=== Tomato Pie a la Vivian Howard ===


Makes roughly one 12-inch pie or tart.

=== Ingredients: ===

**For the filling:** 

  * 2 cups diced and drained fresh tomatoes (see below)
  * 2 cups diced and roasted tomatoes (see below)
  * 1 cup caramelized onions (see below)
  * 1/2 cup picked basil
  * salt
  * pepper
  * pie crust (blind bake before filling)

**For the Topping:**

  * 1/3 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
  * 1/3 cup grated Fontina
  * 1/2 cup mayo
    
**For the onions**

Peel and slice 4 medium yellow onions. In a large sauté pan, heat 1/4 cup butter. Add the onions and season them with salt. Let the onions simmer and become juicy. Once the situation becomes a bit drier and much of the onion liquid has cooked out, turn down the heat, to its lowest setting and settle in for a long, slow caramelize. To get these onions where they need to be, it could take about 2 hours. You are looking for a medium brown, sweet caramelization.

**For the diced and drained tomatoes**

Seed and dice about 3 cups fresh, high-quality tomatoes. Toss them with a little kosher salt and sugar. Set over a colander while you prepare the remaining ingredients if possible. If not, drain for a minimum of an hour. You should be left with about 2 cups of tomato.

**For the roasted tomatoes**

Seed and dice 4 cups fresh, high quality tomatoes. Toss them with olive oil (Chef & the Farmer uses garlic oil), plenty of kosher salt, and several sprigs of thyme. Spread this mix out on a baking sheet and roast at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. You want the tomatoes to be dry and slightly caramelized, but not burned around the edges.

**To Assemble the Filling**

Combine the onions, fresh tomatoes, roasted tomatoes, basil, salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. Keep in mind, tomatoes take a lot of seasoning to really make them shine in applications like this.

**To Bake and Serve**

Spread the filling over the bottom of a blind-baked crust. Flatten the topping between wax paper or use your good ol’ hands to create a 1/3 inch thick round of delicious, cheesy topping that spreads nearly to the edges of the pie. Bake at 375 degrees until the top is nicely browned, about 20-25 minutes. Serve at just over room temperature.