 The magic of tomato season is coming. What kind of tomato pie do you want to make? And who is going to rain upon your parade? (It is, after all pizza, and people have opinions.) As if pizza isn’t already enough of a danger zone. All the arguments flying about and pineapple opinions weaponized for fractious battles of pointless judgment. Enter the Tomato Pie Zone and you quickly learn that it's a dark and uncertain journey of ambiguity and confusion. Let’s open the blinds and shed some light upon the juicy and radiant red orbs of summer. The fresh tomato can be a beacon of inspiration for your own way along the rocky coastline of pizza land. Want to be an intrepid explorer in the ocean of tomatoes off the coast of pizza? Let’s dive in! I have a tomato pie recipe that is a revelation. Several such recipes, actually. They can make your eyes pop and goggle, and your taste buds cavort with abandon. These pizzas also further cloud the idea regarding what really is a tomato pie. (And I have an opinion about that which will pique the ire of the ever-angry pizzathusiasts who can’t just leave it alone. Yay!) So, to begin… What is tomato pie, really? Here now, a brief overview of the delicious and overarching confusion about things known as tomato pie.  ABOVE: The filling of a Southern tomato Pie before being covered in grated pecorino Romano, olive oil and breadcrumbs. It's Southern Tomato Pie, Y'all! This is so clearly not a pizza—until someone insists it is a pizza. But we’re all safe. That bombshell is devoid of explosives. The Southern Tomato Pie, or the Creole Tomato Pie, or the Cajun Tomato Pie—whatever we call it, however we modify it, it has a murky and uncertain history. It came to be in the mid-1800s. Unless it happened in the mid 20th century. Nobody seems to be able to track this one with accuracy. Let's just leave it there. What is accurate is that it’s not a “bread with something on it.” (That being the ever-reliable definition of pizza by the great Peter Reinhart, a man who's on a pizza mission.) However you label it, the Southern Tomato Pie is a traditional pastry pie crust filled with slices of well-drained Creole tomatoes. It is topped with cheese and a binder—usually mayo. Basil and onion are often involved, and it is baked for an hour or so, depending upon the construction. The reason for mentioning this creation is it underscores something so important: it really doesn’t matter what you call it. The truth is in the tomato. Combining tomatoes and cheese with a crust is what it’s all about. What’s in name? Who cares! A rose by any other name may or may not have thorns. So what? For instance, take the name “Creole tomato.” Nobody really knows what variety they're getting beyond "fresh." And Creole tomato season here in the south is a huge deal. Tomatoes by the truckload! The loading dock at your supermarket is a symphony of backup alerts as produce dump trucks vie for position. Entire grocery-store produce sections become impassable. The aisles are clogged knee-deep in bright red baseball-sized tomatoes. Frenzied shoppers are wading in, grabbing tomatoes by the armload, giddy with an unbridled lust for love apples. It's a scene. Most important: Pie crust is merely a delivery system for the joy that is that tomato. What’s also important to note is that even Google Generative AI is not stupid here. The Machine That Knows Only What The Internet Said still spits out an important fact: This pie should not be confused with another important pie. Ready? Philly Tomato Pie Also not a pizza. Also often called a pizza. Most people are not fooled and refuse to fall victim to its pizza-adjacent qualities. Those qualities are not a reason to let it identify as pizza. Philly Tomato Pie is very much like a focaccia with tomato sauce on top. There's no cheese beyond a sprinkle of grated Parmesan. And important note: it is served at room temp. It is not to be eaten hot. (Rules!) Philly Tomato Pie also has its diehard fans. What could they possibly see in this not-a-pizza? They see a celebration of the tomato with bread involved—very different, but much like… New Haven Tomato Pie Danger, Will Robinson! The family's frantic robot is all agog and flailing its arms as AI animatronics are known to do. We are crossing into Connecticut and the polarizing galaxy of New Haven “apizza.” (That odd word is a Neapolitan pronunciation of “pizza” and is said “ah-beetz.” The New Haven Devoted enjoy making loud and enthusiastic pronouncements of "ah-BEETZ!") The pizza in New Haven is "always coal-fired" [always untrue] and always has so much powdery black char that you require an entire dispenser of pre-moistened towelettes [often true]. The New Haven Tomato Pie is also not just one thing. It often depends upon which pizzeria you’re visiting. This can be the land of the so-called “plain pizza” being one with no mozzarella—in other words, a tomato pie. And in many cases, that is the "classic tomato pie"--though not necessarily by that name. Whatever name the pizzeria is using for that pizza, it is baked at high temp (sometimes in a coal oven, but at most places in a commercial deck oven), and it has sauce and maybe a sprinkle of grated parm. Then there’s the Seasonal Fresh Tomato Pie, made famous by Pepe’s. They always get great coverage in the press for this annual celebration of fresh local tomatoes. It also includes mozzarella, pecorino Romano, basil, olive oil, and plenty of fresh tomato chunks. It's a proper pizza as most civilians understand it. It’s also a gorgeous looking pizza. But if you drive a couple of hours southwest… Yo! Jersey Tomato Pie! In the Trenton area, there evolved a style of pizza independent of the rest of the New York tri-state area (including New Haven), yet it exhibits similar characteristics. The Jersey Tomato Pie (also known as Trenton Tomato Pie) is a crispy, thin crust similar to New Haven. My personal favorite joint is Papa’s Tomato Pies. Others prefer De Lorenzo’s, whose crust has a slightly different chew. And there are others. But those two are the legacy joints. Either way, the tomato celebration here is made manifest with the sauce spread atop the cheese—the signature of Jersey Tomato Pie. (Somebody literally asked me, ”What kind of crazy North Jersey sh*t is that!” Tiny tweaks in technique can inspire the irascible to great pique.) The pizza known as Jersey Tomato Pie is surprising and delightful and, at least with these two pizzerias, is a legacy product being made by the same families that launched them over 100 years ago. (Same with Sally's and Pepe's in New Haven.) And finally… The Best Tomato Pie What is the best possible tomato pie? The one you decide you like the most—especially if it’s one you’ve created, naturally. I’ve created mine. Have you created yours? I admit, I feel like my tomato pie experiments have resulted in an endless array of juicy, glorious, big-tasting pizzas that all vie for Best Of The Moment, which is an ongoing condition of pizza living. Anyway, here's what happened...  