Tomatoes Provençal

Preparation

1. Step 1

   Halved and baked with herbs, garlic, and crumbs. For 4 firm, ripe tomatoes, to serve 4. Halve, seed, and juice the tomatoes. Toss together 1/2 cup fresh white bread crumbs, 2 tablespoons minced shallots or scallions, 2 cloves garlic, minced, 1 to 2 Tbs olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Salt lightly, and fill tomatoes with the crumb mixture. Drizzle on olive oil and bake in the upper level of a preheated 400°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until crumbs are lightly browned and tomatoes are softened but still hold their shape.

2. Tomatoes: peeled, seeded, and juiced—fresh tomato pulp

   Step 2

   To peel tomatoes, drop them into a large pan of rapidly boiling water and time the boil for exactly 10 seconds. Cut out the core, then peel the skin down from it. To seed and juice them, halve crosswise and gently squeeze to dislodge jelly and juice, poking out remaining seeds with your fingers. They are then usually chopped or diced (concassées) into “fresh tomato pulp.”