Believe it or not, the 90+ degree heat and 100% humidity is not our favorite part of summer in East Tennessee! It’s tomato season without a doubt and this helps us get past the heat. A favorite way to bring out their flavor for us is a traditional tomato pie. Think of it as an Appalachian Deep Dish Pizza.
Make sure you get yourself a well-seasoned [easyazon_link identifier=”B00006JSUB” locale=”US” tag=”bluecanoe09-20″]cast iron skillet[/easyazon_link]. Ours is from Mr. KnoxFoodie’s mom. Probably 60+ years old or more. But there are some great ones on the market new. Well-treated, this will become one of your favorite kitchen tools.
We scored a bounty of tomatoes at the local farmers market and the herbs were from our own garden. Use whichever herbs you have available. We happen to have basil, chives, and parsley today. But tarragon, thyme, oregano, and many others works very well.
This is really easy and packs all the flavor of summer into one dish. We served it with roasted chicken from the grill, but it is great on it’s own. RECIPE BELOW IMAGES.
Salt each tomato slice on both sides and allow to ‘sweat’ for 10 minutes.
Saute onions and garlic.
Pre-bake pie crust to make sure it doesn’t become soggy.
Layer tomatoes, pepper, herbs, and onion mixture.
Use a variety of tomatoes to make more visually interesting!
Top with cheese mixture and a couple randomly placed slices of tomato(optional).