ABOVE: The pizza we call the Garden-Fresh Tomato Pie The first tomato pie here is actually one of several in rotation. And it remains a treat. Once again: celebration of the tomato! It's called the Garden-Fresh Tomato Pie. Here now, two years after its debut, I have no idea why. The excellent tomatoes are from a can. I suspect it was a moment of irony. Canned tomatoes, yes--but then came the supporting notes of the peppery, earthy pop from the fragrant oregano that had been a living, breathing thing mere minutes before it was popped upon this pizza, bringing unexpected joy to my dinner guests. (Never underestimate the spiritual power of fresh herbs.) Anyway, this is a slightly chunky sauce similar to that found on a Jersey tomato pie, but it's different than Jersey. The tomatoes are atop a mix of low-moisture mozzarella shreds and fresh mozzarella pearls, with a dusting of Romano. Then, thick-sliced bacon chunks (look closely and you'll see them) and thin-sliced onion, all finished with garden-fresh oregano. Bacon? Cheating, you say? Perhaps. But such an aggressively guilty cheat—and a way to showcase the tomato by the salty, fatty contrast. No, it’s not a pure tomato pie. But it is tomato forward and damn satisfying. However…  ABOVE: The pizza we call Tomato-Bacon Mania The Other Best Tomato Pie Hello, fresh tomatoes! Using fresh instead of canned product is best when tomatoes are in season. But in a pinch, non-seasonal tomatoes work just fine. When first served, this pizza caused a stir. That’s probably because it’s rare to celebrate so much farm-fresh produce on a pizza. But at the end of the show, the tomatoes are still the star. Yes, it is lightly sauced with a traditional pizza sauce. (It makes for a juicier, more umami pizza.) It too is topped with both low-moisture and fresh mozzarella. Then, there are chopped roasted mushrooms (direct from the grower), garlic, bacon, and the starring fruit: halved cherry tomatoes. Following that is a garnish of fresh basil and scallions. It's a loaded, tomatoey pizza. We have a friend we call Mr. Bill. His favorite pizza is one we call Mighty Meaty Madness. (Use your imagination.) He took a bite of this produce-laden pizza and muttered the lord's name in vain. The bounty of the summertime New England agricultural economy was present upon his plate in a way that made him suddenly forsake the call of animal protein pizziatics. (New word.) So, how about you? What’s your tomato pie going to be?
If you have a tomato pie, or even if you’re just inspired, tell me about it here! We love to know these things, and sometimes share them with your soon-to-be adoring public. And get ready for next week: a recipe for my tomato pie. Which one? We’ll see. But guaranteed, it’s juicy… P.S. Spending an entire day writing about all these tomatoes has an hypnotic effect. In the middle of writing this, I threw down my pen and hustled out to the store to buy pie dough and several pounds of fresh tomatoes. The Southern Tomato Pie photo at the top of the post is mere minutes old. And if you're wondering why the photo of the raw, uncooked pie, it's much more a celebration of the tomatoes than a baked slice, which frankly tastes as amazing as it looks disorderly:  ABOVE: Southern Tomato Pie is ugly delicious.
Eating that pie, however? Superb. And, of course, man does not live by pizza alone. Frequently, tomatoes must be celebrated elsewhere. Next week: Pizza recipe for tomato pie... ---- NOW JUST 99 CENTS FOR A LIMITED TIME! Still haven't bought your pizza oven yet? That might be a good thing. Because you don't really need one, especially if you're just starting out. It's much easier to start by making pizza in your home oven. I endorse baking pizza on steel. But if you need to do it on the cheap, you can even start with a big, upside-down cast-iron skillet and my silly little book: Free The Pizza: A Simple System For Making Great Pizza Whenever You Want With The Oven You Already Have. When you’re just starting out, it’s much easier and more productive to learn about pizza in a way that demystifies everybody’s favorite food—including the flying in the face of the belief that great pizza is possible only with a special oven. Speaking as a guy who has two portable pizza ovens sitting in a shed, and who used to have a 1,200-pound wood-fired oven in the kitchen, the best oven on which to learn pizza is a regular home oven with a few simple tools. And the Free The Pizza book is designed specifically to take a newbie from zero to pizza in as short a time is possible. It’s also a lot more fun than the heartbreak of a tiny, cruel oven in the yard. Want to make a pizza at home? Homemade pizza success happens with Free The Pizza at Amazon.
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AuthorBlaine Parker is the award-winning author of the bestselling, unusual and amusing how-to pizza book, Free The Pizza. Also known as The Pizza Geek and "Hey, Pizza Man!", Blaine is fanatical about the idea that true, pro-quality pizza can be made at home. His home. Your home. Anyone's home. After 20 years of honing his craft and making pizza in standard consumer ovens across the nation, he's sharing what he's learned with home cooks like you. Are you ready to pizza? Archives
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