TOMATO DOG RECIPES

Steps:

• 1. Peel and finely slice the garlic. Pick the basil leaves and tear into pieces.
  2. Place a large non-stick frying pan on the heat and pour in 4 generous lugs of olive oil. Add the garlic, shake the pan around a bit and, once the garlic begins to colour lightly, add the basil and the tomatoes. Using the back of a wooden spoon, mush and squash the tomatoes as much as you can.
  3. Season the sauce with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. As soon as it comes to the boil, remove the pan from the heat.
  4. Strain the sauce through a coarse sieve into a bowl, using your wooden spoon to push any larger bits of tomato through. Discard the basil and garlic that will be left in the sieve, but make sure you scrape any of the tomatoey goodness off the back of the sieve into the bowl.
  5. Pour the sauce back into the pan, bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 5 minutes to concentrate the flavours. It will be ready when it’s the perfect consistency for spreading on your pizza.
  6. Store the sauce in a clean jar in the fridge – it’ll keep for a week or so.

Steps:

• Roll 1 ball of pie dough into a 13-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Transfer the crust to a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan. Trim the edges so the crust hangs over the pie pan by 1/2-inch. Tuck the edges of the crust under to be even with edge of the pie pan and press all around with the tines of a fork. Place the crust in the refrigerator for 1 hour (or in the freezer for 30 minutes).
• Meanwhile, slice the tomatoes crosswise into ¼-inch thick slices. Using your fingers, push out as many of the watery tomato seeds as you can. Lay the slices flat on a paper towel-lined sheet tray and sprinkle all over with the kosher salt. Let drain for 30 minutes, then pat very dry.
• While the tomatoes are draining, in a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, egg, egg yolk and hot sauce (if using). Stir in the cheddar cheese, blue cheese, scallions, parsley, dill and black pepper.
• Preheat the oven to 425˚. Sprinkle the cornmeal over the bottom of the crust. Pat the tomato slices dry, once again, then place 1/3 of the tomatoes in the bottom of the pie crust, overlapping them slightly to fit. Top with ½ of the mayonnaise mixture. Repeat with another layer of tomatoes and another layer of mayo mixture. Place the remaining tomatoes on top, pressing the last layer gently into the mayo mixture. Bake for 20 minutes. 
• Remove the pie from the oven and wrap just the edges of the crust with foil. Reduce the oven temperature to 375˚ and bake until the mayo mixture is puffed and golden brown and the center is no longer wobbly, 30 minutes more. Let cool for 1½ hours.
• Top with additional herbs, if desired, then slice and serve.