Julia's Provencal Tomatoes

A classic vegetable dish for any occasion, provencal tomatoes is recipe number twelve honoring Julia Child. Light, simple and delicious. The perfect summer side, or try adding some crab, shrimp, or clams to the stuffing and serve as a main course.

Ingredients

3 large, ripe tomatoes

1 cup fresh bread crumbs

2 tablespoons shallots, minced

1 teaspoon herbs de provence

3 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese

2 to 3 tablespoons chopped parsley

3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil

Brush a shallow baking dish with olive oil. Cut tomatoes in half, gently squeeze each half, remove juice, and scoop out seeds. arrange halves in shallow baking dish. Stir together bread crumbs, shallots, dried herbs, grated cheese, and chopped parsley in a small bowl. Add 2 or 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, tossing well to moisten crumbs evenly. Spoon stuffing into the tomato halves. Drizzle a little olive oil on top of each half. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until the topping has browned.

Bon Appétit 

* Excerpted from Julia & Jacques Cooking at Home by Julia Child and Jacques Pépin. Copyright © 1999 by A La Carte Communications. Reprinted with permission from the publisher Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc.