Tomatoes and Italian cooking go hand-in-hand. That’s why we’re excited to share this beautiful but simple ‘Pomodori imbottiti al forno’ (baked stuffed tomatoes) by Australia’s favourite Italian home cook, Silvia Colloca. It’s part of her latest book, The Italian Home Cook, published by Plum.
What you need
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6 large vine-ripened tomatoes, cut in half crossways
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100g (1 cup) dried breadcrumbs
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2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
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2 large handfuls of basil leaves, thinly sliced, plus extra leaves to serve
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50g (½ cup) freshly grated parmigiano
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25g (¼ cup) freshly grated pecorino
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2 garlic cloves, crushed
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125ml (½cup) extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling salt flakes and freshly ground white or black pepper
What to do
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Preheat your oven to 200°C. Line a 40cm x 30cm baking dish with baking paper.
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Scoop the pulp from the tomato halves into a bowl. Add the breadcrumbs, herbs, cheeses, garlic and one-third of the olive oil, then season with salt and pepper to your liking.
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Stuff the hollowed-out tomato halves with the breadcrumb mixture, drizzle with the remaining olive oil and bake for 20–25 minutes or until golden brown on top. Finish with a drizzle of extra olive oil (chilli oil is nice too) and a scattering of extra basil leaves.
About the book
The Italian Home Cook is a collection recipes that will show you how to cook like a true Italian, using the most humble of ingredients. The Italian Home Cook by Silvia Colloca, published by Plum, $RRP 44.99.
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