Tomatoes à la Provençale

I absolutely love tomatoes, but even so, a tasteless under-ripe specimen is a challenge to make into a delectable meal. You can make tomatoes confits which work wonderfully in salads, sandwiches or on platters, but this recipe originating from my time at Le Cordon Bleu is fantastic and casts the tomato as the star of the show. Serve these delicate stuffed tomatoes with a selection of other mediterranean style vegetables or simply with sides or a salad. I guarantee that any non-descript tomato will emerge from the oven as a tasty delight. And even better if you had a quality ripe tomato to begin with.

Tomatoes a la Provencale (dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, sesame-free, soya-free, vegetarian and vegan)

serves 2 if each person has 2 halves each

• 2 large tomatoes
• 1 pice of bread, make into breadcrumbs
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1-2 tbsps parsley, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper

– Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Centigrade/Gas Mark 5

– In a food processor (or just in a bowl) combine the breadcrumbs, parsley, garlic, seasoning and olive oil.

– Remove the tough core where the stem attaches to the tomato (I’ve no idea what that bit is called!)

– Cut the tomatoes in half, horizontally.

– Spoon the breadcrumb mixture onto the top of the tomatoes, piling it up attractively, don’t press down too much because you want the fluffy sticking up bit to brown.

– Place in a baking tray, drizzle with a little extra olive oil.

– Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the tomatoes are cooked through and the breadcrumbs nicely browned and crispy.