Stuffed Tomatoes

 Recipe from chef patrick

Ingredients :
Stuffed tomatoes for 4 persons :
12 medium size tomatoes
300 grams (10 oz) small mushrooms
3 peeled shallots
For the stuffing :
300 grams (10 oz) minced pork meat
150 grams (5 oz) minced bacon
6 slices of sandwich load soaked into milk
3 degermed garlic cloves
Fresh herbs (parsley, chevil,…)
1 egg
3 soupspoonfulls olive oil
Table salt and freshly grounded black pepper

Direction :
The day before, in the evening, prepare the stuffing so that the flavours develop and melt :

1/ blend the blend soaked into milk (without the milk), garlic and herbs then incorporate the minced meats, egg, salt and black pepper.
2/ with your clean hands, mix the stuff until it is compact, then cover with cling film and put into the fridge.
3/ cut with a sharp knife a round cap (1 inch thick) into the top of each tomato, then, using a spoon, empty the tomatoes and keep the tomato pulp into a bowl. Salt inside the tomatoes and turn them side up down and lay them onto a plate (so that the water of the tomatoes go out), cover with cling film and keep into the fridge as well.

The d-day :

1/ pre-heat the oven (374°F)
2/ put the tomatoes (side up up) onto a clay oven dish then, using a spoon, fill them with the meat stuff you have prepared the day before, until the mixture is slightly above the top, then put each tomato cap on each tomato.
3/ remove the “feet” of the mushrooms, wash the mushrooms very quickly, then mix the mushrooms (cut in small pieces) with the pulp of the tomatoes you had extracted and the sliced shallots and use this mixture to fill the empty spaces between the tomatoes and put into the oven during 40 minutes.

Either you present one stuffed tomato in the center of an individual plate or all together into a nice large presentation dish on the table and you serve white plain rice with it.
This recipe had several advantages : one can prepare it in advance, keep a few suffed tomatoes into the freezer for quick future meals. And you can use this stuff for filling big mushrooms, potatoes, onions and even poultries.