Roasted Tomato Cheddar Pie

Ms. Dixie and I stood in the kitchen that she had cooked in for 20 years on the day that we decided to purchase her home in Mississippi. “I promise to take care of this home and love it just the way that you did,” I said. In that moment tears started streaming down her face and mine, so we hugged for a while before the others walked in.

I had found the listing a month before very randomly online, and instantly knew that we would be making a life there. A few weeks later when we moved into our new (old) home; it was just as she had left it. Her personal items removed and the house immaculately cleaned, a few hard-to-remove traces of their life together remained. Tiny ceramic mice carefully placed inside gaps of imperfect doors, a painted cat waiting on the wall by the front door, so many garden trinkets. I once found a note while cleaning the top shelves in our hallway that read “Have a great day, I love you! ~ David.” He had left it there for her to find but I suppose she never did. Finding that note felt like I had something precious to her, finding a collection of recipes perfectly stuck to the kitchen cabinet doors felt the same. One of those recipes was “Tomato Pie.”

I’ve been wanting to share this tomato pie recipe with you for a while but it only felt right to wait until I could find local tomatoes at their peak ripeness. Even better as part of a partnership with Tillamook using their Farmstyle Thick Cut Sharp Cheddar Shredded Cheese, which I’m so happy to be able to purchase locally now. Try this store locator to find it near you! I was so excited to test it, taste it and now to present it to you. Making it felt nostalgic and wonderful, the kitchen is still mostly unchanged with its original creaky wood floors and baked in the oven that they left here for us. It’s not a complicated recipe, it contains only a few simple ingredients that you can enjoy slightly cooled or at room temperature on your front porch on a late summer evening. I imagine that’s what Ms Dixie and Mr David did when they lived here.

Cheddar is a very important part of any Southern tomato pie, and come to think of it so many other Southern foods including pimiento cheese and homemade cheese biscuits. For me, Tillamook Sharp Cheddar Cheese is the perfect choice because of the quality. It is aged for over 9 months and really delivers a wonderful sharpness that perfectly complements the tomatoes and herbs. The shreds are a generous size and I feel that this makes the pie cheesier, more toothsome and just a delight to eat.

A few notes:

Using a quality pre-made pie crust will save you some time. I used to be a person who never chose convenience over making everything from scratch, but lately there are many amazing products that help when time is short. (Back To School!)

Most classic tomato pie recipes, like this one, include mayonnaise, but you could absolutely use sour cream or even ricotta instead.

Roasting the tomatoes removes a lot of the moisture that might have seeped out of fresh tomatoes, causing the pie to become soggy. If you choose not to roast the tomatoes, drain them for at least 10 minutes on a paper towel lined cooling rack.

Try your best to avoid cutting into the pie immediately, let it sit until it gets closer to room temperature - This will make it very easy to slice into and serve.

Roasted Tomato Cheddar Pie

Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 25 minutes Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

1 8 -inch pre-baked pie crust
2lbs heirloom tomatoes, sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cracked pepper
4 strips bacon
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
1/2 lb Tillamook Farmstyle Thick Cut Sharp Cheddar Shredded Cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup chopped herbs (basil, chives, oregano) plus extra to serve
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Guidelines:

Preheat oven to 400F (200C).

Place tomato slices on a baking sheet in a single layer and season with salt and pepper. Work in batches if your oven is unable to accommodate all the tomatoes at once. Roast for 15 minutes until most juices have evaporated. Remove from oven, set aside, and lower heat to 350F (180C).

In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook bacon until crispy and drain on a paper towel. Discard most of the fat from the skillet, add onions and sauté for 5-10 minutes until golden. Allow to cool.

Add chopped bacon, onion, cheese, mayonnaise, herbs, sun dried tomatoes, garlic powder and red pepper flakes to a medium bowl. Use a fork to gently combine. Spread one half of this mixture at the bottom of your pie crust, followed by a layer of roasted tomatoes. Repeat with final layer and bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before slicing, topping with fresh herbs when serving.

This sponsored post was written by The Daley Plate on behalf of Tillamook but all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that I love!

Ravioli with Peas, Prosciutto and Burrata

There are days when extra time to make something from scratch is possible, and other days… when grabbing something premade and turning it into your own creation is the only way. I have mentioned before that I’m more of a 80% homemade 20% premade kind of girl anyways. Just keeping it real. This recipe is easy enough to throw together on a weeknight, but looks really fancy. I love peas but any vegetable of your choice could bring a touch of green and freshness here. Watercress was in season and the bitter peppery taste really went well with the black pepper and otherwise creamy flavors in this pasta dish. I’m thinking that arugula would be a great alternative should you not be able to find watercress. Side note: I used one pan to make everything to spare myself from doing too many dishes, but it’s not necessary.

