July means fireworks, days at the beach and . . . fresh tomato pie. I put a twist on the Southern staple by giving it an Italian flavor for my husband’s love of all Italian food. It turned out to be the very BEST T-Pie ever!
Using the newspaper (after you’ve carefully read every word and removed my column for your scrapbook), cover a section with paper towels and let your tomatoes drain. Salt and pepper while they sit for a few minutes.
Since I was on my way to a fancy party of some kind or the other, I used the pre-chopped onions so as not to stink-up my delicate hands and make my eyes a soggy mess. A spoonful of chopped garlic was added and zapped in the microwave for a few minutes. This really is the speedy way to go.
I used three cheeses, about 1/2 to 1 cup each, of asiago, parmesan, and mozzarella along with fresh basil.
1/2 cup of Dukes Mayonnaise and two eggs were mixed together in a bowl, keeping some of the cheese out for the topping.
Here’s the secret ingredient. Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Pizza & Pasta Magic. It’s a combination of Italian spices that also adds a tiny touch of crushed red pepper for a little kick.
*update – several of you had trouble finding the Pizza and Pasta Magic, and after I bought it, I couldn’t find it again, but any pizza/Italian seasoning should work. This one is just very good.
Homegrown! Layer the drained tomatoes with the cheese/mayo mixture.
Top with cheese and another sprinkling of basil. (I also had fresh oregano growing and totally forgot to use it, but wouldn’t that have been good?).
And look at this bubbling, toasty, cheesy treat! The addition of the traditional Italian ingredients almost made it like a deep dish pizza.
The boys in the house actually loved it much more than my regular tomato pie, so once again, my mixed marriage of Southern/Northern/American/Italian has found another way to settle into our everyday lives. Mangiare bene, y’all!