Tomato Farcie
This recipe is courtesy of our dear friend Jill Anton. She was lucky enough to spend 6 months in France and get the all things culinary inside scoop.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 onion, minced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 6 large end of season tomatoes
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1/2 pound sausage meat
- 1 cup chopped mixed fresh herbs such as parsley, tarragon and chives
- Cooked rice, for serving
Heat oven to 400. Warm a medium skillet over a low flame. Add olive oil. Heat a moment or two. Add onions and garlic and cook until soft and translucent, a few minutes. Season with a healthy pinch salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Halve tomatoes horizontally and scoop out flesh from both halves. Roughly chop flesh and set in a bowl - along with any juices you can collect. Place bottoms halves of tomatoes in a shallow non-reactive baking dish - tomatoes should be snug but not too tight. Season with salt and pepper.
Combine meats in a small bowl - mixing together well with fingers or a fork. Add cooked onions and herbs and season well with more salt and pepper. Mix to combine. Divide meat into 6 portions and gently shape into a patty. Place patty into each tomato base. Cover meat with tomato tops. Season chopped tomato flesh with salt and pepper and use to fill holes between tomatoes. Drizzle whole thing with olive oil and transfer to oven. Bake until meat is cooked through and the tomatoes are very soft but still holding their shape, about 1 hour. The tomatoes will blister and the whole thing look a little wonky but promise - absolutely delicious. Serve with rice - and a glass of French wine.