Heirloom Tomato Pie

I've made many versions of tomato pie which resulted in an almost deep dish pizza variety. I decided to attempt a tomato pie with the filling underneath the tomatoes instead of burying these beautiful slices of heaven underneath a heavy layer of mayo/cheese. I loved this one!

I used a mixture of tomatoes including Cherokee Purple, Mr. Stripey, Manyel, and Mortgage Lifter. I LOVE the names of these tomatoes. You will need about 2 lbs. of tomatoes.

Slice the tomatoes about 1/4" thick and place in a colander. Place the colander over a bowl or in the sink. Sprinkle with kosher salt, toss to coat the slices and let the tomatoes drain while you prepare the crust and the filling.

You could certainly make your own piecrust or use a deep dish crust, but I used what I had in the freezer. I let the crust soften a little while the oven preheated to 350 degrees and then pricked the crust all over with a fork before putting it in the oven for about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool while you make the filling.

In a medium skillet, I added 1 T. olive oil and one large, thinly sliced, yellow onion. Sprinkle with salt and let the onions soften. Remove from heat when they begin to brown. Let the onions cool slightly.

In a large bowl, combine 3/4 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup mayonnaise (I use Duke's), 3/4 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese and 3 T. Italian bread crumbs.I tend to add a LOT of freshly ground black pepper where tomatoes are concerned, but start with a 1/4 t. and go from there to satisfy your taste. Fold in onions and then spoon into pie crust.

Now it's time to layer on the tomato slices. Drizzle the tomatoes with 1 t. olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Place pie onto a baking sheet and place in a 350 degree oven.

Bake for 30 minutes or so, depending on whether you used a deep dish crust.

Add a little more shredded Parmesan cheese and you're ready to enjoy this delicious Heirloom Tomato Pie.