Recipe(tried): Stuffed Tomatoes

Since the weather has improved a little here and we now have some sunshine (at last!) i was thinking about these delicious tomatoes that i used to make and haven't had for a while - my oven (not the hob) has been broken for a while and it's either been too expensive, i haven't been able to get the time off work for the repair man to visit or they (British Gas) said they were too busy to take non-contractual repairs on....sigh.....so, i have to satisfy myself with the fact that someone else may be able to enjoy them instead :)

They go great with a nice steak or veggie burger and potatoes, salad etc. Very fresh tasting.

Stuffed Tomatoes
Serves 4

4 Beefsteak tomatoes
4 slices of 2-day old bread
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp. thyme
2 cloves of garlic
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt

Wash and dry the tomatoes. Cut the top off of each tomato and discard. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon and discard. Scrape the inside of each tomato just a little bit to remove some of the juice and pulp, set this aside. Score the inside of each tomato with a sharp knife and sprinkle with a little salt. Turn upside down to drain in a colander and leave for an hour.

The next step, preparing the stuffing, can be done one of two ways, depending on how cruchy you like the breadcrumbs to be:

A. In a cup mix together the olive oil, thyme, garlic, reserved juice and pulp, black pepper and salt. Cut the crusts off of the bread and either cut into cubes and then chop finely to make breadcrumbs or whiz quickly in a food processor - be careful not to over process and turn the bread to dust! Mix the breadcrumbs with the olive oil mixture and leave to absorb for 20 minutes.
Now you can stuff the tomatoes
OR
B. Proceed as step A. then gently fry the breadcrumbs until just starting to colour. Stuff the tomatoes with the breadcrumbs.

Place into a lightly greased, ovenproof dish. Preheat the oven to 180 C/350 F/gas mark 4. Cook for about 10 - 15 minutes until the breadcrumbs are golden and crispy. If using the pre-fried breadcrumbs the time will be shorter and likewise is using step A then the tomatoes may need a little longer but be careful not to overcook them - you want them to retain their shape, still if this does happen it really doesn't matter - they still taste good.