Summertime means cobblers of all kinds. Here is a different recipe for tomato cobbler. The biscuits have Cardamom and Coconut, with cherry tomatoes
Tomato Cobbler is a very southern dish! Or so I am told.
My very first taste of Tomato Cobbler was during my first visit to Atlanta over a decade ago. Back then, Atlanta was still Zombie-free!!
My then-boyfriend’s parents lived in the suburbs outside of Atlanta. They were completely dyed-in-wool type of Southern people with a terrific love of all things fried!
If you have ever seen the movie, “Midnight in the garden of Good and Evil”, you will have a pretty good idea of what kind of people his parents were. The town had a very eclectic feel. There was also a throwback-to-a-completely-bygone-era feel to this town. Doctors still made house calls and gentlemen took off their hats in the presence of women!
When they spoke, their southern drawl was longer than a summer’s day! It was the most captivating sound I had ever heard. On several occasions, I found myself asking them politely to repeat their question. I was so mesmerized by their speech that I had missed everything they were saying.
On the flip side, they found me equally fascinating. His mother would just sit there and stare at me with a look of pure curiosity in her eyes. To her, I was like a creature from Mars! She had never experienced anyone from another culture and had NEVER met an Indian person in her lifetime.
Then she met me….
It didn’t take long for the both of us to get close and share our love for cooking. Being Southern born and bred, cooking was ingrained into every core of her being. That woman could cook a meal for 20 hungry football players without breaking a sweat. To top it all, she LOVED cooking those huge meals.
On the other hand, I presented quite a challenge for her because I don’t eat eggs, meat or fish! She couldn’t fathom the concept of not having a meal without chicken or beef! To her credit, however, she quickly came up with a whole bunch of recipes just for me.
Her ability to make dishes that was completely outside of her comfort zone was what made her the greatest chef I have ever known!
It didn’t take long for us to get close and we kept in touch as much as we could over the next few years. She even told me that I can call her “Mamma”. I felt honored to be welcomed into her life.
Sadly, I found out that she passed away last week and it has broken my heart!!
So, in honor of “Mamma”, I present to you the very first meal that she made for me.
Tomato Cobbler or “Biscuits with tomatoes” as she called it.
In my recipe, I added coconut and cardamom to the biscuit.
Tomato Cobbler is not hard to make, but, it is easy to mess the recipe up. If you don’t get the biscuits just right, you can end up with a soggy mess!
In her biscuits recipe, she had used buttermilk to make them nice and soft. They turned out so fluffy and delicious that I asked her to make some biscuits just for me to take home. In my recipe, I ended up using heavy cream in place of the buttermilk.
I think this easy cobbler recipe turned out great, but, I can still taste Mamma’s biscuits. Maybe someday I will get her recipe just right!
If you ask me, I think Mamma is probably cooking a huge meal in heaven right now and calling all the heavenly residents to come enjoy the feast!
Try more of my tomato recipes like this healing tomato soup, tomato pickles or tomato relish
So, what are some of your favorite southern dishes?
Quick and easy southern vegetarian recipes – Southern Living
How to Make A Quick and Easy Tomato Cobbler
Tomato Cobbler
Ingredients
For the Biscuits
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup heavy cream for the dough
- 1/4 cup heavy cream for basting
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
- 2 tsp cardamom seeds finely ground
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 stick unsalted butter make sure its cold
For the tomato filling
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 red onion julienne
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tsp ginger grated
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
- Heat a medium pan on medium heat and add cumin seeds
- Wait for about 1 minute or until the cumin seeds are a darker shade of brown
- Add the onions, salt, ginger and garlic to the pan.
- Allow the onions to caramelize. Should take about 5 minutes
- Remove from heat
For the Biscuits
- Mix the salt, flour, half of sweet coconut, cardamom and baking powder by hand
- Cut the butter into small pieces and work it into the dough gently
- Introduce the heavy cream slowly into the flour mixture until you have a rough dough
- Knead roughly
- In a baking pan or pie pan, use a spoon to scoop small balls from the dough.
