I am back! I shamefully admit that it has been 2 years since the last recipe…life took over. I graduated from university, took the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) twice, and now in the process of applying to medical schools! How exciting! Now that I have some time in between, getting back to cooking a ton sounds so much fun.
Tomato pie…what? This idea came to me when I visited my grandmother and left with a basket of freshly picked tomatoes, still dusted with that fragrant pollen, from her garden…last summer. But the TIME IS NOW and I am sharing this fun, easy, summery, delicious, and savory pie recipe that is just so perfect for the summer to come. Buttery and flaky crust, savory caramelized onions, creamy cheese with a hint of fresh mint, and sweet roasted tomatoes…a winning combination!
*Serving: a lot (it is a sharing dish for sure!)
Ingredients:
-enough ripe tomato to cover a 13×9 inch baking pan (about 5-6 big ones)
-2 tablespoons olive oil
-3 big yellow onions, sliced
-1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
-2 cups farmer cheese (its mild in flavor and has a close texture to ricotta, or any mild spreadable cheese would work)
-1/2 cup of finely julienned mint leaves
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1 tablespoon honey
-pie crust dough (store brought is fine too 😉
-13×9 inch baking pan with higher sides (for the delicious fillings duh!)
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 500C. Cut the tomatoes into slices of roughly 1/4 inch in thickness. Lay them on a foil-lined baking tray and sprinkle on salt and freshly cracked pepper. Let them charred up in the oven around 7-10 minutes. Once they are done, lower down the temperature to 350C for the pie later.
2. In a pan on low-medium heat, add in oil and sliced onions. Hit it with a sprinkle of salt and let it caramelizes while stirring occasionally.
3. Once the onions are soft, brown, and deliciously sweet, they are ready! Crank the heat up to high and add in the balsamic vinegar, stirring constantly for 1-2 minutes then take it off the heat.
4. In a small bowl, mix together farmer cheese (or ricotta) with julienned mint leaves, salt, pepper, and honey.
5. Butter your baking pan and line the pie crust dough. Poke the surface a couple times with a fork to prevent it from puffing up during baking.
6. Spread on the cheese/mint mixture evenly over the crust and spoon on the caramelized/balsamic vinegar onions. Lastly, place the roasted tomato slices on top (try to cover the entire surface with the tomatoes!
7. Pop it into the oven at 350C for 45 minutes. Enjoy it warm or I have been told that it tastes just as good if not better at normal room temperature!
Dish It Yourself 