Tomatoes, parsley, garlic, breadcrumbs

Tomatoes with Parsley, Garlic & Breadcrumbs

My mother died two years ago. She was 96.  The mind went a bit fuzzy but until very near the end, the body was strong.  My brother reminisced that when she set out to cook dinner, the first thing she did was peel an onion and a few cloves of garlic.(Who ever does just one clove of garlic?)  It's hard to imagine any of the dishes we ate without garlic and onion.
She was a particular whizz with vegetables.  We liked potatoes of course but they were not automatically part of every meal.  There were other ways to have a starch or something to soak up the sauces.
For a long time Australia killed vegetables by boiling (and more boiling).  When the backlash came in the '80s,  keen cooks served hot raw vegetables with crunch (which some people pretended to like).  No, that's for salad. 
Look to Turkey for great vegetable dishes.  Rick Stein noted on his food tour of the Mediterranean that he hadn't set out to do a set of vegetarian T.V. programmes but that was what had been most delicious.
So as a family, we got used to lots of delicious vegetables.  My mother's peas are a standout and I'll share with you that there's no 5 minute boiling here.  They simmer for 3/4 hour with spring onions, lettuce and optional bacon pieces. Heavenly.

Tomatoes stuffed with parsley, garlic & breadcrumbs
(and I think they are classically called Tomates Provençale).
4 ripe tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped parsley
3-6 garlic cloves depending on taste and size
1/3 cup coarse breadcrumbs (home-made or Panko)
Olive oil

• Cut tomatoes in half and scoop out the seeds only.
• Pour a little olive oil over the base of a baking dish that will hold snugly the tomato halves.
• Season the tomatoes with salt (and if you suspect the tomatoes of not being very good) a little sugar.
• Chop the parsley and garlic together.  Add the breadcrumbs and 2 tbsp olive oil to moisten the mixture.
• Put the mixture into the tomato shells, loosely, not too tamped down.
• Bake the tomatoes in a 180˚C / 350˚F until the the crumbs are browned, about 25mins (or more).  They can sit warm until needed.
• This is my lazy way.  My mother cooked them in a covered frypan on the top of the stove.  This method is juicier but they have to be watched more carefully.  You can also serve them cold  with an extra splash of good olive oil. 

The plate is a small oval platter, part of a 48 piece service for 12,  - Sarguemines Royat, Faïence c.1910