ripened

Vine-Ripened Tomato Flatbread

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Uplifting Aromas: Vine-Ripened Tomato Flatbread! I miss my vegetable garden. Although it wasn’t huge, it provided me with tomatoes in all shapes and sizes. I used to snack on cherry tomatoes as I picked a handful for the evening dinner salad. Sometimes the juices would squirt out of my mouth, which made me thankful no one was around to be the target of such fluid madness. The Roma tomatoes were perfect when puréed into a delectable sauce for pasta or pizza. And the beefsteak varieties provided enough texture to hold everything together in a salty BLT smothered in mayonnaise. Talk about a sensory explosion. Ah, yes, tomatoes make me very happy. 

VINE-RIPENED TOMATO FLATBREAD 

Ingredients: 

1 naan flatbread 

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon cornmeal 

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder 

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

2 tomatoes, sliced and halved 

4 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced

1/4 cup provolone cheese, shredded 

1/2 teaspoon dried Italian herb blend

Fresh Basil, for garnish

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400°. Brush the bottom of the naan flatbread with olive oil. Dust with cornmeal. Sprinkle with garlic powder and sea salt. Bake flatbread, seasoned side down, on a pizza pan for 5 minutes. Remove pan from oven. Arrange tomato slices over the top of the flatbread. Cut mozzarella cheese slices in half and cover the tomatoes. Top with shredded provolone cheese. Sprinkle Italian herb blend over all. Bake 10 minutes longer, or until cheese is gooey and tomatoes have softened. Drizzle with more olive oil, if desired.  Garnish flatbread with fresh basil. 

Vine-Ripened Tomato Flatbread

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Uplifting Aromas: Vine-Ripened Tomato Flatbread! I miss my vegetable garden. Although it wasn’t huge, it provided me with tomatoes in all shapes and sizes. I used to snack on cherry tomatoes as I picked a handful for the evening dinner salad. Sometimes the juices would squirt out of my mouth, which made me thankful no one was around to be the target of such fluid madness. The Roma tomatoes were perfect when puréed into a delectable sauce for pasta or pizza. And the beefsteak varieties provided enough texture to hold everything together in a salty BLT smothered in mayonnaise. Talk about a sensory explosion. Ah, yes, tomatoes make me very happy.

VINE-RIPENED TOMATO FLATBREAD

Ingredients:

1 naan flatbread

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon cornmeal

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

2 tomatoes, sliced and halved

4 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced

1/4 cup provolone cheese, shredded

1/2 teaspoon dried Italian herb blend

Fresh Basil, for garnish

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400°. Brush the bottom of the naan flatbread with olive oil. Dust with cornmeal. Sprinkle with garlic powder and sea salt. Bake flatbread, seasoned side down, on a pizza pan for 5 minutes. Remove pan from oven. Arrange tomato slices over the top of the flatbread. Cut mozzarella cheese slices in half and cover the tomatoes. Top with shredded provolone cheese. Sprinkle Italian herb blend over all. Bake 10 minutes longer, or until cheese is gooey and tomatoes have softened. Drizzle with more olive oil, if desired. Garnish flatbread with fresh basil.

Vine-Ripened Tomato Pie

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Start Smart: Vine-Ripened Tomato Pie! Oddly enough, I’ve had a couple people tell me they’ve never heard of tomato pie. It may be more of a southern dish, or perhaps its more familiar to those of us who live in the country and can’t figure out what to do with the abundance of garden tomatoes. Who knows? I must admit there is a secret ingredient that I discovered from the Savannah restauranteur and popular chef, Paula Deen. Maybe you can pick it out, too.

VINE-RIPENED TOMATO PIE

Ingredients:

1 prepared deep-dish pie shell

4-6 Roma tomatoes, sliced

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon oregano

1/8 teaspoon marjoram

1/8 teaspoon basil

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 cup sweet onion, chopped

1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

3/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

1 cup mayonnaise

Cherry tomatoes, for garnish

Basil leaves, for garnish

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Bake the pie shell according to package directions. Remove from oven and set aside. In a bowl, combine sliced tomatoes, kosher salt, oregano, marjoram, basil, and garlic powder. Allow tomatoes to “weep” for 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer seasoned tomatoes to the pie shell. Layer sweet onion over tomatoes. In another bowl, combine mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese, pepper jack cheese, and parmesan cheese with mayonnaise. Mix well. Spread cheese mixture over top of tomatoes and onions. Bake 30 minutes, or until lightly browned. Garnish with cherry tomatoes and basil leaves.