Pie! Pie! Tomato Pie! So fresh, it could walk off the table.

With my vegetable bin now filled with tomatoes the size of grapefruit (thanks to my previously mentioned, roadside-stand haul), I was into my pile of tomato recipes big-time. I had dogeared one for Tomato Pie, featured in Southern Living’s August 2011 issue featuring summer favorites. I thought it looked absolutely mouth-watering. I also was intrigued by the idea of the Sour Cream Pastry crust that underlay it.

The recipe called for four tomatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices. I admit that in the interest of time, I didn’t peel mine. I don’t think I’ve peeled a tomato in years and wasn’t about to start now. (The most nutritious part of everything is the peel, right? At least that’s a mom-ism I remember from my childhood. Hubby says that a lot, too.)

Atop the tomato layer of the pie went a marvelous blend of mayo, green onions, fresh basil, and Parmesan cheese. I was a little worried about the sour-cream pastry, made with a combination of shortening and sour cream, being a little flimsy, but after the dough chilled for an hour, it rolled out into a very substantial, workable crust that I baked for 10-12 minutes before I piled on the filling.

I can’t say that I ever before sampled a tomato pie, even though it was conceptualized as an iconic Southern item (and my great-grandmother was a Mississippi transplant to Texas. How Southern can you get?). But this one was an amazing way to start. Fresh tomatoes, a new take on a pie crust, and an herb-y, cheesy topping. Like, like, like!

Tomato Pie

4 medium tomatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

1/2 teaspoon salt (or salt substitute)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

3 green onions, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Parmesan cheese, divided

Sour Cream Pastry (below)

Sour Cream Pastry

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt (or salt substitute)

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup sour cream (I used fat-free)

Preheat oven to 350 degree. Prepare Sour Cream Pastry. Meanwhile, place tomatoes in a single layer on paper towels; sprinkle with salt. Let tomatoes stand 30 minutes. Pat dry with paper towels. Stir together next 3 ingredients and 3/4 cup of cheese. Roll Sour Cream Pastry into a 13-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate; fold edges under and crimp. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly brown. Remove from oven; sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup cheese over bottom of crust. Arrange tomato slices over cheese in crust; spread mayonnaise mixture over tomatoes. Bake at 350 degrees for 34 to 37 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before you serve. If desired garnish with basil leaves. Makes 6 servings.