Green Tomato Pie

Yes, you read that correctly....Green.Tomato.Pie.  As much as I dearly love fried green tomatoes, plain or adorned with any number of tasty sauces, chopped to be added to chow chow or green tomato relish, this is a delicious example of using what you have.  

The story goes that in some parts of the South years ago, some poor farm women didn't have easy access to baking apples.  So what’s an industrious Southern woman to do?  She realizes that peeled and cored very green tomatoes just might cook down to the same consistency in a pie.  And you know what?  She was correct.  

Aren't these green tomatoes just lovely?

Pastry for a double crust pie (either store bought or homemade)

1 ½ cups sugar

2 T. all purpose flour

½ t. ground cinnamon

½ t. ground nutmeg

¼ t. salt

4 cups cored & very thinly sliced green tomatoes (about 3 ½ pound)

2 T. cold butter cut into small chunks

2 T. apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line a 9 inch pie plate with half the crust, leaving 1/2 inch overhang.

In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.  Use a fork or a whisk to stir everything together well.   Add the thinly sliced tomatoes, a few slices at a time, and toss gently to season them evenly and well.

Transfer the seasoned tomatoes to the pie crust and arrange them so they are mounded up a little in the center.  Scatter the chunks of butter over the top of the filling and then sprinkle on the vinegar.

Roll the remaining crust into a 10 inch circle.  Place the top crust over the tomatoes, pressing it down gently to touch the top of the tomato filling.  Trim away the extra pastry around the edges and pres the top and bottom edges together firmly.  Press down on the edge with the back of the fork sealing and decorating the pie.  Cut about 8 slits around the top of the crust so that steam can escape during baking.

Place the pie on the bottom rack of the oven.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and back until the pie is bubbling with sweet juices and a handsome golden brown, 40 to 50 minutes more.

Place the pie on a cooling rack or a folded kitchen towel and let cool for at least 30 minutes.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

This is another wonderful recipe from my favorite pie cookbook of all time, Southern Pies by Nancy McDermott.