Joe Soucheray's Savory Tomato Pie

[MineralMan]

Everything comes back around. A few years ago, in 2008, I worked up this recipe after hearing mention of it on the radio. Yesterday a friend of my wife's gave her one of these pies as a gift. I remember sending her the recipe years ago after serving it to her and her husband here. It was interesting to try her version of it, which was as good as I remembered. It's a sure bet, although it's little time-consuming to prepare.

Joe Soucheray, resident talk show host and curmudgeon on KSTP AM-1500 in Minneapolis/Saint Paul, Minnesota mentioned his enjoyment of a savory tomato and onion pie the other day on his show. As usual, he gave no clue as to the recipe, so I dug around, found several recipes, then experimented until I came up with this delicious version of a tomato pie. It's a terrific side dish or even a main course for a hearty Autumn meal.

Prep Time: 45 minutes (can be prepared and refrigerated an hour or two before cooking)
Cooking Time: 60 minutes (includes 15 minute cooling time)

Ingredients
1 package refrigerated pie crust (Two 9" crusts). Keep refrigerated until needed.
12-14 Medium-sized Roma tomatoes (Don't substitute other varieties. Meaty Romas are essential)
1 White onion
2 Cups shredded cheese (Cheddar and Jack)
4 Slices bacon (optional if you want a veggie dish)
4 TBSP mayonnaise
1 tsp Italian seasoning to taste
1/2 tsp Salt
Pepper

Directions
Follow the order of steps here pretty closely or you'll get discombobulated, for sure.

Put 4 quarts of water in large stockpot and bring to boil. While waiting, make a shallow, x-shaped cut in the pointy ends of the roma tomatoes. Romas are used in this recipe to keep the pie from being too juicy. When water is boiling, put whole tomatoes into boiling water for 30-60 seconds. Remove and cool in cold running water or in a bowl of ice water.

Peel the skins from the tomatoes, starting from the pointy end. The blanching process will let the peels slip off fairly easy. Slice the tomatoes into 1/4" thick round slices. You should end up with three or four slices from each tomato. Put sliced tomatoes in colander. Sprinkle with the salt and add pepper and dried Italian seasoning. Toss gently, then place colander on towel to drain. This gets rid of some of the liquid in the tomatoes and keeps the pie from being too juicy.

While tomatoes drain, cook and crumble or chop the bacon, then put in small container.

Slice the onion half very thinly across the layers and put in a container.

If you didn't buy pre-shredded cheese, grate it now and place in mixing bowl. Mix shredded cheese, bacon, and mayonnaise until cheese is coated. Mixture will be lumpy and sticky. never mind.

Unroll one round of pastry crust and gently press it into a 9" pie pan. Line the bottom completely with slices of tomato. Cover the tomato with a layer of the thinly-sliced onion. Add another layer of tomatoes and onions. Add the cheese, bacon and mayonnaise mix to the top of the pie, distributing evenly. Unroll the top crust and lay on top of pie. Crimp the crust edges together to seal the outside of the pie. Finally, use a paring knife to pierce the top crust in a nice pattern. This allows steam to escape during baking. If you wish, you can refrigerate the assembled pie for an hour or two before baking.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place pie on center rack. Bake for 30 minutes, then check crust for doneness. If it's getting too browned, cover the pie loosly with foil. Bake for 15 more minutes. Remove pie from oven and place on cooling rack for 15 minutes before serving. Slice and serve.

[Liberal Jesus Freak]

1. Bookmarked...

...for dinner this week. Great use for the last of our romas

[MineralMan]

4. Let me know how it turns out!

[livetohike]

2. Saving. Thanks for posting this. n/t

[sprinkleeninow]

3. The rustic simplicity of many old-fashioned

Last edited Mon Oct 9, 2017, 03:41 PM - Edit history (1)

dishes.

A recipe collecting addiction fell upon me decades ago. Cooking fancy schmancy gourmet when the occasion calls for it, but ya just can't beat tasty, simple dishes.

My other half observed me one evening engrossed in a new cookbook for some time. He said, "You're into that like a novel or something." I go, "You just don't understand!"

"Thanks for the 'Mater Pie receipt, MM." 😋👍

[MineralMan]

5. This one has all those qualities.

I often go for hearty rustic food when I have guests for dinner. It's always a surprise and always well received. We forget sometimes about basic, simple dishes.

[northoftheborder]

6. I identify with the recipe collection addiction!

I no longer cook much due to health issues, yet I cannot bring myself to cull my large cookbook collection, let alone the BOXES and FOLDERS full of recipes from magazines and newspapers and envelopes with recipes from TV cooking shows! I also print out recipes from Epicurious, etc.. STILL.

I think I have a problem.

My dream is to go through it all, scan at least all the recipes I have tried and liked over the years into my computer, perhaps print out a collection of favorites for my family.

Edit: That sounds like a great tomato pie recipe. I tried one last year that used puff pastry instead of pie crust that everyone liked. Hope I can find it in my piles to try again. Your recipe filling might work on that pastry too.

[sprinkleeninow]

7. Hi 'Recipe Dreamer',

We must've gone to different schools together! 😊

Traits of recipe/cookbook collectors. I got boxes galore. I got tons saved from online. I'll never get them filed in order unless I hire a staff! 📝 😅

I have artwork almost completed for a recipe book in progress. My pipe dream from three decades ago. For personal reasons primarily. Oy!

As soon as I tell myself, "That's enuff collecting!", I save/copy more! Caint hep mahself.

