- 4 ounces leftover bread, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (2 cups)
- 1/4 cups water at room temperature
- 6 ounces cooked meat from a roast (pork, veal, or beef), chopped (2 cups)
- 1/4 cups chopped onion
- 4 scallions , cleaned and coarsely chopped
- 2 mushrooms (about 3 ounces), washed and coarsely chopped (1 cup)
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsps freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large egg
- 4 larges tomatoes (about 2 1/2 lbs)
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2) Place the bread pieces in a bowl, and sprinkle them with water. Using your hand, squeeze the bread gently until it absorbs all the water and becomes soft. Add the cooked meat, onions, scallions, mushrooms, garlic, ½ teaspoon of the salt, ¼ teaspoon of the pepper, and the egg. Mix well. The mixture should hold together but not be pasty.
3. Using a sharp knife, remove the top ½ inch from the stem end of each tomato and reserves these ‘caps.’ Scoop out the insides of each tomato with a measuring spoon, leaving only the fleshy shell of the tomato.
4. Chop the tomato insides coarsely. The combined juices and seeds should measure about 2 cups. Sprinkle with the remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and set aside.
5. Stand the tomato shells upright in a gratin dish and fill them with the stuffing. Place the reserved tomato caps on top, and pour the reserved tomato mixture around the tomatoes in the dish.
6. Place the dish in a 400-degree oven and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the tomatoes are nicely browned and the stuffing mixture cooked and hot throughout. Serve with the surrounding juices.
