Tomato Pie

Alice Coudron plans to bring Tomato Pie to the Thanksgiving potluck at the Pastoral Center this Wednesday and also prepare it for her family’s holiday gathering the next day.

A year or two ago her niece brought one to an Easter dinner and Alice was totally surprised to see her daughter Kim, who normally doesn’t like tomatoes, sample it. Then, after a week or so, Kim surprised her even more by wanting to make it. It’s been on the menu at their home frequently since then.

The Coudrons raise lots of tomatoes and herbs in their garden. Alice especially likes to make this tomato pie in the summer, with her own fresh garden produce. CJK

Tomato Pie

(Alice Coudron)

1 pie shell, prepared

2 lbs. tomatoes*

Olive oil

Sea salt

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp. dried oregano

2-3 tbsp. fresh basil, torn**

1 1/2 cup white cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake pie shell as directed.

Place foil on a jelly roll pan. Slice tomatoes into 1/2-inch thick slices. Place them on the pan and sprinkle with olive oil and sea salt. Roast tomatoes for one and a half hours at 350°F.

Mix mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese and oregano together. Spread one-half cup of this mixture on the baked pie shell, top with half of the roasted tomatoes, half of the basil and one-half cup of the shredded cheddar cheese. Layer with remaining mayonnaise mixture, tomatoes, basil and cheese. Bake dish for 25-35 minutes at 350°F.

Yield: 8 servings

A note from Alice: *It’s best to use larger, beefy tomatoes for this recipe. Their flavor is really concentrated during the roasting.

**Using fresh basil really makes a big difference in this dish, but, in a pinch, I have substituted about one teaspoon of dried basil for fresh.

I really like the white cheddar cheese in this recipe, because of that little “tang” it adds.

A note from Carol: Alice is the consultant for The Catholic Foundation of the Diocese of St. Cloud, with responsibility for planned giving and major gifts. She and her husband Wally are members of St. Henry Parish in Monticello.