There's two of us golden oldies presently I feed. (We have to limit our intake. Plus husband has coupla health issues.) Along with a newish doggie daughter. I make a protein for her and combo of green beans, sweet potato, scrambled or hard boiled egg, 2% cheese and a good scoop of her wet doggie food. My neighbor goes, "🙄". I still have an over-the-top proclivity to many things. 😤

All the best to you, North.
May your book become a reality!
Stay safe. Be well.
And peace be unto you ! 💛

[northoftheborder]

13. So fun to hear of another's compulsions like mine!

But you know, cooking and eating patterns have changed over the years. My oldest recipes are full of dishes with Jello and canned cream soups! Fresh vegetables and interesting grains make up more of my meals.

And I just printed off a great way to cook butternut squash, which I have shunned because of the difficulty of cutting it up. Bake the whole thing in a 425 degree oven for a about an hour, then easily cut and pull apart the flesh, with the skin just peeling off easily along with the seeds. Yay!

[sprinkleeninow]

15. That's something grains and fresh vegs!

I do that for several meals weekly; there's a ton of variations one can do.

You get a carbohydrate, but not as in potatoes. Altho' potatoes---mmm!

Hard shelled squash like that is easy breezy roasted in oven as you offered.

Hey now, our compulsive thing could be whole lotta harmful!

Cheers!

~sprink

[sprinkleeninow]

8. After I posted, your take on Tomato Pie

using puff pastry reminds me of Greek savory pastry pies. Spanakopita, Kokopita, Kreatopita and such. If you find that recipe, please share! 👍

Not to diminish MM's Tomato Pie offering 'tho. His is lovely and hearty!

~sprink

[MineralMan]

10. I've thought of using puff pastry in such a recipe.

But, for this particular savory pie, I think it would be gilding the lily. The result from my recipe is a substantial dish with no frills, but outstanding flavor, texture and overall dining satisfaction.

I've made it many time for many occasions, and the response is always, "Wow...I'd never have thought of such a thing. It tastes wonderful!"

It's not a vegetarian dish, of course. Without the bacon, it could be an ovo-lacto vegetarian entree, I suppose, but the subtle smokiness of the bacon adds something subtle that enhances the experience. If I were more ambitious, I would make it with a scratch pie crust that used butter or lard as the fat, to achieve a crisper, sturdier crust, but I simply hate making pie crusts, and the refrigerated pre-fab ones work pretty well. The crust is, of course, part of the experience with this dish, but it's rather overwhelmed by the tomatoes and onions and cheese, so, I'm not sure the effort would be worth it.

I'll be interested in any reports on people's efforts to duplicate this recipe. So far, a couple of people, including the woman who gave me one of hers, turned out to be pretty much identical with my own version. It seems like a fairly foolproof recipe, as long as the instructions are followed closely. Draining the tomatoes is crucial. If the ones used have too much of the juicy seed pockets, I would drain them on paper towels for a while before layering them in the crust.

[sprinkleeninow]

12. It popped into my noggin--

what if we could lightly *'roast* the tomatoes after blanching them? I dunno. The roasting of veggies is a 'nouveau' seized upon culinary method lately. 😛
Complexity, caramelizing, yada. yada.

That may take care of excess h2o issue?

[MineralMan]

14. I think that would alter the texture they gain from being baked

in a crust and alter their nature in ways that might not be ideal. Roasting tomatoes has never been successful, in my experience. Well-drained roma tomatoes retain their form and gain a texture that is unique when baked in this way. They also absorb some of the smokiness of the bacon and the flavor of the onions. The texture is almost meaty in its mouth-feel.

The roma tomatoes I buy locally are grown in a hydroponic greenhouse and are very meaty, with very small pockets of seeds and the gelatinous liquid that surrounds them. I've not had a soupy pie as the result from them, with just the colander draining after salting them a bit.

However, if I encountered some with more of the seed cavities, I'd drain them separately to remove some of the water, I think.

Any soupiness would pretty much ruin this recipe by dissolving the bottom crust and making the pie fall apart on serving, I'm sure. The cheese and mayo mixture on top of the tomato/onion layers also plays a role, melting during baking and flowing down into the layers. The result is nice clean slices of pie that stay together and let the person cut a bite-sized piece that contains all of the ingredients.

I believe that it would be a recipe I would offer in my imaginary restaurant, the menu for which I've pretty much settled on. It's a menu full of hearty, peasant-style dishes from many cultures. I'll never have such a restaurant, of course, since I'm 72 years old now, but that doesn't stop me from creating a menu for it.

I'd sure eat at my restaurant, though. It would be my favorite place, I'm sure. I should probably create an actual menu for it. I have it all in my head. Perhaps when I wrap up my next website content contract, I'll do that.

[sprinkleeninow]

16. I dint think. It calls for Romas which are not way juicy like

slicing tomatoes. Sorry 'bout that.

Some of the best food/dishes are 'peasant' based. Dobre!

Develop your menu and then share!

BTW, how many servings in the 'pie'? Four?
IOW, two slices each person?! 😉

[MineralMan]

17. Yes. Four, if served as the main course.

Just quarter the pie. Use a real pie cutter and server and make sure to cut clear through the bottom crust. Although it will be a bit soggy, it's a good soggy, full of tomato and other wonderful flavors. the top crust will be browned and buttery.

If served as a side dish, it will serve six.

I believe I will work on that fantasy restaurant menu and present it here one day, once I get caught up with work.

It will be a surprising menu, but all hearty peasant food, with a bit of a sophisticated touch. All of the recipes are scalable and could be reproduced in a restaurant kitchen without losing their essential qualities. It's also a global menu.

[sprinkleeninow]

9. Ya still luv me after I kinda commandeered this thread? 😔

Actually, this 'fellowship' is a nice 'diversion' from you know what's going onnnn. 'Nourishment' for the spirit/soul. 🤗

[MineralMan]

11. Yah, sure, you betcha.

Recipes are only suggestions, really. I usually start with a new one by following it closely, but then make changes later if I make it again.