More than just another tomato pie
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Some recipes are written on index cards. Others are written on our hearts and in our memories.
Recently I walked into the local farmers market and saw the tables overflowing with beautiful tomatoes - all the thoughts about my weekly meal plan fled - replaced with Mona. Larger-than-life Mona. A flood of memories came fast and hard - 30 years’ worth- raising our children, barbeques, football parties, family dinners, road trips, difficult seasons, laughter…so much laughter… and eventually the illness that took her way too soon.
Every summer she made fresh tomato pie for her family. Her boys loved it, and she loved that they loved it. It was a summer tradition and just another one of the ways she had of showing her love for them.
The funny thing is…
I never actually ate it or anyone else’s tomato pie, and I never had her recipe.
All these years later, standing in front of all those tomatoes with her memories swirling around me I realized I desperately wanted a tomato pie. I knew I couldn’t recreate Mona’s pie - that recipe belongs to her and her family.
But I could make a tomato pie in her honor. A friend pie.
Tomato pie has never been a dish served in my family - I don’t know why. It seems especially odd since it’s a low country dish and where both mine and my husband’s family came into this country. Oh, well it’s on the menu now. After implementing gluten-free changes and a couple of test runs we have a version that will be a summer staple from here on out. It is so good my daughter has stopped by after work two days in a row for a slice! Strange how a recipe I never tasted is now becoming a part of my family’s story.
As we’ve enjoyed this new summer addition it is unsurprising that Mona is once again at our table. Recipes don’t just preserve the dish; they allow us to hang on to our people just a little tighter. I have a feeling that every summer, when the tomatoes are covering the tables at the farmers market, Mona will find her way back to my kitchen.
What a blessing, when a recipe doesn’t just fill your plate but keeps someone at the table
Today’s chair is for Mona.
Old Fashioned Southern Tomato Pie (Gluten-Free)
Fresh tomatoes, herbs and cheese layered into a flaky gluten-free crust come together in this Southern classic. It's a summertime favorite that proves the simplest ingredients often make the most memorable dish.
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
- be sure to use a good mayonnaise - I prefer Duke's for this recipe because it has a bit of a tang
- do not skip the rest period - this tomatoes release liquid while baking and this allows helps the juice to be reabsorbed. it also gives the hot cheese blend a chance to firm up for a cleaner slice.
