Buttermilk Tomato Pie

What a fantastic, hearty, vegetarian dish. I love the simplicity of this and how the flavors come together. The layers of flavor-crispy crust, tart veggies, creamy buttermilk layer and crunchy topping--work so well. This is great warm or even at room temperature—perfect for a brunch!

 Ingredients:

Crust:
1 unbaked pie crust

 Topping:

1/3 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
¼ cup grated parmesan
1 teaspoon melted butter

Filling:

2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons flour
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons seasoning blend or seasoning salt of your choice (I like Penzey’s Pork Chop seasoning here-it’s got a bit of smoke flavor to it)
More salt and pepper to taste, if you want it
3 large, ripe tomatoes, cut into thick slices
¼ cup onions, thinly sliced
¼ cup grated cheddar cheese

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Pat the pie crust into a 9 inch pie crust and place on a baking sheet (to prevent messy spillovers). In a small bowl, mix the topping ingredients together and set aside.

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the 2 Tablespoons of butter for the filling. Stir in the flour and cook for 3 minutes. Slowly pour in the buttermilk, stirring constantly. Bring the mix up to a low boil and cook about 5 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and add in the seasonings.

Place slices of tomato and onion in your pie shell, 2 layers deep. Sprinkle the cheese over the top.  Pour over the filling ingredients and bake for 35 minutes. Sprinkle the topping over the pie and bake for another 25 minutes. Let cool and slice into wedges.

Note: If you want to really showcase the tomatoes, save a few slices to put on top of the pie after you’ve added the buttermilk mixture.