Tomates Farcies (Stuffed Tomatoes)

The end of summer promises a beautiful bounty of the most divine tomatoes. I piece and puzzle them into tomato tarts. I turn them into tomato sauce. I slice them thickly for tomato toast. I get giddy thinking of all the ways to enjoy them. And one of my favorite ways is preparing a big batch of tomates farcies (or French stuffed tomatoes). Each ripe tomato is filled with fresh thyme and parsley, pork sausage, and breadcrumbs. This bakes in a little bath of seasoned olive oil and thyme, which makes the most incredible dipping sauce for warm crusty bread. You can serve this as a main dish, or have it as a side, and it’s even something you can prep ahead of time and bake the next day.

SERVINGS: 6 main dish servings / 12 side dish servings

INGREDIENTS:

• 12 to 14 tomatoes on the vine
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/3 cup breadcrumbs
• 2 shallots, finely diced
• 2 garlic clove, grated
• 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1/2 lbs ground pork sausage
• 2 sprigs thyme
• Olive oil
• Extra breadcrumbs and parsley, for sprinkling

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut the tops off the tomatoes and place on a paper towel-lined plate. Use a paring knife to cut around the inside of the tomato and scoop out the pulp. Drain upside down on the plate. (Add the tomato pulp to your next batch of pasta sauce.)

Beat the egg in a large bowl. Then stir in the cream and the breadcrumbs. Let soak for at least 5 minutes. Stir in the shallot, garlic, parsley, thyme, Dijon, salt, and pepper. Add the ground sausage and mix to thoroughly combine.

If using a 9×13 inch baking dish, add 4 tablespoons of olive oil to the dish. If using two smaller baking dishes, use 2 tablespoons for each. Add the thyme sprigs to the oil and season with salt and pepper. (This turns into a lovely dipping sauce for crusty bread.)

Stuff the tomatoes with the filling and arrange in the baking dish so they fit snuggly and are all standing up. Top each tomato with a little more breadcrumbs and drizzle with a bit of olive oil.

Bake for 20 minutes. Top each tomato with the reserved tomato caps. Continue to bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the filling is cooked and the tomatoes are soft. Garnish with more parsley before serving.

NOTES:

You can use plain or Italian-style breadcrumbs.