Comforting tomato pie

Family Start Manukau's HR manager, Mary Chapman, shares her dad's recipe for this filling tomato pie that helped heal her homesickness

“This tomato pie is a family recipe that has changed and developed over time. My family emigrated from Ireland in 1848, and we used to have market gardens in Panmure. They grew tomatoes and there were always plenty of tomatoes around, even when I was a child! Dad used to make this recipe, his own take on the original, when I was growing up.

Back in 1984 when I was living in the UK and I was homesick, I craved this pie. I phoned Dad – which was a big deal thirty-odd years ago, very expensive, and wrote down the recipe exactly how he said it. Now whenever I make it, it reminds me of him.

Ingredients

Half a loaf of bread made into breadcrumbs

6- 8 tomatoes cut into chunks

2 small onions, chopped

1 slice of bacon cut into small pieces

1 small piece of garlic, chopped (optional)

Butter

½ cup of water

Method

Heat oven to 180 degrees

Place butter and water into a casserole dish, and then place a row of cut up tomatoes on top

Cover with breadcrumbs

Add a row of onion, then another layer of breadcrumbs

Add a row of tomato, then another layer of breadcrumbs

Add a row of bacon and garlic, then more breadcrumbs

Finish with a row of tomato, a final sprinkle of breadcrumbs and another knob of butter

Cook in oven until breadcrumbs on top are brown (about 20 minutes)

Can also be served cold