FOR THE LOVE OF PIE: TOMATO AND CORN PIE

“You’ve never had a tomato and corn pie?” I said, barely able to keep the amazement out of my voice.

“No” said my tomato-loving Southern Husband.

How was this possible? I never had a tomato pie before I moved South. However, by now, I have had many and made many more. How did this happen? It needed to be fixed. So, I threw the whole pie at him: fresh tomatoes and corn in a pimento cheese filling.  And bacon, just because.

The thing I love about tomato and corn pie, you can be as purist as you want or take the easy shortcuts.  It’s always good.

Start with the pie crust.  You can make one from scratch (easy recipe here)   If you do use a commercial crust, use both crusts, one laid on top of the other to give your pie a nice thick base.

Place one crust on top of the other and roll them together for a sturdy pie crust.

Precooking the pie crust will keep the moisture of the tomatoes from making the bottom of the pie soggy.

While the pie crust is baking, slice the nicest, reddest, ripe tomatoes you can find into thick slices.  If you want to peel the tomatoes you can. But it’s not really necessary. Cut the seeds out and put the slices on a piece of paper towel.  Salt them lightly and let them sit for 30 minutes.  Then turn them over and place them on a fresh sheet of paper towel and let them sit for another 30 minutes.  This will draw out a lot of the moisture.

Make the rest of the filling by grating some cheeses (Gouda and Sharp Cheddar). Grate half of it finely and the rest coarsely.  This will give you more texture and make sure there are lots of big cheesy bites.

Diced Peppadew pimento peppers, mayo,  onion powder and Worcestershire sauce are stirred together to make it a pimento cheese filling.  Stir the corn into the cheese mixture. And add some stabilizers in the form of an egg, and some flour.

Peppadew are small, slightly spicy red peppers. Technically they are pimentos.

Finally, assemble the pie.

Layer some finely grated parmesan over the bottom of the pie crust.

Spread over the parmesan with about a third of the cheese mixture.

Sprinkle with half the bacon

Now place half of the slices tomatoes on top of the bacon.  Don’t worry about making it look pretty.  Get them close together so every bite includes yummy tomato.

Pile the tomatoes tightly into the pie to make sure there is a tomato in every bite!

Then repeat: cheese, bacon and tomatoes.

Top the tomatoes with the rest of the cheese mixture. Make it pretty if you want by adding a slice or two of tomato on top and maybe a little bacon.

It’s okay if the last layer of cheese doesn’t fully cover the tomatoes.

Bake the pie at 375 degree for 45-60 minutes until it is hot throughout and bubbling.

Once out of the oven the tomato and  corn pie needs to cool for at least an hour in order to set. Serve it at room temperature with a green salad for a great dinner on a hot day.

And there you go: from pimento cheese to bacon, corn to tomatoes, a completely Southern Pie!

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TOMATO AND CORN PIE WITH PIMENTO CHEESE

Servings 1 pie

Author Susan Murray, www.awomancooksinasheville.com

Ingredients

• 2 sheets Ready-to-Roll Pastry
• 4 large fresh ripe tomatoes
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 ears of corn
• 1 c grated white cheddar cheese
• 1 c grated gouda cheese
• 1 c mayonnaise
• ½ c diced peppadew peppers
• ¼ tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp cream
• 1 tbsp flour
• ¼ c finely grated parmesan cheese
• 6 slices crisp bacon chopped

Instructions

Precook the pastry

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Unroll one pastry sheet on a lightly floured board. Roll the other sheet out on top of it. Use your rolling pin to rolled the doughs together to a 12” circle. Place in a deep-dish pie pan and roll and crimp the edges. Prick all over with a fork then line with aluminum foil and fill the foil with raw rice, dried beans or pastry weights.
2. Bake for 10 minutes. Then remove the foil and the weights. Bake for another 10 minutes until the crust is a light golden brown. Let cool

Prepare the Tomatoes

1. Peel the tomatoes if desired. Slice the tomatoes into thick slices, about 6 slices per tomato. Use your fingers or the end of a knife to remove the seeds from the slices. Place the slices on a paper towel and sprinkle lightly with salt. Let rest for at least 30 minutes. Turn the slices over and place them on a fresh paper towel. Let them dry for a further 30 minutes.

Make the Filling

1. Grate the cheddar and gouda. ½ cup of each should be finely grated and ½ cup should be a coarse grate.
2. Put the cheese in a medium bowl and stir in the mayonnaise, peppadews, onion powder and Worcestershire sauce.
3. Beat the egg lightly and add to the cheese mixture along with the cream and flour. Stir to mix.
4. Cut the corn kernels off the cob and add to the cheese mixture.

Assemble the Pie

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
2. Sprinkle ¼ c grated parmesan cheese on the base of the pie crust.
3. Top with half of the chopped bacon.
4. Spread one third of the cheese mixture over the bacon layer.
5. Arrange half the tomatoes over the cheese mixture, fitting them in tightly.
6. Repeat layers of bacon, cheese and tomato finishing with a layer of cheese.
7. Back in the preheated oven for 45-60 minutes until the pie is hot throughout and lightly browned on top.
8. Let the pie cool for an hour before serving.

Recipe Notes

Notes: You can also use a homemade pie crust, rolled thickly. If you can’t find Peppadew Peppers, Fire Roasted Red Peppers will work.