Authentic Utica Tomato Pie....

Went to the In-Laws in Utica yesterday for an early Easter.

Today we ate the ham, and corn, peas, mashed taters, asparagus, rolls, and on and on....

But last night, Pop made us Tomato Pie, Utica Tomato Pie.

The Real Deal.

Tomato Pie and Utica are synonymous. It's a regional favorite in Central New York.

Pop grew up in Utica, so he knows a little about local specialties, like Utica Greens, pierogies, galumpkies, and of course, tomato pie.

When we arrived he had the dough on a second rise on the pan, under Saran Wrap. 

He'd started it in the mixer, let it rise, then punched it down, then spread it on the pan. 

Then he covered it with the wrap, I'd guess for an hour or more.

I've never let my dough rise on the pan like this, so I was interested to see how it would turn out.

He pre-baked the crust @375 degrees for about 10 minutes. 
You can see how much it rose in the pan and with  some spring from the oven.

Next, he put his homemade sauce on.

And to top it off, grated parmesan.

Then back into the oven for a few minutes.

The result was the best tomato pie I've ever had.
Pop's sauce was outstanding, sweet, but not too sweet, with a hint of garlic and onion.
The crust was light and airy.

He made two sheets, which was fortunate for me, because, there was enough left over for breakfast!

If  you're ever in Central New York and you have the opportunity, you've got to try the Tomato Pie!

Eat well my friends!