Summer Dining

Tonight, Josh grilled chicken marinated in Italian dressing and asparagus drizzled in olive oil and sprinkled with salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese. It was delicious, and so were the stuffed tomatoes I made, thanks to the Barefoot Contessa’s recipe for Provencal Tomatoes out of the Barefoot Contessa Family Style cookbook. They were so full of flavor, I had to post the recipe. If you’re looking for something new or have tomato plants and are over run with tomatoes, you have to try this dish.

Provencal Tomatoes – serves 8 (I halved the recipe)

6 large ripe tomatoes

1 1/2  C. fresh bread crumbs (5 slices, crusts removed)

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

1/4 C. minced fresh basil leaves

2 Tb. minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 Tsp. minced garlic (2 cloves)

1/2 tsp. minced fresh thyme leaves

Kosher salt

Black pepper

1/2 grated Gruyere cheese (I had Swiss on hand)

Good olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

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 tsp. 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. Serve hot or at room temperature.

(Note: Two small changes I made to this recipe was that I didn’t use fresh bread crumbs. I’m sure that would be better, but I just used the out of the can kind. I also mixed the cheese in with the filling instead of just putting it on top.)

Happy eating.