Don't you just love the scent of tomatoes that have absorbed plenty of sunshine! With raspberries, this is possibly my favourite thing to smell in a garden during Summer time. My grandfather used to grow a few vine tomatoes many years ago when gardening all day long was his favourite activity (with age, he has had to make the garden a little smaller hence not growing certain things anymore). They were the nicest tomatoes I have ever eaten: juicy, sweet and the aroma, oh the aroma! To me, they just smelled of sunshine. I still dream of them to this day and I think the closest I have found in terms of similar flavour and sweetness was bush tomatoes in Australia.
What I love about a good tomato is that you can eat it as you would an apple or a peach. Pick it fresh from the garden and bite into it, no need for seasoning. And then use a few for your favourite Summer recipes. In my case, it would be a tomato and mozzarella salad, ratatouille or even better: des tomates farcies (stuffed tomatoes)! Just imagine the smell of baked tomatoes with a filling of meat and fresh herbs. It is so fragrant!
What I love about a good tomato is that you can eat it as you would an apple or a peach. Pick it fresh from the garden and bite into it, no need for seasoning. And then use a few for your favourite Summer recipes. In my case, it would be a tomato and mozzarella salad, ratatouille or even better: des tomates farcies (stuffed tomatoes)! Just imagine the smell of baked tomatoes with a filling of meat and fresh herbs. It is so fragrant!
There are plenty of recipes for stuffed tomatoes around: with meat, no meat, with rice, no rice, etc. Take your pick or just make your own version. I have tried different ways over the years and my latest try was the tomates farcies winner at maison Crème de Citron so I thought I would share the recipe here (as you know dear readers, I love sharing delicious things with you!).
I found some great organic vine tomatoes in my local supermarket, with a good size and firm enough. They were lovely and fragrant, perfect for what I had in mind. While baking in the oven, the smell of the stuffed tomatoes spread throughout our apartment and made us really hungry! As soon as they were ready, I served them with rice and it was un vrai délice!
I found some great organic vine tomatoes in my local supermarket, with a good size and firm enough. They were lovely and fragrant, perfect for what I had in mind. While baking in the oven, the smell of the stuffed tomatoes spread throughout our apartment and made us really hungry! As soon as they were ready, I served them with rice and it was un vrai délice!
Stuffed Tomatoes Recipe
Ingredients (for 4 people)
8 tomatoes (choose them with a size big enough to have stuffing inside, firmness is also essential)
400g pork sausage meat*
30g Serrano ham (chopped)
2 small shallots (finely chopped)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 handful flat leaf parsley (finely chopped)
2 tablespoons tomato puree
30g breadcrumbs
1 free range egg
salt, pepper
olive oil
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Slice the top of the tomatoes and reserve the little 'hats' on a plate. Scoop the tomato pulp out (I keep it to make tomato sauce for pasta), sprinkle a little bit of salt in each tomato and place them upside down on kitchen paper or a wire rack to drain while you prepare the stuffing.
2. Put the rest of the ingredients (except for the olive oil) in a large bowl and mix together with a wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper to your liking.
3. Drizzle the bottom of a baking dish with some olive oil. Divide the stuffing between the tomatoes and place them in the dish (it is better if the tomatoes sit tightly together or else they might roll on their side). Place on the middle shelf of the oven and cook for 40 minutes. Halfway through cooking time, add the tomato hats on top.
Serve with rice et voilà!
Notes:
* For this part, I get some good quality sausages with high content of pork and squeeze the meat out. If you choose this instead of ground meat on its own, you might want to skip adding salt to the recipe since sausages are usually already seasoned.
If you would prefer a vegetarian stuffing, I used a lovely quinoa and feta cheese one in this recipe.
Bon appétit!
Ingredients (for 4 people)
8 tomatoes (choose them with a size big enough to have stuffing inside, firmness is also essential)
400g pork sausage meat*
30g Serrano ham (chopped)
2 small shallots (finely chopped)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 handful flat leaf parsley (finely chopped)
2 tablespoons tomato puree
30g breadcrumbs
1 free range egg
salt, pepper
olive oil
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Slice the top of the tomatoes and reserve the little 'hats' on a plate. Scoop the tomato pulp out (I keep it to make tomato sauce for pasta), sprinkle a little bit of salt in each tomato and place them upside down on kitchen paper or a wire rack to drain while you prepare the stuffing.
2. Put the rest of the ingredients (except for the olive oil) in a large bowl and mix together with a wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper to your liking.
3. Drizzle the bottom of a baking dish with some olive oil. Divide the stuffing between the tomatoes and place them in the dish (it is better if the tomatoes sit tightly together or else they might roll on their side). Place on the middle shelf of the oven and cook for 40 minutes. Halfway through cooking time, add the tomato hats on top.
Serve with rice et voilà!
Notes:
* For this part, I get some good quality sausages with high content of pork and squeeze the meat out. If you choose this instead of ground meat on its own, you might want to skip adding salt to the recipe since sausages are usually already seasoned.
If you would prefer a vegetarian stuffing, I used a lovely quinoa and feta cheese one in this recipe.
Bon appétit!
