Belinda’s Upside-down Tomato, Cheese and Basil Pie

Lunch is often an ad hoc affair, particularly on Saturdays when everyone is coming and going, catching up with chores, shopping, playing sport or whatever. There’s a lot of grabbing a snack or fruit and moving on to the next thing. 

On Sundays though, I try to make a lunch date with the family so we can sit around the table, catch up with the latest, talk about happenings and simply share a leisurely lunch together. 

Belinda Jeffery’s recipe for upside-down tomato, cheese and basil pie is the sort of dish I make for such a gathering. It’s summertime and tomatoes are plentiful so I use them whenever and wherever I can. The preparation is very easy, and the flavours just right.

Belinda’s food has long been a favourite of mine. (Watch out for my interview with her) This pie, from her 100 favourite recipes cookbook, is delicious, with a green salad and maybe the odd sausage or steak from the barbeque.

When you tip the pie out of the tin and bring it to the table, I kid you not, there will be exclamations of delight because it looks so vibrant and amazing. Just wait till they taste it!

Upside-down Tomato, Cheese and Basil Pie

(Serves 6)

Ingredients:

• 1×800g can crushed tomatoes
• 225g self-raising flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• 100g parmesan - I keep some grated parmesan from the deli, in my freezer, for this sort of cooking
• 50g cheddar cheese - finely grated
• 125g unsalted butter - cut into small chunks and chilled till needed
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup milk
• a couple of shakes of Tabasco sauce
• 6-8 ripe tomatoes - thinly and evenly sliced - Roma tomatoes work well in this recipe
• handful basil leaves - finely shredded 

 

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C
2. Butter and line a round dish - I use a 26cm pizza dish with 3cm sides
3. Line the dish with baking paper
4. Pour the canned tomatoes into a sieve and drain well - save the juice for another use
5. Whiz the flour, salt and mustard in a food processor. Add the parmesan and cheddar and mix them in lightly. Add the butter chunks and process till the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. ( All of this step can be done by hand - just rub the butter in with your fingers)
6. In a bowl, whisk the eggs, tobasco and milk till combined.
7. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and pour the liquid in. Mix together to make a stiff, rough batter 
8. Cover and set aside while you do the tomatoes
9. Place the sliced tomatoes in overlapping circles onto the paper-lined base of the dish. Start on the outside and work into the centre 
10. Spread the drained, crushed tomatoes evenly over the top of the tomato slices.
11. Sprinkle all over with the shredded basil
12. Drop big spoonfuls of the batter around the dish and with lightly floured hands spread the batter all over the tomato base. This takes a minute or so but is easy once you make a start. Work to the edges as well as the centre so you achieve fairly even coverage
13. Place the pie dish on an oven tray, just in case the pie spills over a little as you bake it
14. Bake the pie for about 35 minutes. It is done when golden brown and a skewer comes out clean
15. Remove from the oven and allow to rest and cool for about 5-10 minutes before inverting onto a large plate. (Place the plate over the dish, hold the plate and the dish tightly together and with a fast flip of the wrists bring the dish to the top. Gently lift the baking dish off so as to not disturb the tomato slices.
16. Scatter some some large basil leaves over the pie before serving

I prefer this pie served warm, almost room temperature - perfect for a summer day.

 

Buy the book here:

Belinda Jeffery’s 100 Favourite Recipes by Belinda Jeffery

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