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I love these for breakfast with good quality crispy bacon and creamy scrambled eggs. They make good partners to grilled or roast meats. Thankfully it is now much easier to find tomatoes that have been specially grown for flavour (what were they grown for before? It makes you wonder. . .). Choose well-ripened specimens or try leaving them in the kitchen window for a couple of days — that normally does the trick.
Ingredients
450 g (1 lb) large tomatoes (ripe but firm)
1 shallot, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 canned anchovies, finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
½ tsp dried chilli flakes
50 g (2 oz) fresh white breadcrumbs
Salt and freshly-ground pepper
Extra virgin oil and balsamic vinegar to garnish
Cut the tomatoes in half horizontally and carefully remove the seeds. Sprinkle the cut sides with salt and place cut-side down on kitchen paper to draw out some of the liquid. Leave to stand for 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200C, 400F or gas mark 6 (fan oven 180C from cold). Place the shallot in a food processor with the garlic, thyme, oil and anchovies and blend to a smooth paste. Transfer to a bowl and fold in the parsley, chilli flakes and breadcrumbs until well combined. Season to taste.
Spoon the bread mixture into the tomato cavities and bake for about 15 minutes until bubbling and golden. Transfer to a dish and serve hot or at room temperature drizzled with extra virgin oil and balsamic vinegar.
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