Green Tomato Pie (Alabama)

It is no secret that Southerners love green tomatoes. They fry them, pickle them, stew them, bake them in pies, and even write books about them.

Filling:
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
⅓cup all-purpose flour, unbleached
2 Tbsp. lemon juice, freshly squeezed
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. sea salt
3 medium green tomatoes, cored and cut into thin wedges (~ 1¾ lbs)

Double Crust Pie (9”):
2¼ cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
¾ tsp. sea salt
¾ cup shortening
4-6 Tbsp. milk

For the Pastry:
Combine flour, sea salt; cut in shortening until crumbly. Gradually add milk a Tbsp. at a time, tossing with a fork until dough holds together when pressed. Divide dough in half. Shape each into a disk; wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C/200°C fan, Gas Mark 7).

For the Filling:
In a large bowl, mix the first six ingredients until blended. Add tomatoes; toss gently to combine.

On a lightly floured surface, roll one half of pastry dough to a ⅛” thick circle; transfer to a 9” pie plate. Trim pastry even with rim. Add filling.

Roll remaining dough to a ⅛” thick circle. Place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edge. Cut slits in top.

Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven setting to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4).

Bake 35-45 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly.

Cool on a wire rack. Serve warm.