September 16, 2016 • FOOD, RECIPE
Vivian Howard is the chef and proprietor of celebrated Kinston, NC-based restaurants Chef & The Farmer and Boiler Room Oyster Bar.
She’s releasing her new cookbook next month. Titled Deep Run Roots, the book is “a love letter to the food of my region and the people and experiences that made me the person I am,” Vivian says.
We can’t wait to devour it. In the meantime, we’ll be cooking up the recipe for Roasted & Fresh Tomato Pie she shared with us below, along with .
“As soon as the first tomato blossom turns into a tiny green orb, people start calling Chef & The Farmer to find out if tomato pie is on the menu,” writes Vivian Howard in Deep Run Roots. “In a restaurant where we sell more big hunks of meat than I’d like to admit, tomato pie outsells everything all summer. If you have access to two different colors of tomatoes, combine them here—one for the roasted portion and another for the fresh. It’s a nice visual touch.” (Image credit: Rex Miller.)
Roasted & Fresh Tomato Pie from Deep Run Roots by Vivian Howard
Makes 1 10-inch pie
Ingredients for the Filling
1 tablespoon butter
1 large yellow onion, halved and cut into julienne with the grain
2 teaspoons salt, divided
3½ pounds tomatoes cut into ½-inch dice, divided
1 teaspoon granulated sugar, divided
1 teaspoon picked thyme
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
10 turns of the pepper mill or ¼ teaspoon black pepper
⅓ cup picked basil leaves
½ cup mayonnaise
⅓ cup grated Fontina
⅓ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Ingredients for the Pie Crust
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
2½ teaspoons granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold butter cut into ½-inch cubes
2 tablespoons ice-cold water
½ teaspoon white vinegar
Directions
Make the crust: Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium for a few seconds. Then begin adding the butter one cube at a time. Continue until the flour is speckled and crumbly. With the mixer still running, add the water and vinegar until just combined. Do not over-mix. Lay roughly a 10″x10″ square of plastic wrap on the counter in front of you and turn the dough out onto it. Wrap the dough tightly in the plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator overnight.
Bring the crust to room temperature. Dust your counter and rolling pin lightly with flour and roll the crust slightly larger than your pie pan. Lay the crust in the pan and press gently into its edges. Cut off the edges that hang over and discard. Freeze the crust in the pie pan for at least 15 minutes or until you’re ready to blind-bake.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lay foil or parchment paper on top of the crust and weight that down with dried beans or rice. Blind-bake for 30 minutes.
Make the filling: Preheat your oven to 375°F. In a medium sauté pan or skillet, melt the butter and add the onions and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook the onions over medium-low heat till they are deeply caramelized. This will take about an hour. If your onions get away from you and burn a little, add ¼ cup of water to the pan, scrape up the over-browned bits, and keep going. In the end, you’ll have a scant ⅔ cup caramelized onions.
Toss half the tomatoes with ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon sugar. Set them over a colander and let them drain while you get everything else ready, at least 30 minutes.
Toss the remaining tomatoes with ½ teaspoon salt, the thyme, and the olive oil. Spread them out in a single layer on a sheet tray with as much room separating the individual pieces as possible. Slide the tray onto the middle rack of your oven and roast for 20 to 30 minutes. You’re looking for the tomatoes to dry out and brown slightly.
Once all the individual components are done, stir together the onions, the fresh tomatoes, the roasted tomatoes, the remaining salt, sugar, black pepper, and basil. In a separate, smaller bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, Fontina, and Parm.
Spoon the filling into your blind-baked crust and crown it with the topping. Bake in the middle rack of your oven for 30 minutes. You can serve this warm or at room temperature. Both have their virtues.
Read our Q&A with chef Vivian Howard right here and get her recipe for Peanut, Pepsi & Bourbon Floats right here. You can also check out Vivian’s food truck book tour schedule and pre-order Deep Run Roots here.
FAQs
Back at the turn of the century, there was no refrigeration so toppings were very basic. This gave birth to the tomato pie. The classic New Haven tomato pie is simple: dough, crushed Italian tomatoes, pecorino romano, and EVOO. That's it. Later, anchovies, garlic, and onions were also added.
