Since our arrival in the south and with the (overly) productive tomato garden, every French person near and far has requested that I make tomate-farcis.  It seems that anything farci (stuffed) is treasured as much here as grandma’s apple pie is in the states.  So, I made up my own concoction for this filling recipe using as many goods from the garden as possible.

Mise en place of ingredients

Yield: 20 tomatoes

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped finely
1/4 cup green onion, chopped finely
2 medium eggplant, chopped finely
1/4  cup red bell pepper, chopped finely
1 1/2  tablespoons rosemary, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons tarragon, minced
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup goat cheese
1 1/2  cups bulgur, cooked
20 medium Roma tomatoes, prepared
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2  cup walnuts

Directions:

For the Filling:

In a large saute pan, heat the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the red and green onion, saute until translucent.  Add red pepper and eggplant and cook until eggplant is tender.  Add rosemary, tarragon, goat cheese and cream.  Simmer until cream has reduced and cheese has melted.  Season with salt and pepper.For the Tomatoes:
Pre-heat oven to 300F degreesWash and core each tomato.  Slice a thin layer off of the bottom of each tomato so that they stand upright and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Sprinkle with salt.In a food processor, pulse the parmesan cheese and walnuts until well ground.  Set aside.Fill each tomato with a heaping spoonful of the filling.  Sprinkle with the cheese and walnut mixture and lightly drizzle with olive oil.Place the tomatoes in the oven and bake until the tops are perfectly golden and the skin of the tomatoes begins to split and wrinkle while still maintaining their shape, 1.5-2 hours.  The longer the tomatoes bake, the sweeter and more caramelized they will become.

I did have one enthusiastic Frenchman looking over my shoulder suggesting I lower the temperature and leave them in for an additional 45 minutes; this advice was well received, leaving the tomatoes perfectly caramelized and as sweet as candy – absolutely delicious!

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Full plate of stuffed tomatoes



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