Deep South and End-of-the-Road Tomato Pie

We put down our thread-bare canvas racksucks deliberately, yet gently, on the familiar wood plank floor. It was good to be home. While our road-weary bodies yearned to sit, our stomachs did not. We had survived the trip, with the heat and the dirt, the days of conserving our little water, and the sleeping under stars alongside silent snakes and chattery critters. But we knew our work was just beginning.

While touring the Southern states, we had eaten plenty of it. Dozens of varieties of sumptuous red tomatoes layered between mayonnaise, cheese, and sugar, cradled by a nest of flaky, homemade pie crust. We found diners and luncheonettes from the Carolinas down to Georgia and as far west as Mississippi serving up the stuff, saving our change for those days when it popped out at us from the menu posted on the front window. Usually we took a seat at the counter where we could gaze at the pie on display and watch them cut each gooey, righteous piece.

But it was that day after endless empty miles of hoofing it along the highway in shoes barely soled, searching for answers, when we found a lone roadside cafe. The waitress sighed in that Southern way, and without asking, offered up each of us a warm slice of the savory pie and two glasses of lemonade she had just squeezed. We still argue whether it was the tenuous state of our minds driven by long unfed hunger or if it was the truly divine recipe; either way, that was the best tomato pie we'd ever tasted. I still think the only reason the cafe exists is to save souls like ours. We knew there was still hope.

She watched us eat. Afterwards, she looked at us knowingly, and tilted her blonde curls in the direction of the dusty window that framed the way to a simple white house across the field. We rested and showered. The next day we returned.

The waitress taught us with wordless instructions and deft ability the art of the tomato pie. Day after day, we would roll and chill and slice and grate; gently combine; bake and repeat. She quietly encouraged and corrected until, one day, we knew we had succeeded. Then she was gone.

We ran the cafe that hot summer, until a stranger like us stumbled in one day, clearly worn from his travels and in need of food, rest and salvation. We knew immediately it was time, so we passed our training on to him as it had been taught to us.

And now we will pass it on to you.



Deep South and End-of-the-Road Tomato Pie

Adapted from recipes by Simply Recipes and vanilla sugar blog

Ingredients

For Pie Crust:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, very cold, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 3-4 Tbsp ice water

For Pie Filling:

1 large sweet onion

1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. butter
5 - 6 Roma or plum tomatoes

sprinkling of sugar

1 c. shredded Swiss or Gruyère cheese

3/4 c. mayonnaise

1 tsp. hot sauce

salt and pepper to taste

To make the pie crust:


First, put the flour and salt into a food processor. Add half of the butter and pulse half a dozen times or so until it starts to look like lumpy and the butter is coated with flour. Then, add the rest of the butter and do the same until the lumps are about the size of peas and it looks like "coarse meal."

Next, add two tablespoons of the ice water to the food processor bowl and pulse a couple of times. Slowly add another and pulse. If it starts to come together, you're done with the water. If not, add a little more and pulse; repeat until it starts to clump together on its own.
Pour the mixture out onto a clean surface. Scrape it into a mound using your hands, then, using the heel of your hand, press down into it and slightly away from your body. This will help combine the butter and the flour, making the dough flakier. The crumbly texture should start to form a dough right away. Do this 5 or 6 times, then shape the dough into a smooth, round disc.
• Sprinkle the dough with flour, then wrap the disc in plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
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To make the pie filling:

While the pie crust is chilling, slice onions by cutting the onion in half, and then cutting them along the grain. Heat the olive oil and butter on medium to medium low. When the butter is melted, add the onions. Sauté, stirring frequently while scraping the bottom, for 30 minutes or until they turn a brown color. If they get too dry, add a little water occasionally. When they're a deep, rich color, take them off the heat and let them cool.

As the onions are cooking, slice the tomatoes. Slice them thicker than you would for a sandwich, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch. You want them to be on the dry side, so soak up any excess liquid with a paper towel.


Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Now is a good time to take the crust out of the fridge and let it warm up to room temperature on the counter for about ten minutes.

Finally, combine the cheese, hot sauce, and mayonnaise. 

To assemble:

First, roll out your pie crust. Sprinkle a clean, dry surface with a little flour. Next, push your rolling pin down on the disc, then rotate the disc, and repeat. Add a little flour if it sticks, but not much! Too much flour will make it tough. Roll it out until it's about 12 inches in diameter (1/8 of an inch thick).


To transfer the dough to your pie plate, place the rolling pin across the middle of the dough and fold the top portion over the pin. Next, place the dough and pin on the middle of the pie plate, letting the bottom of the dough lie on the bottom. Unfold the top of dough onto the top of the plate. Now gently press the dough into the pie plate.


For the edges, roll the extra dough up along the edge of the plate, pinching it neatly along each inch.


Bake for about 15 minutes. You don't want it to bake completely, because you're going to fill it and return it to the oven.


To fill the pie, first add the caramelized onions layer to the bottom. Then, add the tomatoes, layering them to fill the shell. Lightly sprinkle the sugar over the tomatoes as you add them to decrease the acidity. Season with salt and pepper. Last, spread the cheese mixture over the top, covering the tomatoes. 


Bake for about 20 - 30 minutes or until cheese is browned.