Season 4 of ‘Flavor, NC’ set for UNC-TV
“Flavor, NC,” the popular local food program hosted by Lisa Prince, a marketing specialist with the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, is set to air Season 4 later this month on UNC-TV.
Check UNC-TV’s website for more information or follow Flavor, NC on Facebook to see behind-the-scenes shots and sneak-peeks of upcoming episodes.
To help viewers get excited about the start of the new season, we thought we would revisit the last episode of Season 3 and share the Tomato Pie recipe featured in the episode, especially since tomatoes are still abundant. Enjoy the recipe, and be sure to tune into “Flavor, NC” on UNC-TV.
In this episode, Prince highlights pie recipes from PieBird in Raleigh that feature locally grown ingredients purchased at the State Farmers Market and the Raleigh City Farm.
The Raleigh City Farm is a one-acre urban farm in the heart of Raleigh. Many area restaurants, including PieBird, use the farm for locally-sourced ingredients. In fact, vegetables gathered from the Raleigh City Farm are so local, they are often delivered on foot.
The State Farmers Market is open year-round and offers seasonally available produce, meats and more at its farmers building and Market Shoppes. The market also offers a wholesalers building. The NCDA&CS operates four markets located in Raleigh, Greensboro, Charlotte and Asheville.
PieBird opened its doors in March 2011 with an emphasis on all things pie. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday, serving a wide selection of savory and sweet pies made with locally grown ingredients. PieBird also offers whole pies to go.
The following recipe is for Tomato Pie, which can utilize all those great tomatoes that are fresh this time of year.
Tomato Pie
Butter Crust ingredients:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
- 1⁄4 pound chilled butter, cut into small pieces (lard can be substituted)
- 1⁄2 cup chilled shortening
Directions:
Sift flour and salt into a medium bowl. Add butter and shortening, and cut into flour with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in 4 to 5 tablespoons of ice water, until dough just holds together. Divide into two uneven balls: two-thirds for the bottom crust and one-third for the top. Pat each into a disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for 1 hour to allow the dough to rest. Roll out on a floured surface to fit a 9-inch pie pan.
Filling Ingredients:
- 6 ounces goat cheese
- 2-3 large, fresh tomatoes, sliced
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- ½ cup Gruyere cheese, grated
- Fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ cup flour
Directions:
Mix goat cheese, mayo, Gruyere, hot sauce, flour, salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl. Place one layer of red onions in unbaked pie crust. Top with one layer of sliced tomatoes and a layer of basil, pour the filling over the layers and then top with another layer of sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle with more Gruyere cheese. Remaining pie crust can be used to make lattice strips on top or decorative cutouts on the pie crust edges. (In the episode, small flower-shaped pieces were used.) Bake 20 to 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