Why is my tomato pie watery? ›
After you slice the tomatoes, remove as many of the watery seeds from the tomatoes as you can; then, add salt and let them sit about 30 minutes before patting dry and cooking. (This will help the tomatoes release even more liquid and prevent a runny pie.)
Why are my roasted tomatoes soggy? ›
The main reason roasted tomatoes end up soggy is because they are overcrowded on the pan.
Should tomato pie be refrigerated? ›
Leftover Heirloom Tomato Pie must be refrigerated. Store slices or parts of the pie in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The pie will last up to three days in the fridge and can be reheated at 325°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes. Do not freeze tomato pie.
What is the oldest type of pie? ›
The Ancient Egyptians were the first to invent a dish close to what we know as a pie today. They had a honey filling covered in a crusty cake made from oats, wheat, rye or barley. A recipe for chicken pie was also discovered on a tablet carved prior to 2000 BC.
What city is famous for tomato pie? ›
The beauty of Philly-style tomato pie is that many of the best are baked in the same ovens as the hoagie rolls that house the city's best cheesesteaks and roast pork sandwiches, and sometimes made from the very same dough. Scenes from Sarcone's Bakery, Philadelphia.
What is another name for tomato pie? ›
A 1903 article in the New-York Tribune on the food of Italian-Americans described a "pomidore pizza", or tomato pie, made solely with dough, tomatoes, and powdered red pepper. Tomato pie has been sold by Iannelli's Bakery in Philadelphia since 1910.
How do I keep my pies from being runny? ›
Partially pre-cook the filling to evaporate its excess juice. Experiment with different thickeners beyond flour — we love Instant ClearJel. Vent the pie's top crust so steam from the juice can escape. For even better evaporation, try a lattice crust or crumb crust.
How do you make a pie not runny? ›
But if you bake your pie and it's STILL runny try letting it cool down (if you haven't yet) and it will likely thicken as it cools, put it back in the oven again to activate the thickener or drain off some of the liquid off and then put it back in the oven.
Can I leave roasted tomatoes out overnight? ›
How Long Can Food Sit Out? The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) food and safety basics states cooked food can be left at room temperature up to two hours.
Do I need to peel tomatoes before roasting? No need to peel the tomatoes before you roast them! This dramatically cuts down the time needed to make your own homemade sauce. No more cooking them over a hot stove, and then forcing them through a sieve to remove all the skins and seeds.
Why do roasted tomatoes taste different? ›
As they roast, they lose moisture, and their flavor intensifies. They come out of the oven chewy & tart, with a super-concentrated, intense umami flavor.
Does tomato pie go bad? ›
A freshly baked home-made tomato pie should be good for about 2 to 4 days when kept in the fridge. If you've bought your tomato pie from a store, there'll often be a sell-by date on the packaging which should give you a good idea of its freshness. But after you open it, it's safer to eat within 3-5 days.
Can I leave fresh pie out overnight? ›
If a pie contains eggs or dairy products, it should be stored in the refrigerator and not left out at room temperature for more than two hours. Pies that do not contain dairy products, such as fruit pies can be stored, loosely covered at room temperature for up to two days.
Is tomato pie a philly thing? ›
Served by Italian bakeries in South Philadelphia since the early twentieth century, the tomato pie became known by many names: church pie, square pizza, red pizza, granny pizza, and red pie.
Is tomato pie a New York thing? ›
Utica tomato pie is a regional dish popular in Utica, New York, and surrounding areas. It is distinct from traditional pizza in that it typically lacks cheese or has only a minimal amount, and the sauce is spread on top of the crust rather than underneath any toppings.
Where did tomato pie originate in America? ›
Tomato pie was brought to Philadelphia by Southern Italian immigrants in the early twentieth century. The crust is based on a focaccia-like dough popular in the city of Palermo, Sicily, shown here in 1910.
What is tomato pie made of? ›
It's a savory pie, not sweet, filled with fresh garden tomatoes, sprinkled with basil, and held together with a mixture of mayonnaise and shredded cheese. The egg in the mayo acts as a binder to help hold the filling in place.
Is tomato pie a Philly thing? ›
Tomato pie came a bit later in the Philly area, 1910 when Iannelli's Bakery opened. Iannelli's is still open and serving tomato pie today! The trend continued throughout the Philly area and into the outskirts. Family recipes of homemade sauce (gravy) found their way onto tomato pie.
