Found this recipe in the Carolina Mountain Life Magazine from CML's Kitchen by Adele Forbes. Really sounded like a good summer dish using fresh tomatoes and basil. I used Roma tomatoes and fresh basil from my planter. Will make this again with fresh tomatoes from the garden. To quote the author, "Male friends have eaten a whole pie at one sitting". I agree with her that should speak for itself. It was delicious!
1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese, divide
1 (9-inch) baked pie shell
1 (9-inch) baked pie shell
5 Roma tomatoes (out of season) or 4 regular tomatoes
1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
4 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
chopped fresh basil for garnish
Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the mozzarella on bottom of pie shell. Cut tomatoes in wedges and drain on paper towels. Drain well...turn them over and make sure that you get all of the moisture that you can out of them or your pie will end up soggy...and who wants to eat a soggy pie? If you are using garden fresh tomatoes (in season) peel them and slice about 1/4-inch thick and seed if needed and drain well on paper towels. Arrange the wedges or slices over the cheese in the pie shell.
Process the basil and garlic in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Sprinkle over tomatoes. Combine remaining 1 cup mozzarella, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese and pepper. Spoon evenly over basil mixture to cover top, making sure to spread all the way to the edge of the crust. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. Serve warm garnished with fresh chiffonaded basil. Delicious!
Cooks Note: to chiffonade basil, stack several leaves together and roll up like you would a cigarette and then cut in slices with a sharp knife. A fancy and fun little trick.
