Summer Tomato Caprese Pie

Tomatoes. Let me count some of the ways these wonders of summer can be used. There are BLT’s, roasted tomatoes, pastas, Caprese salad, salsas, a slice on your favorite sandwich or burger, and just plain sliced by themselves with a little salt and pepper—the versatility of the tomato is endless.

And I’ve tried to grow my own tomatoes with different measures of failure. I’m seriously into the idea of veggie gardening, have a raised bed organic garden and keep a compost pile going. I’ve enjoyed some of my own fine greens, beans and and a few other fresh veggies including a few little tomatoes, but not the big harvest my friends have. I’ve tried growing them in pots on my deck where the squirrels have feasted on what little I could coax from the plants. I confess that I’m a tomato growing failure. Because you see, the one thing they really need and must have, the one thing any veggie garden needs, I just can’t supply…the sun! I’m surrounded by a pine forest.

But fortunately, I have friends with an abundance of tomatoes, I have a CSA that provides as well, and I can stock up on summer trips to Alabama, too. And to that end, I found myself very well provisioned with tomatoes this weekend, and wanted to make something with them using the ingredients I had on hand.

Enter Summer Tomato Caprese Pie. I love Caprese salads, and make mine with tomatoes, fresh basil, a tiny bit of fresh oregano, buffalo mozzarella, salt and pepper, and drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar over it. I also love tomato pies and tarts. So I thought why not take the flavors of Caprese and add it to some traditional pie and tart ingredients like sweet onions and make a pie out of it? Much like a fruit pie (and tomatoes are a fruit as well as a vegetable, after all), this one is juicy, but the juice adds to the flavor and the pie will set up just a little bit as it cools. I serve this as a main course with a green salad or with other fresh vegetables, and love to have a slice of it rewarmed for a light lunch. Enjoy!