Resolution

Tomate farçie à l'ancienne ...

Don't you just adore this whopper ? It's such a burly piece of pear.

My dessert for this evening.

I started to swim again ; I'm in need of some effort to relax afterwards. Sport makes the brain more alert - and it's a good way to loose some of that extra energy you can't get away with.

Also try to cut back on crappy food. More healthier snacks and meals.

Like the one I had this evening ; tomates farçies or stuffed tomatos. Sounds more posh in French doesn't it ? For the ones who give a damn, here's the recipe (and I want you to use your best Julia Child's air whilst cooking it !)

Ingredients

6 firm fleshy ripe tomatoes (2 1/2-3 inches in diameter)

1/4 cup olive oil

25 g extra lean ground beef (optional)

1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs

2 tb minced fresh basil leaves

2 tb minced fresh parsley leaves

3 tb minced shallots (scallions if available)

2 cloves minced garlic

salt

Freshly ground pepper

Pinch of dried thyme

Step1
Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC).

Step2
Core the tomatoes by creating a wider circle around the stem and steadily cut the top center off with a sharp paring knife. Set aside the top center to cover the cored tomato like a lid. Then gently scoop out all of the tomato pulp using a small spoon. Cored tomatoes would now look like vessels. Then sprinkle each vessel with salt and pepper.

Step3
Combine the rest of the ingredients in a bowl, mix it with fork until well blended. Then stuff the mixture into the vessels. Put back the tomato lid to cover stuffed vessels. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Place them, cut side up, on a baking dish in which they fit comfortably.

Step4
Bake until the stuffed tomatoes are soft and filling turn golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.

Step5
Serve hot or at room temperature.

This recipe makes 3-6 servings.