Heirloom Tomato And Polenta Pie Food

HERB AND TOMATO POLENTA

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and tomatoes. Cook the tomatoes, stirring occasionally, until they start to blister and release some of their juices, 8 to 10 minutes. Toss in the garlic and season generously with salt and pepper. Cook another 1 minute, then remove from the heat.
• In a saucepan over low heat, stir the Parmesan and butter into the Cooked Polenta, thinning with milk as desired. Turn off the heat, stir in the lemon zest, taste for seasoning and add salt if necessary.
• Transfer the polenta to a serving bowl. Use a spoon to create a shallow well and top with the tomatoes, torn basil, some black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.
• Bring 6 cups of water to a rolling boil in a heavy-bottomed 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting, add the baking soda and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and pour the cornmeal into the water in a very slow stream from a measuring cup, all the while whisking in a circular motion to prevent lumps.
• Cook, vigorously stirring the polenta with a wooden spoon for about 10 seconds once every 5 minutes and making sure to scrape clean the bottom and corners of the pot, until the polenta has lost its raw cornmeal taste and becomes soft and smooth, about 30 minutes. If the polenta looks like it's drying out too quickly, continue cooking with the lid on. Cooked Polenta recipe courtesy of Jeff Mauro.

HEIRLOOM TOMATO PIE

Steps:

• Make the crust: Pulse the flour, cornmeal and fine salt in a food processor to combine. Add the butter and 3 tablespoons manchego; pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal with pea-size bits of butter. Drizzle in 4 tablespoons ice water and pulse until the dough comes together; add 1 more tablespoon ice water if necessary. Turn out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and pat into a disk. Wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 45 minutes.
• Put the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper and roll into a 13-inch round. Transfer the dough to a 9 1/2-inch deep-dish pie plate. Fold the overhang under itself and crimp the edges. Pierce the bottom of the crust all over with a fork. Refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line the crust with foil, then fill with dried beans. Bake until the edges are golden, about 20 minutes. Remove the foil and beans and continue baking until golden all over, 10 to 15 more minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.
• Make the filling: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool. Meanwhile, thinly slice the tomatoes; toss with 1 teaspoon kosher salt in a colander. Let drain, gently tossing occasionally, about 30 minutes.
• Increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Combine the remaining 3/4 cup manchego, the mozzarella, mayonnaise, breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoons each chives and parsley, the thyme, 1/4 teaspoon each kosher salt and pepper, and the sauteed onion in a bowl. Spread in the crust. Arrange the tomatoes on top. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with pepper. Bake until the tomatoes are browned, about 50 minutes. Top with the remaining 1 tablespoon each chives and parsley.

HEIRLOOM TOMATO AND POLENTA PIE

Steps:

• You will need to make your polenta crust at least 2 hours in advance, so that it has adequate time to chill. In my case, I made it the night before to make assembly time of about 10 minutes the next day. Place your water, olive oil, salt, and dry basil into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, slowly pour your polenta into the pot while continuously whisking to prevent unpleasant clumping. Once combined, turn your heat down to low and continue to cook while stirring every few minutes until the mixture becomes thick. This will take about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in your parmesan cheese.
• Lightly coat a jelly roll pan or a cookie sheet with oil. Pour the polenta on the pan and spread it out in a roundish shape that is large enough to cut your pie crust out of, but not so large that you end up wasting a ton of polenta. Allow it to cool for about an hour and then chill it for at least 1 hour before assembling your heirloom pie.
• After the polenta has chilled, find something round whether it be a bowl or a cake tin, to use as a guide for cutting out your round pie shape. Place it on top of the polenta and cut around the edges with a knife as if you're tracing. Transfer it to whatever plate or cake stand you plan to serve it on.
• Spread a layer of farmer's cheese over the polenta and then drizzle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
• Cut your heirlooms into ¼ inch slices and arrange them however you wish over your pie. Season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.

