Curry Tomato Pie w/ Tamarind Onions
Every month, I read Food & Wine Magazine and select a recipe to transform into a gourmet, low-protein treat. This month (in the peak of our tomato season), I chose this tomato pie. I am not a baker or at all skilled with pastry, so I enlisted the help of Lilly DeCamilla. The collaboration was SO FUN and the result was absolutely delicious. We modified both crust and filling to get the phe count down, but don’t fret about making two versions to please a crowd. Even with low-protein ingredients, this is a hit!
Phe Count:
245 mg phe / slice
Roughly 4.5 g of protein / 16 exchanges
Yield: 6 slices
Ingredients:
PASTRY CRUST:
6 Tbsp cold, unsalted butter
1 C (100g) Cambrooke baking mix (or favorite alternative)
1 C (248g) all-purpose flour
¼ C heavy cream
¼ C water
½ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
To reduce the amount of phe per slice:
You can remove the all-purpose flour and double the amount of Cambrooke baking mix.
The crust will have a slightly different texture and appearance but works well for lower tolerances.
The result is an adjusted phe count of 138 mg/phe per slice.
TAMARIND ONIONS:
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 large red onion, thinly sliced (3 C / 460g)
½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp crushed red pepper
2 tsp tamarind paste
PIE FILLING:
2 lbs (906g) ripe tomatoes and cherry tomatoes
½ Tbsp madras curry powder
1 tsp kosher salt
—
3.5 C (320g) chopped cauliflower, steamed
1 C (112g) So Delicious mozzarella shreds
½ C So Delicious cheddar shreds
¼ C vegetable broth
⅓ C mayonnaise
2 Tbsp heavy cream
1 Tbsp sour cream
½ C cooked red onion, finely chopped (use tamarind onions, counted above)
2 Tbsp + 2 Tbsp So Delicious coconut milk, unsweetened
1 serrano chile (seeded and finely chopped)
½ tsp crushed red pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter, melted
Directions:
STEP 1: PREPARE YOUR PIE CRUST
Place a strainer/sifter over a large bowl and add your flour and baking mix to it. Shake the sifter carefully so the flour mixture passes through it and breaks up any existing chunks. Near the end, you’ll have to use a spoon to push the flour through the sifter’s mesh, but don’t skip this step. Sifting will help seamlessly combine the two flours, and is very important to the texture of your dough.
Add your spices (turmeric, black pepper and salt) and whisk them into your sifted flour.
Cut your butter into small chunks and add them to your flour mixture. Using a pastry blender or your fingers, mix until the butter and flour mixture combine to form a crumbly base for your dough.
Note: Make sure your butter is cold or your dough will become too soft/wet.Then, add in the wet ingredients a little at a time (note: your cream and water can be combined) and mix until the dough comes together to form a nice soft ball.
Be careful not to add too much of the liquids or the dough will become wet and sticky. You may not need all that the recipe calls for above. Be intuitive with this step.Refrigerate your dough for at least 1 hour.
STEP 2: PREPARE YOUR ONIONS
Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the onions and when hot, add the salt, black pepper and red chili flakes. Cook, stirring often until your onions are soft and translucent (about 10 minutes). To finish, stir in the tamarind paste until well-combined and set aside.
STEP 3: PREPARE YOUR FILLING
Cut your medium-sized tomatoes into slices (¼ - ½“ thick) and your cherry tomatoes in half.
Line a large flat surface with 2 layers of paper towels and place the tomatoes on them. Then gently blot them to remove excess moisture.
Sprinkle one side of the tomatoes with curry powder and salt. Then, flip them over and season the other side lightly with salt as well. Let stand for at least 10 minutes.
Note: Though I have provided a specific amount of curry powder in the ingredients list above, i prefer not measuring and just sprinkling it freely over the tomatoes. You be the judge here, and know the curry is a huge contributor to the flavor of the pie.Steam your cauliflower until it’s nice and tender (if it’s too al dente it will be grainy). Add it to your blender with the mayo, sour cream, heavy cream and 2 Tbsp of the coconut milk. Blend until smooth, like soup.
Transfer to a medium-sized saucepan and heat over medium-low heat.
Chop ½ of your tamarind onions and add them to your filling mixture. Then, add the chopped serrano and mozzarella cheese shreds and stir until everything is evenly mixed. Add the remaining 2 Tbsp of coconut milk and continue to stir until the cheese shreds have completely melted.
Chop the cheddar cheese shreds so they are in little bits, rather than longer shreds and add them to the pan. Stir to combine and immediately remove your cheese mixture from the heat. You do not want the cheddar shreds to melt thoroughly until the pie is baked.
To finish preparing your filling, return to your tomatoes and blot them one more time to remove as much of the remaining moisture as possible.
STEP 4: ASSEMBLE YOUR PIE & BAKE!
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
On a floured surface, roll your refrigerated dough into a 12” circle or oval. (don’t worry about making it perfect!) Then transfer the dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Spread your cheesy filling over the dough, leaving a 2” border of exposed crust around the edge. Note: you probably won’t use all of the cheese filling.
Layer the sliced tomatoes on top of the cheese mixture (curry side down). Use the cherry tomatoes to fill in the gaps between your tomatoes.
Between each layer of tomatoes, add tamarind onions. You will stack your tomatoes in layers until all of them have been used (likely 2-3 layers, each topped with tamarind onions).
Fold your exposed border of dough toward the center and over the rim of stacked tomatoes, pleating as necessary.
Note: If you have extra cheesy mixture, you can spread a layer of it around the outer edge of the tomatoes, so when you fold the dough, it forms a “stuffed crust” of sorts. Super yummy!To finish, drizzle the tomatoes and onions with olive oil and lightly brush some butter onto the crust to help it brown.
Note: the original recipe called for an egg wash which is a lot more effective for browning if your protein tolerance allows.Bake in preheated oven until filling is bubbling and crust is starting to brown (20-25 minutes). Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.