Life Moves Pretty Fast

Bring 'em on, August! Bring on those lovely red round orbs that smell like summer from the vine to the inside of the juicy fruit. 

What do you make when you have a spare pie crust in the refrigerator and a few tomatoes on the kitchen counter? My first thought was to make a savory tomato pie. It's a personal summertime favorite—and it's very rich. Upon rethinking, however, it was over 100 degrees outside, and I wanted something a little lighter for dinner, and I wanted it now instead of later. I had a television date with the Summer Olympics. 

My recipe is "on the fly" and certainly adaptable. To start, I made a spread for the galette similar to the filling used for the savory tomato pie—the same ingredients but about half the grated cheese (I used what I had in the cheese drawer - a blend of cheddar and pepper jack) and half the mayonnaise = 1 cup of assorted grated cheese to 1/2 cup of mayo. If you want more cheese, do it! Just remember that the mayo binds the cheese. Add a finely chopped green onion to the cheese mixture for extra summer flavor.  I also added cracked black pepper to the cheesy mayo blend. Mix well.

Ingredients:

1 single 8-9" pie crust (store-bought or make your own)

2 tomatoes, clean and sliced 

1 cup cheesy mayo spread (see above)

1 small green onion, chopped (about a 1/4 cup) - optional                                            

Italian seasoning (a blend of basil, oregano, rosemary...)                                            

Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Roll out the crust on the cookie sheet, keeping its round shape. If necessary, add a sprinkle of flour to the bottom of the crust. Evenly spread the cheesy-mayo-onion mixture across the top of the crust, leaving the two inches from the crust edge bare. Slice the tomatoes and line them around on top of the cheese spread. Sprinkle Italian seasoning over tomato slices, adding salt and pepper to your taste. Roll the crust edges up and around the tomatoes. Bake until golden and/or the tomatoes lightly bubble - about 10-15 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes, and then slice. 

It's easy. It's delicious. It's satisfying for a meal or a snack. It was also delicious the following morning, warmed up and topped with a fried egg.