Rustic Tomato and Cheese Pie

"The Queen of Hearts, she made some tarts, all on a summer's day". This tart recipe is a great summer recipe that you'll want to make also. 'Tart' is a strange name, the word has a variety of meanings, not all good! Tart may describe a bitter sour taste. Or maybe a girl who is a tease or flirt (or worse!). The old English meaning of the word is 'sharp, rough'. Perhaps that is why a rustic open pasty filled with fruit or vegetables and without a top got the name 'tart'. It certainly sounds less refined than it's cousin 'pie', defined as a baked dish of fruit or meat and vegetables with a top and base of pastry.
Whatever the definition, this pie/tart is a good meal to use the bountiful tomatoes of summer. I got the recipe from Chef Alli's website and she credits Find Cooking magazine of August/September 2013.

Rustic Tomato and Cheese Pie                                            

this makes a good summer supper with bacon and fruit

¼ cup flour combined with ¼ cup corn meal

Buttermilk Biscuit Dough

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. granulated sugar

½ tsp. baking soda

¾ tsp. kosher salt

6 Tbs. cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces

¾ cup buttermilk (or 1 Tbs. cider vinegar + milk to make ¾ cup)

Filling

1 ½ -2 pounds nicely ripened tomatoes, peeled and sliced 1 ¼ -inch thick. (Approximately 5-6 medium tomatoes)

4 oz. creamy goat cheese, softened

½ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup chopped basil (or ½- ¾ tsp. dried basil leaves)

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

            Position oven rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 425 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda and salt. Using a pastry blender or a knife and fork, cut the butter into the flour mixture until mixture resembles coarse meal in texture. Using a silicone spatula or large spoon, stir in the buttermilk, just until the flour mixture is moistened. Don’t over mix! The dough should just come together and will be sticky.

            Sprinkle a 12x17-inch sheet of parchment paper with half of the flour/cornmeal mixture. Place biscuit dough onto this flour/cornmeal mixture and pat into a 5-inch round. Using a floured rolling pin, roll the biscuit dough into a 13-inch circle, lightly dusting with flour to keep dough from sticking, if needed.

            Slide parchment sheet with dough onto a large rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle the remaining half of the flour/cornmeal mixture over the dough, leaving a 1 ½ -inch border. Arrange the sliced tomatoes over the dough in two circles, slightly overlapping them.

            Combine the goat cheese, mayo, and basil in a small bowl; dollop mixture in generous spoonfuls over the tomatoes. Fold the dough border over the edges of the tomatoes, pleating the dough where needed. Season pie with freshly ground black pepper.

            Bake, uncovered, until the crust is nicely golden brown and tomatoes are tender, approximately 20 minutes. Let tart cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before cutting into wedges to serve.

dough is rolled out

and covered with sliced tomatoes

add cheese and fold edges up

Eating Local

Beef from our cattle herd. Corn frozen from a friend's garden last year. Tomatoes from the garden - well these weren't from our garden, but there soon will be some to harvest. Eating local has been a popular trend lately, one that farm families have long embraced. Having your own garden produce and meat not only gives you a feeling of sustainability, but seems to taste better and feel more healthy.

Beef, corn, wheat - all Kansas products

Here are a few recipes for summer time meals.

Shrimp & Tomato Sheet Pan Supper               

(shrimp isn't local to our area, but a nice treat for variety)

1 pound Jumbo Shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails off

2 cups cherry tomatoes

4 cloves garlic very thinly sliced

olive oil, for drizzling

salt and pepper, to taste 

1 whole lemon, halved

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 

Put shrimp, cherry tomatoes and garlic on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and toss (I used lemon-infused olive oil). Season with salt and pepper.

Roast until the shrimp are opaque and the tomatoes begin to burst. 10-12 minutes. Finish with a generous squeeze of lemon. 

Serve with salad, bread. or pasta. 

thanks to Pioneer Woman for this recipe

BBQ MEATBALLS                                                  

 Ingredients:

1 ½ pound ground beef

¾ cups oats

1 cup milk

3 tablespoons very finely minced onion

1 ½ teaspoon salt

ground black pepper, to taste

(for cooking meatballs)

1 cup all-purpose flour

canola oil

(for sauce)

1 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons vinegar

2 tablespoons Worcestershire

4-6 tablespoons onion

dash Tabasco

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Combine all meatball ingredients. Roll into medium small balls and place on a cookie sheet. Place sheet in freezer for five minutes.

After 5 minutes, remove meatballs from freezer and immediately dredge in unseasoned flour

Brown meatballs in canola oil until just brown. Place into a baking dish.

Combine all sauce ingredients. Pour over meatballs and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve with egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or crusty French bread. 

Another recipe from Pioneer Woman

FRESH CORN CAKES

Ingredients:

2 ½ cup corn kernels

3 large eggs

¾ cup milk

3 Tablespoons butter, melted

⅔ cup flour

¾ c. cornmeal

8 oz. mozzarella cheese

2 Tablespoons fresh chives

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Pulse corn, eggs, milk, butter in food processor 3-4 times. Stir together flour and other ingredients. Stir into corn mixture until just moistened. Spoon ⅛ cup batter onto a hot, lightly greased skillet. Don not flatten or spread. Cook 3-4 minutes (bubbles will appear on top), flip. Cook 2-3 minutes on the other side.

(From Southern Living magazine 2008)