How to Make Provençale Stuffed Tomatoes
Entry-Level Intro to the Joys of Cooking in the Style of Provence
Sep 14, 2009
This easy recipe displays the simplicity of much of French cookery, especially that of Provence. But first, a bit, a very small bit of history.
Provence, a Slightly Abbreviated History of the Region’s Last 36,000 Years
Provence, perched on the Mediterranean coast of southern France, has been inhabited since pre-historic times. In fact, the famous Paleolithic cave paintings in Lascaux are not far, in the Dordogne. Other cave paintings, closer to Marseille, thought to predate Lascaux by another 20,000 years confirm that similar groups populated present day Provence.
What today passes for civilization came to the region from the Ligurians (from the northwest coast of present day Italy) and later the Celts. Around 600 BCE, the Greeks and Phoenecians created a trading port at Marseille. Their art, customs and cuisine infiltrated the region. Some accounts attribute the introduction of wine-making to France from the Greeks.
Avignon, about 100 kilometers (64 miles) northwest of Marseille, burst on the world stage in the 14th century AD when Pope Clement, facing siege by the Sicilians, fled Rome and moved the Holy See to Avignon. Seven popes ruled from Avignon until the Vatican could be safely re-occupied in 1377. Nevertheless, the Roman Catholic Church retained ownership of Avignon until the French Revolution, in 1791, wrested the city back to French dominion.
Provençale Stuffed Tomatoes
This, like most Provençale recipes, is a simple blend of a few indigenous flavors. It is especially nice with lamb, but complements most any main course. This recipe is great when company is coming because it can be assembled well in advance and just popped in the oven just before you’re ready to serve.
Ingredients:
- Firm, ripe tomatoes halved
- Fleur de sel (sea salt)
- 2½ Tbsp (per tomato half) fresh French bread crumbs, not dried
- 1 tsp minced shallot or scallions (spring onions)
- 1 tsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
- Fleur de sel and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- A drizzle of good quality extra virgin olive oil
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 400° F.
- Gently squeeze the juice out of the tomato halves. Scoop out the seeds with your little finger or the tip of a spoon.
- Salt the cleaned tomatoes and turn them upside down to drain on a wire rack for about ten minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix the bread crumbs, shallot, parsley and seasoning in a bowl.
- Oil a baking sheet. Invert each tomato half and mound it with the stuffing mix. Place on the baking sheet. (The recipe can be prepared to this point, and refrigerated until just before serving.)
- Bake in the upper third of the oven until the bread crumbs are lightly brown, but the tomatoes still hold their shape.
These may be served either hot or cold.
Variations:
Depending on what else you are serving, fresh basil, dill or fresh coriander (cilantro) could be substituted for the parsley. Grated Parmigiano Reggiano could be added to the stuffing mix.
Go here for more great Provençale and other Southern French recipes:
- French Onion Soup
- Provencal Beef and Tomato Pie
- Swordfish Provencal
- Seared Scallops in a Pernod-Tarragon Cream Sauce
- Olive Tapenade
- Fresh Basil Aioli
- Tarragon Poached Salmon Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
- Rustic Chicken Liver Pate with Pistachios
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