Thoughts on approaching this week’s box from subscriber Conne Ward Cameron.
Thinking about tomatoes today.
We haven’t seen the overflowing bounty of tomatoes we’ve had in some years past, but the advice I’ve given before (https://grassfedcow.com/
A tomato bumping up against a spaghetti squash or two may find itself with a little bruise. Dealt with right away, that bruise is not a problem. Left to sit on your counter, a tomato with a bruise will begin to break down and can rot in a day or two.
So inspect those tomatoes! And if you find one with a ding, deal with it. It takes 5 minutes to do some chopping and then you have prepped tomatoes to be used in any number of ways. Check out that link.
While you’re there, look through the bunches and bunches of tomato recipes.
This week my tomatoes are going into a tomato pie. I could have sworn I shared this recipe before. It’s from Zeb Stevenson when he was the exec chef at Watershed. We ran it in the AJC three years ago.
Best. Tomato. Pie. Ever.
Zeb Stevenson’s Tomato Pie
Stevenson has created a tomato pie with a biscuit-like crust and a layer of cheese that keeps the crust crisp but doesn’t overwhelm the bright tomato flavor. It’s a far cry from the soggy, mayonnaise-filled pies you may have tried before.
The recipe basically has you creating your own self-rising flour. This is perfect if, like at the restaurant, you don’t want to take up room storing something that isn’t often used. Instead of stocking up on self-rising flour, just make your own. Of course, if you have self-rising flour in the pantry, substitute 2 cups of that for the flour, baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
2 cups White Lily all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes and frozen
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 pounds tomatoes, sliced if large, cut into wedges if small
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons crumbled saltine crackers (about 3 crackers)
6 large basil leaves
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
In the bowl of a food processor, pulse flour, baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt until mixed. Add butter and pulse just until mixture resembles coarse sand. Remove flour mixture from food processor to a medium bowl. Stir in buttermilk and mix until just combined. Dough may be sticky. Cover dough and refrigerate 30 minutes.
While dough is chilling, in a colander toss tomatoes and remaining tablespoon salt. Let colander sit in a bowl or in the sink for 30 minutes.
When dough has chilled, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Dust work surface with flour and turn dough onto work surface. Dust top of dough with additional flour. Roll dough out to 1/4-inch thickness, using additional flour if needed. Lay the crust in a 9-inch pie pan and trim to fit. Crimp edge and line crust with a sheet of parchment paper that hangs off the sides by at least one inch. Fill paper with dried beans to weigh down the paper. Bake 20 minutes or until bottom crust is cooked and edges have nicely browned. Remove from oven to cool.
In a small bowl, combine cheddar, mayonnaise and crumbled saltines. Spread mixture over bottom of baked pie crust. Remove tomatoes from colander and pat dry. Discard any liquid that came off tomatoes. Arrange tomatoes over cheddar mixture and bake pie 45 minutes. Remove from oven and top with basil and oregano. Let pie cool one hour before serving. Serves: 8