Post by wilderness on Sept 11, 2019 12:36:39 GMT -5
Tomato Pie-Birdy
(Please note--this is not a pizza! Only out-of-towners would make the mistake of calling it that!)
According to a high school teacher of mine who was a second-generation Italian America, tomato pie was a version of something that the Sicilian grandmas from East Utica remembered from the old country. On baking day, they would take some leftover dough and leftover tomato sauce from cooking and make a snack for the children coming home from school. Tomato pie is not served hot but at room temperature so it is perfect buffet or picnic food. Every church event, picnic, or family party has some tomato pie on the table in my neck of the woods.
According to what the owner of one of the longest-operating Italian bakeries in town told me, his grandfather used to bake tomato pie for Italian wedding receptions during the Depression because it was economical. Everyone got a box lunch with tomato pie, a few cookies, perhaps a few Jordan almonds, and a banana!
Do not even think of using grated Romano cheese from that round green can. Get some really good freshly grated cheese or grate it yourself. It makes a difference. Also, try to get pizza dough made by a really good bakery or even from a favorite pizza place—they might sell you some fresh to take out. Or make it yourself. San Marzano variety tomatoes are the best flavored for crushed. And buy the best-flavored extra-virgin olive oil you can afford. This dish is so simple that the quality of the ingredients is very important. And it is supposed to have a thick crust.
3 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 28-to-32-oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 tsp dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lb pizza dough
3 Tbs grated Pecorino Romano cheese
Preheat oven to 450°F.
Stretch the pizza dough to cover a greased cookie sheet. Dough should be fairly thick (about 3/4 inch). Allow the dough to rise a bit while the sauce is cooking.
Heat a saucepan on medium, add the olive oil and garlic, and sauté until the garlic is just golden. Add crushed tomatoes and oregano. Cook until the sauce is thickened, about 15-20 minutes. Cool the sauce to room temperature.
Top the pizza dough with the sauce and then bake in 450°F oven for about 15-20 minutes. After removing the pie from the oven, sprinkle with the cheese. Let the pie cool to room temperature before eating.
(Please note--this is not a pizza! Only out-of-towners would make the mistake of calling it that!)
According to a high school teacher of mine who was a second-generation Italian America, tomato pie was a version of something that the Sicilian grandmas from East Utica remembered from the old country. On baking day, they would take some leftover dough and leftover tomato sauce from cooking and make a snack for the children coming home from school. Tomato pie is not served hot but at room temperature so it is perfect buffet or picnic food. Every church event, picnic, or family party has some tomato pie on the table in my neck of the woods.
According to what the owner of one of the longest-operating Italian bakeries in town told me, his grandfather used to bake tomato pie for Italian wedding receptions during the Depression because it was economical. Everyone got a box lunch with tomato pie, a few cookies, perhaps a few Jordan almonds, and a banana!
Do not even think of using grated Romano cheese from that round green can. Get some really good freshly grated cheese or grate it yourself. It makes a difference. Also, try to get pizza dough made by a really good bakery or even from a favorite pizza place—they might sell you some fresh to take out. Or make it yourself. San Marzano variety tomatoes are the best flavored for crushed. And buy the best-flavored extra-virgin olive oil you can afford. This dish is so simple that the quality of the ingredients is very important. And it is supposed to have a thick crust.
3 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 28-to-32-oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 tsp dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lb pizza dough
3 Tbs grated Pecorino Romano cheese
Preheat oven to 450°F.
Stretch the pizza dough to cover a greased cookie sheet. Dough should be fairly thick (about 3/4 inch). Allow the dough to rise a bit while the sauce is cooking.
Heat a saucepan on medium, add the olive oil and garlic, and sauté until the garlic is just golden. Add crushed tomatoes and oregano. Cook until the sauce is thickened, about 15-20 minutes. Cool the sauce to room temperature.
Top the pizza dough with the sauce and then bake in 450°F oven for about 15-20 minutes. After removing the pie from the oven, sprinkle with the cheese. Let the pie cool to room temperature before eating.
