My Aunt Sarah’s Tomato Pie
My aunt made this pie when I was a kid, and it was so tasty I asked for the recipe. I’m recording it here, so in case I ever lose her handwritten note, I won’t have lost this perfect summer pie.
It’s easy enough for a kid to help make, and fun with layers of cheese and tomatoes and some decorating with basil at the end. I often make double this recipe for our family of four.
Cheers to my aunt Sarah, for making tomato season even better!
Ingredients:
1 9 inch pie crust (unbaked)
2 tsp Dijon mustard
8 oz mozzarella cheese, grated (or a blend with mozzarella)
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 Tbsp fresh basil, cut in chiffonade (reserve some whole leaves to decorate pie)
3-4 Tomatoes (more colors, more fun)
2 Tbs olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Optional additions at the mozzarella layer stage: an ear worth of fresh sweet corn kernels, 1 diced red bell pepper (or a spicy pepper if you want to kick it up), other herbs besides basil, chopped greens for a green layer or mixed in with mozzarella.
1. Make pie crust, if applicable.
2. Preheat oven to 400F.
3. Spread dijon mustard across the bottom of the unbaked pie crust.
4. Sprinkle grated cheese and garlic into pie crust to make an even layer.
5. Add basil and any other little things (like fresh sweet corn kernels cut off the cob, etc from the optionals above).
6. Slice tomatoes about a 1/4 inch thick or so, and layer over the top of the mozzarella, overlapping to make a nice tomato surface.
7. Gently drizzle olive oil around over the tomatoes to get some good coverage.
8. Sprinkle salt and pepper across the surface of the tomatoes.
9. Bake for about 40 minutes until tomatoes are nicely cooked through and the cheese has bubbled, and crust is cooked.
10. Serve either hot or cold, with a few basil leaves as garnish. If serving hot, let cool a few minutes for the cheese and tomato liquids to settle.
From Sarah Voiland, 2021.
Ali’s Eggplant Parmesan
Direct from our Operations and Harvest Manager, Ali Jacobs, who makes this recipe every year in big batches!
This recipe can be doubled, tripled, quadrupled, I usually make about 5 at once in half sheet catering pans and freeze them for the winter, freeze before baking, to cook from frozen let defrost overnight in fridge, then cook normally. This is not a school night recipe, it’s complicated and involves a lot of time and utensils, that’s why I like to make multiples so I’m only doing the effort once. It can also be a great family project to do with kids, even if they’re not big eggplant fans they’ll enjoy the breading process and layering the final casserole.
Ingredients:
1 cup olive oil
1-2 Eggplants
2-3 cups Breadcrumbs
1 Tbsp salt (or to taste)
1 cup flour
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
Fresh Oregano – 4-5 Tbsp
Fresh Basil – 4-5 Tbsp
2 Qt Tomato sauce or Heirloom Tomato Puree
2 lb fresh Mozzarella Cheese (can use shredded if you want, but better ingredients = better flavor)
1 Qt ricotta cheese
1-2 cups parmesan cheese
1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Slice eggplant into 1/4-1/2 inch slices.
3. Prepare a work area with a large plate or bowl of flour, a bowl of the egg and milk mixed together, and a plate or bowl of the breadcrumbs, herbs and salt mixed together. (You can also add some parmesan to the breadcrumb mixture for extra cheesiness).
4. In order, dip a slice of eggplant into the flour, making sure to cover all sides, then into the egg mixture, then into the breadcrumbs.
5. Place breaded eggplant slices onto a baking sheet that has been generously greased with olive oil.
6. Using a basting brush or oil sprayer to lightly oil the tops of the breaded eggplant slices. If you don’t have either of these you can drizzle oil quickly over the surface of the eggplant, however, be careful not to put too much on or they will become soggy.
7. Bake at 400 for about 20 minutes or until the breading has developed a crispy crust and the eggplant is cooked through.
8. Remove from oven and set aside.
9. Slice the mozzarella as thinly as possible, ideally about 1/4 inch thick slices.
10. In a deep 9×13 or larger casserole dish begin to layer your ingredients. Cover the bottom of the pan in a coating of sauce, this doesn’t need to be thick, just ensure it’s fully covered, then place a single layer of eggplant slices, don’t worry about holes between them, follow with a layer of cheese, I like to be a little conservative with the mozzarella so that it will get into every layer of the casserole, and fill in the gaps between with ricotta, you don’t need to have a perfectly even distribution of cheese, it’s going to melt and move, just get a slice or dollop every couple inches across the whole surface. Follow with a sprinkle of parmesan.
11. Continue layering, sauce, eggplant, cheese. I use a bit more sauce in the middle layers than I did on the bottom. You should end up with about 3 layers of eggplant.
12, On the top layer put an extra layer of sauce and then put the remainder of the parmesan (or to taste).
13. Bake in the oven at 375F, covered, for half an hour, then uncover and bake for another 15-30 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese on top is golden brown.
Leftover components can be used to make another, smaller casserole, or eggplant ricotta rolls, or anything else you can think of.
From Ali Jacobs, 2019.
Freezing Summer Produce
Having frozen peppers, zucchini, and eggplant on hand is perfect for lasagna, stir fry, pizza, pasta sauce, ratatouille, baked goods, and so many other recipes.
