Tomato Pie with Bacon and Peppers

Hi All!

Summer's over and I'm back in the kitchen.  As I regroup and settle into a new kitchen, here's a great post from my favorite cooking blog (other than my own!), "Homesick Texan" for Tomato Pie with Bacon and Jalapenos.  I'm using Poblano (Ancho) peppers instead of Jalapenos, as Kathy isn't that big on hot stuff.  I'm also using some beautiful beefsteak tomatoes that I recently froze...other than that, I made no changes.  Yum!

Tomato pie with bacon and jalapeños

Ingredients:

For the filling:
1 1/2 pounds tomatoes, sliced (about 3-4 large fresh tomatoes)
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups (12 ounces) pepper Jack cheese, shredded (or extra sharp cheddar)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeño, seeded and sliced (or try banana peppers, if you don't like 'hot')
8 ounces cooked bacon, diced

For the crust:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled
3/4 cups buttermilk

Place the sliced tomatoes in a colander and then place the colander in a mixing bowl. Toss the tomatoes with the salt, and allow them to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to extract some of the juices.

Meanwhile, to make the crust, stir together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper. Cut into the flour the chilled butter, until the flour has a crumbly, pea-like texture. Stir in the buttermilk and mix until well combined. On a lightly floured surface, turn out the dough and roll it out into it’s about an 11-inch circle.

Preheat the oven to 375°F and lightly grease a deep-dish pie pan or a large cast-iron skillet. Gently lift the dough and place it into the pan, working the dough until the pan is evenly lined with the crust. (Unlike regular pie crusts, I don’t do anything fancy with the top of the crust since it’s puffier than most as it’s a biscuit crust, I simply make sure it goes to the top of the pan.)

To fill the pie, sprinkle half of the cheese along the bottom of the crust. Layer in the tomatoes, garlic, jalapeño slices and bacon, topping with the remaining cheese.

Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper and place the pie pan on top. (This is to catch any juices if it boils over.) Slide the sheet into the oven and cook the pie uncovered for 45 minutes or until the crust and cheese are lightly browned and the pie is bubbling.

Some notes after making this recipe:

- It was DELICIOUS
- I used Ancho (Poblano) peppers, it was still too hot for Kathy.  I'm a pepperhead, but for the average eater, consider just using green pepper or maybe a sweet banana.
- I used my own garden frozen tomatoes, in which case 1.5 pounds is not enough...I used 3 pounds, well drained.
- I also topped with a mix of Feta cheese and mozzarella, and used mozzarella instead of pepper jack.
- The crust is AWESOME.
- Your  baking time may be longer, depending on your oven.  Should have sort of a pizza crust thing going on.