Southern Tomato Pie with Fried Onions ~ this southern classic tomato pie is gussied up with pretty heirloom tomatoes and crisp onion strings, who could argue with that?
3-4ripe heirloom tomatoesor regular red tomatoes cut into 1/4-1/2 inch slices
1/2Vidalia onionpeeled and sliced very thinly, 1/8 inch
1tspsaltfro draining the tomatoes
1cupmayonnaise
1 1/4cupshredded Swiss cheese
1/2cupchopped fresh dill
salt and fresh cracked black pepper
onion topping
1/2Vidalia onion sliced in 1/8 inch slicesuse a mandolin slicer
1/2cupall purpose flour
1/2cupyellow cornmeal
1/2tspsalt
vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
Put the tomato slices in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Set aside to drain for 30 minutes. Blot the surface well with paper towels afterwards.
For the fried onion strings, whisk together the flour, cornmeal and salt in a shallow bowl.
Heat several inches of vegetable oil in a pot to about 340F.
Cut the onion slices in half and then toss them in the flour mixture. Work in batches.
When the oil is hot, drop a handful of the onions in and fry until golden and crisp. This should take 2 minutes or so. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
Mix the mayo with the shredded cheese, and stir in the dill. Set aside.
Set the oven to 350 and line a 10 inch tart pan with a ready made crust. You can use a regular pie plate for this, too, but you may need to adjust the amount of tomatoes you put in. Prick the crust all over with a fork and bake for 10 minutes.
Cut the raw onion slices in half and scatter across the bottom of the crust. Layer the tomatoes over them. Season everything with black pepper and a touch of salt.
Spoon the cheese mixture over the tomatoes and spread to cover. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the top is starting to turn golden and bubbling.
Scatter the fried onions over the top of the pie and let cool for a bit before trying to slice. Serve warm.