s not a typo. You read it correctly. A NO-MAYO Tomato Pie! Yes, it’s possible to make a good Southern tomato pie without mayonnaise and yes, mayonnaise is one of the top condiments used in the south, but I just cannot. stand. it. There, I said it! So my whole adult life I’ve thought I couldn’t eat tomato pie because they come loaded with it until a friend of mine made one without mayo for me a few years ago. It was really good so I came up with this recipe and have been making it ever since. I wait all year for those beautiful ripe summer tomatoes at the State Farmer’s Market, and I was shopping there yesterday and found some surprisingly good tomatoes for so early in the season. I even found the first heirloom tomatoes, which are my favorite. I hope you try this recipe and love it.
RECIPE:
Frozen deep dish pie crust, or homemade crust (I use this one https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/448-all-butter-pie-crust?fbclid=IwAR1wZDpmeBilVG47v036wqdpMPEfmHQR9FQfXV6XWz8V_-Vz7ahni0-HtyI
3-4 large ripe tomatoes, the best you can find (not the sad chilled grocery store variety in shrink wrap, not that I’m judging)
Olive or avocado oil
Kosher salt & pepper
1 1/2 cups hand-shredded white sharp cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups hand shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated parmigiano reggiano
fresh basil leaves
Flake salt https://www.amazon.com/Maldon-Sea-Salt-Flakes-ounce/dp/B00017028M
DIRECTIONS:
Thaw the frozen pie crust on the counter for about 10-15 minutes. Dock (prick) the crust with a fork all over the bottom and the sides. Place directly on middle rack in the oven, or you can place on a sheet pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 5-8 minutes. You just want to cook the raw crust a bit, which will help prevent sogginess on the bottom. If it has puffed up during cooking, take your fork and gently poke it until it deflates back into place. Let cool completely. If you are making the homemade crust, please follow the video tutorial for making and blind baking it.
If you want a clean pure tomato flavor from this pie, slice the tomatoes in 1/4” slices and drain on paper towels for several hours if possible, flipping them a couple of times and replacing any paper towels when needed. Or, if you want a deeper, more savory flavor you can roast the sliced tomatoes first. Place on a sheet pan and drizzle olive oil over them and sprinkle with kosher salt & pepper, maybe add a few sprigs of thyme and roast at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes or until they start to smell really good and roasted, but not too brown. Allow to cool completely.
Now you can assemble the pie. Sprinkle the bottom of the crust with a little of the mozzarella and cheddar, maybe 1/4 cup each. Then top with tomato slices. Drizzle with olive or avocado oil and season with salt and pepper and tear pieces of basil over top. Continue with more layers until you’ve used all of the tomatoes. You can pile them high because they are going to bake down. Top with remaining cheddar and mozzarella and all of the parmesan and any remaining basil. Finish with a drizzle of the oil.
Bake at 350 for anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour. Just keep an eye on it. You want it bubbling and lightly browned on top. I typically finish it by broiling the top for just a minute or two, watching it the entire time so that the crust does not burn. Let rest for 15-20 minutes and serve warm sprinkled with flake salt and more fresh basil. This is great reheated in a 350 oven until warmed through, about 20 minutes.