Stuffed Tomatoes
This is a quick, easy, and fun way to use fresh tomatoes. I could eat the combination of tomato, mozzarella, and basil forever, but simply chopped in a tomato/basil/mozzarella salad gets boring, and uses far more than an actual serving of cheese, which is ONE OUNCE. Don’t be tempted to use lower-quality ingredients such as Kraft parmesan cheese in this recipe. The key is fresh ingredients.
2 whole ripe tomatoes cut in half horizontally
3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
6 fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan Reggiano cheese
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2 slices stale whole grain bread, toasted
1 tbsp olive oil
4 oz fresh mozzarella cheese
8 sheets tinfoil, cut slightly larger than tomato halves
Hold tomato half in the palm of your hand over the sink or a bowl. Squeeze gently, to remove the seeds and slimy “guts”. Use a grapefruit spoon to GENTLY remove the meat of the tomato. Chop coarsely. Use a coffee grinder or food processor to grind the bread into breadcrumbs. Combine breadcrumbs, garlic, chopped tomato, parmesan cheese, pepper and olive oil. Stir well to combine. Chop the basil by rolling the leaves into a tight chiffanade and cutting into thin strips, then cutting the strips crosswise. Add to tomato mixture. Stuff the tomato halves with the mixture. Add one ounce of mozzarella to each tomato half. Using two sheets of tinfoil for each tomato half, make pouches with a small vent at the top.
Cook on the grill or in the oven. On the grill, place the packets over low heat for only a few minutes; you’re not really cooking these, merely heating them and melting the cheeses. Overcook them, and you’ll have tomato sauce. In the oven, 350 for no more than 10 minutes.
