This Tomate Provencale (Provencal tomatoes) recipe is easy to prepare and sure to please. The dish comes from Provence in the south of France. Tomatoes Provencale are great as a side dish for meat or fish or as an appetizer. Simple and delicious, this slow cooked tomato dish elevates the tomato to a new level.
Ingredients:
3 tomatoes
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
6 parsley sprigs for garnish
olive oil
For parsley oil:
3 parsley bunches
1 cup of canola or other neutral vegetable oil
1 garlic clove
Preparation:
1.) The parsley oil: Wash and dry the 3 bunches of parsley. Cut off the bottom 80% of the stems from the bunches. The stems have flavor so it is good to keep some, but keeping too much will result in a very fibrous parsley oil. Put the parsley bunches into a blender along with the canola oil and garlic clove. Blend until smooth and season well with salt. Place aside.
2.) The tomato provencal stuffing: Combine panko breadcrumbs and parsley oil in a food processor and process until thoroughly mixed. If you don’t want to use a food processor, you can combine these ingredients in a mixing bowl using a spoon or a spatula. Place your tomate provencal stuffing aside.
3.) Preparing the tomates provencales: Core the tomatoes, but do not cut out too deep. Cut the tomatoes in half horizontally such that one half is the top with the missing core and the other half is the bottom of the tomato. Place the six tomato halves so that their flesh is facing up. Season tomatoes generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper and drizzle generously with olive oil. Divide the stuffing evenly among the six tomato halves and pack it into a circular shape on top of the tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil one more time.
3.) Cooking the tomatos provençal: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place tomates provencales on a baking sheet and put into oven. Bake for 25 minutes until tomatoes are soft and stuffing begins to brown. Turn up temperature to 475 degrees and cook until stuffing turns a nice deep brown. This should take an additional 5-15 minutes, but it depends on the oven so keep an eye on the tomatoes provencales at this last cooking stage.
After stuffing has browned, remove from oven. Serve hot as a side dish, an appetizer, or a healthy snack. Garnish each tomate provencal with a sprig of parsley. Enjoy!