Summer Squash and Zucchini
Grate summer squash or zucchini or cut into slices. (Food processors are great here.) Blanch for 3 minutes. Toss into a strainer and rinse with cold water until cooled. Store in a freezer bag, in the freezer!
Many folks don’t blanch the grated version, and it preserves well. If you have a zucchini bread or other recipe you really like, freeze measured bags in the quantity that recipe requires.
Freezing peppers is the easiest preserving you can do! Just core out the seeds and cut out any bad spots, chop to your desired size, and freeze. No blanching needed. This is true of all types of peppers, green, colorful, hot, whatever you’ve got.
We just quickly chop them into big sections that are flat for fitting more in the freezer, and then cut those up to whatever size when we take them out for use.
And they are really great color and flavor to have later in the winter chopped up into sauces and stirfrys.
Freezing peppers ready for stuffing is really great also because they don’t need all the baking time to soften. Doing Jalapenos like that for filling with cream cheese is quite tasty.
Roasted Peppers
Heat broiler on high. Roast peppers whole on a sheet pan for 10 minutes. Rotate browned peppers and broil another 10 minutes. Throw into a pot and cover. When cool to handle, slip most of the skin off, de-stem and de-seed. Store in olive oil in the fridge or serve immediately.
Set aside a bowl of cold water. Cut the eggplant in half inch slices or strips and submerge in boiling water. This may be difficult since eggplants like to float, but be creative in keeping them underwater. When the water returns to a boil, wait 40 seconds and then remove and dump them in the cold water to stop all cooking. Place eggplant on a cookie tray and place in the freezer until eggplant is frozen. Frozen eggplant can now be bagged up and individual slices can be removed and defrosted for any of your midwinter cooking needs.
Eggplant with Ginger and Garlic
1-3 eggplants sliced lengthwise in both directions to make very large match-sticks
1 small head of garlic or 2/3 of a large head
½ inch chunk of fresh ginger
1 small hot pepper
oil for frying
soy sauce
Boil a couple inches of water (enough in your pot to mostly cover the sliced eggplant) with a splash of soy sauce and then add sliced eggplant. Cook until the eggplant becomes somewhat translucent but not fully cooked. In a large cast iron pan, heat enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan (about ¼ cup).
Mince garlic, ginger and hot pepper together and add to hot oil and stir for one minute over medium-high heat. Add parboiled eggplant and turn quickly and often to coat. Add another splash of soy sauce and continue cooking, stirring often until the toughest bits of eggplant have reached the yummy-soft stage.
Serve hot or cold, over rice, on a salad of lettuce or just by itself.
Garlic and Herb Rataouille
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion (opt.), chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1 small eggplant, cubed
2-3 large tomatoes
3 to 4 small zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 Tbs. fresh, chopped basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon thyme
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
In a 4-quart Dutch oven or saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add eggplant and half the garlic; stir until coated with oil. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep vegetables from sticking.
Add tomatoes, zucchini, and herbs; mix well. Cover and cook over low heat about 15 minutes, or until eggplant is tender but not too soft. Add rest of garlic and cook one more minute.
Ratatouille Outside the Box
From Red Fire Farm Chef Kristen Schafenacker, 2007
Yes! A recipe from your share that is so good it fools the most finicky kid into eating vegetables.
1 large eggplant, or 3 Asian eggplant, cut into 1 inch x ¼ in pieces (if using Italian eggplant, peel first)
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 bell peppers, seeds removed, coarsely chopped
1 summer squash, diced
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
¾ cup chopped cilantro
1 t. cumin
½ t. cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
avocado and lime slices
Saute eggplant in wok or skillet on high heat in all but 2 T vegetable oil (10 minutes). When browned, set aside on a paper towel. Add pepper and onions to wok and remaining olive oil if necessary. Cook until caramelized (10 minutes).
Add vinegar, summer squash, tomatoes, and spices and cook until a thick sauce forms (10 minutes). Serve with avocado and lime wedges.
Baba Ganouj
2 1-pound eggplants, halved lengthwise
3 Tbs fresh lemon juice
3 Tbs olive oil
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/4 cup tahini
Preheat oven to 375°F. Generously oil rimmed baking sheet. Place eggplant halves, cut side down, on sheet. Roast until eggplant is very soft, about 45 minutes. Cool slightly.
Using spoon, scoop out pulp from eggplant into food processor. Add oil, tahini, lemon juice, and garlic; process until almost smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to small bowl.
Thai Eggplant Stir Fry
From Kristen Schafenacker, 2007
2-3 eggplant
3 chili peppers
4 cloves garlic
¼ cup cilantro
1 small onion, quartered
3 ts. Brown sugar
2 T lime juice
1 T vegetable oil
8 ounces tofu
½ cup fresh basil
1 T soy sauce
Preheat the grill for high heat. Oil the grill grate, and cook the eggplants on all sides until charred and black, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Peel, slice diagonally, and set aside.
In a food processor or blender, combine the chili peppers, garlic, cilantro, onion, sugar, and lime juice. Process until smooth.
Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat, and add the chili mixture. Reduce heat to medium, and cook for 1 minute. Gently stir in the tofu, 1/4 cup of basil, soy sauce, and the eggplant. Cook until heated through. Remove to a serving dish, and garnish with the remaining basil.
