My mom makes these delicious baked tomatoes as an entrée in a vegetable-plate dinner or as a side dish for grilled meat. Make a double batch of the seasoned crumbs, if you’d like; they freeze very well and can be used with equally good results on many summer vegetables.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4 as a side dish

　　4 tablespoons olive oil

　　12 very ripe plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise and seeded

　　Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　3/4 cup fine, very lightly toasted bread crumbs (recipe follows)

　　Cup finely grated Parmesan or other hard, flavorful aged cheese such as Vella Dry Jack

　　Cup finely chopped fresh herbs such as parsley, tarragon, basil, chives, and/or mint

　　1 small garlic clove, mashed to a paste

　　1 small shallot, finely chopped

　　

Fine Lightly Toasted Bread Crumbs

1 small loaf of country bread

　　(makes about 2 cups)

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

　　

Step 2

Coat a shallow baking dish with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Arrange the halved tomatoes, cut side up, snugly in the dish and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and some pepper.

　　

Step 3

In a small bowl, drizzle the bread crumbs with 2 tablespoons of the oil and combine with the Parmesan, herbs, garlic, shallot, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Top each tomato half with about a tablespoon of the bread crumb mixture. Drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon oil over the tomatoes, and bake for 45 to 60 minutes, until they are tender and slightly shrunken and the bread crumbs are golden brown. The riper the tomatoes, the shorter the cooking time will be.

　　

Fine Lightly Toasted Bread Crumbs

Step 4

Preheat the oven to 300°F.

　　

Step 5

Remove the crust and cut the bread into roughly 1-inch cubes. Spread them out on a baking sheet and bake, tossing them once or twice, until they are crispy and dry but without much color, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool completely. Then grind, in batches, in a spice mill until fine. Keeps frozen for several months.

　　Cooking in the Moment