Provencal Tomatoes Recipe

With the last of the Summer tomato harvest upon us, I wanted to do something very special.  I have all of Ina Garten’s cook books {yes, I am a huge fan}, so I went to them for inspiration and a delicious recipe that would show off the brilliant red tomatoes from our local CSA farm. 

This tomato recipe has it all; fresh herbs, garlic, bread crumbs and cheese.  Everything is so much more amazing when there is Gruyere cheese involved!  The bread crumb stuffing absorbs the amazing tomato juice that is drawn out through the cooking process, plus the melted cheese on top is the icing on the cake...or tomato. You won’t be disappointed with this delicious side dish.   

Recipe By Ina Gartin

Serves 6-8

6 ripe tomatoes (2 1/2 to 3-inches in diameter)

1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs

1/4 cup minced scallions, white and green parts (2 scallions)

1/4 cup minced fresh basil leaves

2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)

1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Salt and black pepper

1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese

Good olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400^oF.

Cut the cores from the tomatoes, removing as little as possible. Cut them in half crosswise and, with your fingers, remove the seeds and juice. Place the tomato halves in a baking dish.

In a bowl, combine the bread crumbs, scallions, basil, parsley, garlic, thyme, and 1 teaspoon salt. Sprinkle the tomato halves generously with salt and pepper. With your hands, fill the cavities and cover the tops of the tomatoes with the bread crumb mixture.

Bake the tomatoes for 15 minutes, or until they're tender. Sprinkle with the cheese, drizzle with olive oil, and bake for 30 seconds more.

Enjoy!

Tips:

1)      Ina Garten’s original recipe suggests using fresh bread crumbs from 5 slices of white bread.  I just had panko on hand, so substituted the panko into the recipe. 

2)      If you don’t have or can’t find Gruyere cheese, substitute with Asiago, mozzarella or your favorite cheese.

3)      I used large tomatoes, but if you just have cherry or grape tomatoes, I think those would work fine too.  Just cut them in half and place them on the bottom of the casserole dish, then sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over top and sprinkle cheese. 

Provencal Tomatoes Recipe