This is my adaptation of a recipe by Michele Evans, taken from the New York Times Magazine. Everyone will ask you for this recipe. It looks and tastes like a gourmet wonder but is surprisingly easy. And besides being good for your ego, it is good for your body. A slice of this tart and a green salad make a fine lunch or light dinner.

PASTRY:

1 3/4 c. unbleached flour plus extra flour for rolling out the pastry (I usually use whole wheat flour or half whole wheat and half unbleached)
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
1 tbsp. sugar (optional)
12 tbsp. cold butter, cut into bits (butter works also, but changes the flavor and flakiness of the crust slightly)
4 tbsp. ice water

FILLING:

1/3 c. dijon mustard
1 lb. Mozzarella (skim milk cheese is fine) - it's also good to use 3/4 lb.
Mozzarella and 1/4 lb. Parmesan or Romano, thinly sliced or grated
10 med. sized, ripe but firm tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
4 tbsp. olive oil

Prepare the pastry by combining the flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor. Add the butter and combine until coarse crumb consistency. With the machine running, add ice water tablespoon by tablespoon and keep the machine going until the dough rolls off the sides of the container into a ball.

Cover the pastry and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Use this time to slice the tomatoes and cheese.

Roll out the dough with a little flour into a circle large enough to fit into a 10 inch tart pan or a pie pan. The dough will be about 1/8 inch thick.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Evenly brush the mustard over the bottom of the pastry shell.

Cover the mustard with all the cheese, distributing it evenly.

Beginning at the outer edge of the crust, make a spiral of overlapping tomato slices, working your way around and around to the center.

In a bowl, mix the garlic and spice into the olive oil. Drizzle this mixture over the tomatoes.

Bake for about 40 minutes

Yield: Six servings.

Note: The pie can be made with zucchini, eggplant, or a mixture of these vegetables. Bake 50 minutes if you use zucchini.