Author: Susan Murray, www.awomancooksinasheville.com
Ingredients
1double pie crust
4large tomatoes
1small yellow onion
4-6slicesbacon
1cmayonnaise
½cMozzarella cheesenot Buffalo style, grated
½cFontina cheesegrated
1tbschopped fresh basil
1tbschopped fresh oregano
¼tspmustard powder
Salt to taste
Instructions
Slice and dry the tomatoes
At least one hour, and up to eight hours, before baking the pie, slice the tomatoes into thick slices. Use a small spoon (or your fingers) to remove and discard the seeds. Place the slices on trays lined with paper towels and sprinkle lightly with salt. After half an hour, turn the tomatoes over and place them on fresh paper towels. Repeat until you are ready to assemble the pie.
Pre-bake the pie shell.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
If you are using home-made pastry, roll the pastry thickly, ½ ” to ¾”. If you are using ready-to-roll pastry, put both sheets together and roll them as one.
Line an 8”- 9” pie shell with the pastry, crimping the edges. Put a sheet of foil in the tin, with the edges hanging over, and fill the foil with pie weights, dried rice, or dried beans.
Bake for 10 minutes. Use the edges of the foil to lift out the weights. Prick any bubbles which are forming with a fork and return the pie crust to the oven for a further 10 minutes until it is lightly browned. Remove and cool the crust.
Cook the bacon and onions
Cook the bacon to crisp and remove from the pan, reserving the bacon fat.
Slice the onion thinly and sauté it in the bacon fat until it is soft and beginning to brown. Remove from the heat.
Crumble or dice the bacon and return it to the pan with the onion.
Reserve until needed.
Make the cheese filling.
Put the cheese and mayonnaise in a medium bowl. Add the herbs and spices and salt to taste. Mix well.
Assemble the pie
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Spread half the onions and bacon over the pie crust. Add a layer of half the tomatoes, filling in the cracks and gaps so it is tight. Spread with half the cheese mixture.
Repeat, reserving one or two slices of tomato to garnish the top.
Bake until the pie is hot throughout, 35-45 minutes.
Remove and rest for 10 minutes before serving.
The pie can be eaten hot, at room temperature or cold.