The September tomatoes…the ripe red ones that hang on vines starting to droop, vines heavy with green tomatoes that will never see red…these ripe homegrowns are the sweetest of the season I think. They are summer’s last gift before it is all a memory.
What to do with the last few tomatoes just picked? A BLT…a jar of tomato sauce…a pie? Yes. I love to make pies. A deep savory pie it will be.
A crust using fresh lemon thyme from my garden along with some freshly ground black peppercorns is where I will start.
I am a fan of the springform pan for tarts & pies as well as for cake. A straight sided savory pie is just so beautiful.
Thick sliced homegrown tomatoes salted and draining on paper towels before adding to the pie helps pull out some of the water before using. I do not want this pie to be too watery.
The spinach & ricotta filling is creamy enough to hold up the next layers.
Filling topped with thick sliced toms and crispy, thick sliced bacon torn into pieces.
Creamy spinach filling, salty-sweet September tomatoes & crispy bacon. Let’s eat! 
September Tomatoes, Bacon & Spinach Pie
Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cups unbleached flour with a pinch of salt added
- 1 stick cold butter cut into small pieces
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tsp freshly ground black peppercorns
- a few tablespoons cold water
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 3 med homegrown tomatoes sliced thickly/or 1 large tomato & some cherry toms
- 1 cup whole fat ricotta
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup fresh spinach steamed, drained & chopped
- 4 slices thick bacon, cooked crispy & broken into pieces
- sea salt & freshly ground black peppercorns
Directions:
- For crust put the flour, pinch of salt, thyme leaves & pepper in a food processor & pulse a few times. Add cold butter pieces, pulse a few more times until incorporated.
- With machine running drizzle in ice-cold water until a dough ball forms. Flatten dough into a disk, wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes before rolling out.
- In the meantime, place thickly sliced tomatoes on paper towels & sprinkle with some sea or kosher salt. Let sit for 20 minutes. This will pull some of the moisture out of the tomatoes. Right before adding to the pie pat dry again with dry paper towels.
- Preheat oven to 350. Roll chilled dough out on a floured board into a circle large enough to fit into & half-way up the sides of a 9″ springform pan.
- Spray pan bottom & sides with cooking spray. Fit dough into the pan bottom & half way up sides. Crimp and fold to make an even top edge. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl whisk together the ricotta and eggs, 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper, until fluffy. Stir in drained & chopped spinach. Mix well.
- Sprinkle the crumbled feta over the bottom of the dough. Top with the ricotta-spinach mixture. Add tomato slices. Scatter the crispy bacon pieces over all.
- Bake for 35-45 minutes or until puffy & golden brown and center is set. Cover with a sheet of foil if the top starts getting too brown. Let rest for 20 min. before cutting.