POLENTA WITH ROASTED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 450. Toss the tomatoes, olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large ovenproof skillet. Roast in the oven until the tomatoes are charred around the edges, about 25 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 but keep the tomatoes inside.
• Meanwhile, bring 5 cups water to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat. Slowly whisk in the polenta until smooth and creamy. Add 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat, cover and keep warm.
• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Slice the chard leaves into wide strips and the stems into 1-inch pieces. Boil the stems until almost tender, about 5 minutes, then add the leaves and cook until both are tender, about 3 more minutes. Drain the chard.
• Remove the skillet from the oven and place over medium-high heat. Push the tomatoes to one side, add the butter and swirl until the butter is golden brown. Add the chard and toss to coat. Divide the polenta among 4 bowls. Top with the tomatoes and chard. Season the cheese with salt and sprinkle over the top.

HEIRLOOM TOMATOES AND ZUCCHINI PIE

Steps:

• Pie crust -- Preheat oven to 450 degrees and unfold your thawed pie crust in a pie plate and pork a few holes in it before baking. Bake 5-8 minutes to blind bake or slightly brown before adding the filling. Just lightly brown. Follow the directions of the pie crust.
• Vegetables -- Pre-cook the zucchini. I like to just bake on a cookie sheet lined with foil or parchment paper for 5-10 minutes. I drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and just spread out and bake at 400 degrees, until slightly cooked but not too soft. You just want them to get a head start is all.
• Make the pie -- Put the zucchini slices on the bottom of the pie crust after it comes out of the oven and slightly cooled. Top the zucchini with the thin onion rings, and now top with the heirloom tomatoes, it is fun to alternate the colors if you have them. If not, just layer them slightly overlapping to top the zucchini.
• Cheese mixture -- In a small bowl mix the cheese, mayo, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper.
• Spread the mixture over tomatoes. In a small bowl, melt the tablespoon of butter in the microwave and then add the bread crumbs and mix well. Top the tomato pie with the bread crumbs and bake 15-20 minutes at 425 degrees until golden brown.

HEIRLOOM TOMATO PIE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375. Placed sliced tomatoes in a single layer on paper towels. Sprinkle one side with 1/4 tsp of the salt; let stand for 10 minutes. Gently pat salted side of tomatoes with paper towels to absorb some of the moisture. Flip tomatoes and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 tsp salt.
• Meanwhile, fit piecrust into a 9-inch pie plate. Sprinkle bread crumbs evenly on the bottom. Place half the mozzarella over the bread crumbs, along with a third of the tomatoes and a third of the basil. Sprinkle with 2 tbsp of the Parmesan. Layer with a third of the tomatoes, a third of the basil and remaining mozzarella. Layer with remaining tomatoes, basil and parmesan. Season with pepper and if desired, brush edges of crust with beaten egg.
• Bake at 375 for 40 to 45 minutes, until crust is browned. Cool 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.
• Note: Pie will have moisture. For a less wet pie, seed the tomatoes.

POLENTA PIE WITH CHEESE AND TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 450°F. Oil a 9-inch pie plate or a 4-cup gratin dish with 1 teaspoon oil. 3Cut polenta roll crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices and line pie plate with half of slices, overlapping slices slightly to completely cover bottom of pie plate. Stir 1 tablespoon basil into 1 1/2 cups pasta sauce and spread over polenta, then sprinkle with half of mozzarella. Top with remaining half of polenta slices, then sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano and remaining half of mozzarella.
• Bake until bubbling and golden, about 20 minutes. While pie bakes, heat remaining pasta sauce, basil, and oil in a small saucepan, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Let pie stand 5 minutes to firm up and cool, then serve with extra sauce on the side.
• *Found at many supermarkets and lucini.com.

HEIRLOOM TOMATO PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Place tomato slices in a single layer on paper towels; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Let stand 45 minutes. Pat dry., Meanwhile, place cheese, flour and remaining salt in a food processor; pulse until blended. Add butter; pulse until butter is the size of peas. While pulsing, add just enough cream to form moist crumbs. Press dough onto bottom and up sides of an ungreased 9-in. fluted tart pan with removable bottom. Gently press bacon into dough. Bake 20-22 minutes or until light brown. Cool on a wire rack., In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, herbs and garlic powder until blended. Spread over crust. Top with tomato slices; sprinkle with pepper. Bake 35-40 minutes longer or until edges are golden brown and tomatoes are softened. Cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate leftovers.