Ripe tomatoes stuffed with seasoned ground meat, shallot, garlic and parsley: in the oven, the tomatoes soften and the filling develops a golden-brown crust. Delicious with rice or crusty bread to soak up the tomato juices.
Tomates farcies are a simple French way to turn ripe tomatoes into a main dish. The tomato is both the vessel and part of the sauce: as it bakes, the flesh softens and releases juice into the bottom of the baking dish. For a substantial filling, use tomatoes that smell ripe and have good flavor, but are still firm enough to hollow out. Medium-sized tomatoes are handy: they fill evenly and stay upright.
In summer, when tomatoes are at their best, their fresh, slightly sweet flavor really comes through. You can also make this dish out of season, but choose tomatoes that are firm and don’t feel too watery. Cut only a cap from the top and carefully hollow out the tomatoes with a teaspoon; don’t pierce the sides. A little salt in the cavities draws out moisture. Leave them to drain briefly while you make the filling, so it doesn’t become soggy.
A mix of pork and beef works well for the filling: pork adds juiciness, while beef gives it a heartier flavor. Feel free to use only ground pork or ground beef if that’s more convenient. Shallot, garlic and parsley keep everything aromatic without overpowering the tomato. Breadcrumbs and egg bind the ground meat; mix just until everything comes together and don’t knead it any longer than necessary, or the filling may become dense. Thyme complements the savory flavor, but use it sparingly.
Baking the tomatoes with the filling first and putting the caps back on for the last few minutes gives the ground meat a browned top while the tomatoes soften. Arrange them close together in a baking dish so they support each other and don’t tip over. The filling must be fully cooked; if in doubt, check the temperature in the center with a kitchen thermometer. The juices from the tomatoes are meant to be spooned up, not poured away.
Serve the stuffed tomatoes with rice, boiled potatoes or bread. Rice soaks up the juices nicely; bread adds a little crust and bite. A green salad goes well on the side, but isn’t needed to make the dish complete. Cover leftovers and store them in the refrigerator, then eat them within two days. Reheat them in a baking dish until they’re piping hot in the center too; the tomatoes will soften a little more.
Preheat the oven to 190 °C (conventional heat). Lightly grease a baking dish with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
Cut a cap from each tomato and set the caps aside. Hollow out the tomatoes with a teaspoon without damaging the outer walls. Lightly salt the insides and place the tomatoes opening-side down on paper towels. Coarsely chop the scooped-out flesh.
In a bowl, mix the ground meat with the shallot, garlic, breadcrumbs, egg, parsley, thyme, salt and a few turns of black pepper. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the chopped tomato flesh.
Stand the hollowed-out tomatoes upright in the baking dish and fill them with the ground meat mixture, mounding it just above the rim. Lightly brush the caps and filling with the remaining olive oil.
Bake the tomatoes in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes, without the caps. Loosely place the caps on top and bake for another 10–15 minutes, until the filling is cooked through and golden brown and the tomatoes are soft. Serve with the juices from the baking dish.
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