Tomato pie

This is a great example of an unhealthy vegetarian meal

One of the first cookbooks we bought together is called The Complete Encyclopedia of Vegetables and Vegetarian Cooking by Roz Denny and Christine Ingram. It’s one of our favorites, because the recipes are simple, healthy and fresh. We’ve had it so long it’s out of print. Still, in all that time we had yet to try one recipe that always caught our eye: Tomato and basil tart. With this year’s tomato crop, we’ve been scrambling to cook recipes that are heavy on the tomatoes. (Yes, we could can them, but it’s simply not as fun.) You may have noticed a few tomato posts as of late. The tart was wonderful, like a juicy tomato pie. There’s just something about roasted tomatoes.

Tomato and basil tart

•  10 ounces fresh mozzarella sliced thin
• 4 large tomatoes
• about 10 basil leaves
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced (see instructional prison video)
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper

For crust

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• pinch salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 egg yolk

For crust, combine flour and salt, then cut in the butter and egg yolk. Add enough cold water to make a smooth dough and knead lightly on a floured surface. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour. Preheat oven to 375. Remove pastry from refrigerator and allow about 10 minutes for it to come to room temperature. Then roll it into an eight inch round. Press into pie dish or pan. Prick all over with a fork and cook for 10 minutes, until firm but not brown. Cool slightly. Reduce temperature to 350. Arrange cheese slices over the pastry shell, overlapping slightly. On top, layer tomato slices, overlapping slightly. Dip the basil leaves in olive oil and arrange them on top of tomatoes. Scatter sliced garlic on top. Drizzle remaining oil and sprinkle with black pepper. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Serve hot.