Ingredients:
(Serves 2-4)

1 10oz bag fresh spinach & ricotta ravioli (I love this brand)
2 cups frozen peas
1 teaspoon olive oil
4 slices prosciutto
1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons freshly chopped chives
1 teaspoon crushed black pepper
2 4oz burrata cheese
zest and juice of 1 small lemon
1 cup fresh watercress

Guidelines:

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a simmer over medium-high heat. Add ravioli and peas, then gently stir to separate any ravioli that might be stuck together. Lower heat to medium and drain ravioli after exactly 4 minutes, discarding the pasta water. Or I could just say “Parboil ravioli and peas for 4 minutes, drain using a colander, and set aside.”

Place saucepan back on the heat. Add olive oil and lay prosciutto slices flat in the pan, cook for 1-2 minutes until crisp, remove from pan and set aside. It will crisp up more as it cools - A plate lined with paper towel is great to absorb any extra oil.

Add butter, garlic and parboiled pasta with peas to the saucepan. It will have that crispy prosciutto flavored oil in it - A great thing. Season everything with black pepper and chives, then sauté until lightly toasted in places - 5 minutes. Try not to stir too much so that the ravioli gets a good chance to get crispy. I did not add any salt to this because the prosciutto provides enough for us.

Remove from heat and divide pasta amongst serving dishes, followed by burrata which you just gently break apart and layer on top, followed by lemon juice and zest, then crumbled prosciutto and watercress.

Serve immediately :)

Keto Chicken Parmesan with Fresh Tomato Slices

This post is sponsored by Belgioioso and FeedFeed.

Where does the time go my dear? My mother used to say that at the end of every single Summer. We had spent the warmest days of the year enjoying lengthy outdoor dinners, eating fruit harvested just a mile away and listening to crickets awake after their slumber. We held on to what Summer brought for as long as we could until it was time to polish our school shoes, put up the outdoor seating and prepare as all routine returned back to normal once again. Aaah, Summer is always a dream, isn't it? To this day, I spend the last week of August gathering as much Summer produce as I can to preserve and cook with. 

I recently made the decision to try following a Keto diet and have since been coming up with ways to enjoy my favorite Summer recipes, minus the carbs. Thankfully, cheese (Fresh Mozzarella in particular) is a very popular and beloved ingredient in the ketogenic way of eating. The cream of the crop in terms of mozzarella for me is the line of BelGioioso Fresh Mozzarella.  You all know (If you've known me for a while) that delicious cheese is my kryptonite :)

BelGioioso as a company was started in 1979 when founder Errico Auricchio moved to Wisconsin from Italy with his family and started making the cheese he grew up eating. The company grew and now offers over 25 varieties of specialty cheese to the U.S market and counting. I love family companies so much, tradition and recipes passed down from one generation to the next - What a legacy to leave and what a way to continue the traditions of one's home country. As an immigrant to this country myself it really resonates with me. Heritage is everything and it shows in their products - I've always found their cheese to be so fresh and truly, you can taste the love. That's exactly how I feel about simple food prepared with intention. It doesn't have to be complex to be delicious, and it doesn't have to take a long time to prepare. This recipe is perfect for those weeknights where you're short on time and uses up some of those Summer tomatoes you still have on the counter :) I did not include a recipe for marinara because we all have our favorite, jarred keto-friendly marinara works perfectly here. Else, roast some tomatoes and garlic then blend it with some olive oil.  I used one of BelGioioso’s freshly sliced cheese logs, which I always have on hand to save time. They are wonderful marinated and eaten as is or used in caprese salads, sandwiches and so on. But you already knew that!

Click here for official giveaway rules on how you could win a BelGioioso Cheese prize box and some awesome Le Creuset pieces, perfect for your next gathering!

Ingredients:
Serves 4

1 BelGioioso Freshly Sliced Mozzarella Cheese Log
1 tablespoon fresh oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
½  cup olive oil, divided
½ cup fine almond flour
½ cup BelGioioso Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
2 large chicken breasts, split in half lengthways
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon crushed black pepper
1 egg, beaten
2 cups marinara
2 campari or other tomatoes, sliced
Optional garnish: Fresh oregano, basil and cracked black pepper

Method:

Preheat oven to Broil.

Season BelGioioso Fresh Mozzarella with oregano, basil and red pepper flakes and drizzle with ¼ cup olive oil. Set aside to marinate.