- Keep the balls on the edge of the pan and leave some space between each of the balls
- In the middle of the pan, add the onions mixture and the cherry tomatoes on top of it.
- Also add the tomato and onions between the biscuits
- Place the pan in the oven and allow the tomato cobbler to cook for about 20 minutes.
- Pull out the tomato cobbler after about 15-20 minutes and brush the top of the biscuits with the heavy cream
- When the biscuits are almost brown (about 25 minutes), remove and brush with the heavy cream one more time
- Sprinkle the remaining sweet coconut on the biscuits and place in the oven
- Bake for 5 more minutes and then remove from the oven.
- Allow the tomato cobbler to cool slightly and then serve with your favorite meal
Ann Engel says
I am wondering if you used the heavier Greek yogurt it would give you the flavor of the buttermilk with the richness of the heavy cream? I miss biscuits since having to go gluten free and if I could find a decent recipe I would be in heaven. Unfortunately it would have to be gluten,soy and dairy free to keep me on my journey of being vegetarian and dealing with the food allergies. Thank you for the recipe, I love reading about them and the history behind the making of them!
Healing Tomato says
Thank you Ann. I have experimented with Greek yogurt but it wasn’t the same. It did come out good enough to eat. I am sorry to hear about your food allergies. I have met many food bloggers in the past year that have great recipes. I will be sure to find you a great biscuit recipe that is free of those ingredients
The Hungry Mum says
I’m vegie & always on the lookout for non-tofu meals that the fam will eat. I reckon misses 6 & 8 would love this, thanks for posting.
Healing Tomato says
Thank you. I really appreciate your compliments. It is hard to get kids to like Tofu, so, dishes like these will pique their interest.
Simi Jois says
Can’t wait for my tomatoes to ripen, this looks so colorful.
Healing Tomato says
Thank you, Simi! I would love for you to share your photos of the recipe!
CakePants says
This sounds delightful! I’ve never tried a savory cobbler before, but I’m quite intrigued by the thought of it – I’ll have to give this a try! Thanks for sharing the recipe 🙂
Healing Tomato says
Thank you!! I appreciate it very much! Send me pics of your recipe.
Pure Grace Farms says
This recipe looks beyond amazing. I will surely be making this when my tomatoes ripen up. I would be honored if you would stop by Pure Grace Farms and link this gorgeous recipe at the Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop this evening. This will be my first week at co-hosting and I am beyond excited! Blessings…Shari
Healing Tomato says
Thank you so much!! I am heading there now. Congrats on the hosting duty!
Anne says
I’ve never seen this recipe before, I’m pinning for when my garden tomatoes start coming in. Looks beautiful! Thanks.
Healing Tomato says
Thank you, Anne!! I can’t wait for your garden to grow the tomatoes. Send me pics!!
[email protected] says
Sorry to hear Mamma passed away but what a fond memory to treasure. The photos are gorgeous of this recipe, so much so it made me want to try it despite the fact that I don’t like cooked tomatoes. Going on my to-do list for all those cherry tomatoes growing in my garden right now. pinned/stumbled.
Healing Tomato says
Thank you, Ronda for your kind words! I am glad you liked the recipe. This recipe will make you love tomatoes!!
Laurie says
Rini, you have outdone yourself! This is absolutely homecooking at it’s finest. I’ve never had Tomato Cobbler, but My Dad is from West Virginia and he would love this! I’ll be making it for him this August for sure! Thanks so much for telling us about “Mamma”. A beautiful spirit for sure.
Healing Tomato says
Thank you, Laurie! You always say the perfect things. Mamma was definitely the best human spirit I have known. I am sure your Dad will love this recipe
Aimee says
Thank so much Rini 🙂 That Campanelle is one of my favorite recipes. I am going to try the tomato cobbler. This sounds SO good!
Healing Tomato says
Thank you! I am sure you will like it. 🙂