Heat a large ovenproof skillet to medium-high and add remaining olive oil. In a shallow bowl, whisk almond flour and BelGioioso Grated Parmesan with a fork to combine. Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper, then dip in beaten egg mixture and dredge with almond flour cheese mixture.

Shallow fry for 2-3 minutes per side and remove chicken. Add marinara (I love making my own and freezing, then using in dishes like this) to skillet and place the chicken on top, followed by the marinated BelGioioso Fresh Mozzarella slices. The reason why I do this instead of the traditional method of pouring the sauce on top is because I like to keep the top crispy. Please change this up if you’d like.

Broil for 5 minutes in the oven until the cheese is melted and bubbling and chicken registers 165F when using a thermometer. Remove skillet from oven and top with fresh tomato slices, followed by fresh oregano and cracked pepper. Serve immediately - Delicious on top of zucchini noodles! Keep scrolling for a few step-by-step images.

When dredging the chicken, sometimes I omit the egg and it works very well. A great way to reduce some of the calories.

This post is sponsored by BelGioioso and FeedFeed but all opinions are my own, thank you for supporting the brands that support The Daley Plate.

South African Braaibroodtjies with Sun Dried Tomato Butter

It does not matter where we as South Africans find ourselves around the globe. If there is an opportunity to Braai (Grill outside over a wood fire), there's a very high chance that Braaibroodtjies are accompanying our meal of farmers sausage, lamb chops, chicken and salads. The Afrikaans word broodjie translates to sandwich in English, therefore Braaibroodtjie means grilled sandwich. They are usually prepared after everything else is done cooking and the embers start to fade - the ideal temperature to toast bread and impart a wonderful smoked flavor. 

The Braaibroodtjie of my childhood was unapologetically unsophisticated. Layers of tomato, onions, cheddar and white bread spread with butter - Ingredients that were mostly always availabe, save for the cheese that sometimes got left off during more difficult times. Do you sometimes remember things unintentionally and feel super nostalgic?
When I make Braaibroodtjies now, I want my guests here in America to have the best possible experience eating them. I step up my Summer grilling game by using sourdough bread, sun dried tomato butter (regular butter is perfectly fine), heirloom tomatoes, red onion and my favorite cheddar. I always put a little extra cheese now, and buy the best possible while stilll being economical at the same time. When I'm making Braaibroodtjies I look for an aged cheddar that will stand up to the onion and char brought on by the fire, but one that will also melt easily.  I find it's better to buy a good loaf of real cheese and shred, cube, or slice it myself to use in a variety of dishes - My Home Economics teacher would be so proud. 

A few notes:
- You can definitely use a griddle pan inside instead, but you will lose the smoke and it will not be authentic. 
- I prefer extra sharp cheddar, but any cheese will do. Gouda is amazing, Raclette as well.
- The chutney we prefer in South Africa is called Mrs Balls Peach Chutney and you can buy it on Amazon and recently it has become available at most grocery stores with an International section. If you are unable to find this version, any sweet and sour chutney can stand in. Sometimes, a bit of smooth apricot jam mixed with white wine vinegar is a good alternative as well.
- This isn't one of those recipes where everything is measured precisely. It's about the joy of eating a toasty melted cheese sandwich fireside. Customize it to your liking and have fun!

Ingredients:
8 slices sourdough bread
sun dried tomato butter (recipe follows) OR your favorite butter (garlic butter is amazing here)
12 slices extra sharp cheddar, gouda or cheese of your choice
2 large heirloom tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
Optional: 1/4 cup peach chutney, or any sweet and sour chutney

For Sun Dried Tomato Butter, combine:
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp. sun dried tomato paste
1 tsp. cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp. sweet smoked paprika

Special Equipment: Folding grilling basket - Here is one on Amazon, but you might be able to find it at the camping section of most stores.

Method:
1. Spread each slice of bread with sun dried tomato butter. Place 4 slices, buttered side down, on a work surface or directly on to a grill basket (see example below). Top with a thin layer of chutney and then cheese, onion and tomato slices. Place remaining bread slices on top, butter side up. 

2. Grill for 3-4 minutes over a medium heat source until the bread is slightly charred around the edges and the cheese is melted.  I sometimes like to place them on my covered smoker for longer as well, 8 minutes at 275F. Remove from the grill and slice, serving 1/2 sandwich to each guest as a side.

Serves 8.

Braaibroodtjies in a rooster (South African wire grill basket used to contain food while being flipped over the fire.)