Tomatoes stuffed with pesto ciabatta

A savory pudding

Tomatoes become a splendid accompaniment to most any meal when filled with rustic ciabatta crumbs blended with pesto and baked.

The tomatoes, bread and seasonings blend together and create a tender, earthy-sweet, savory pudding with a crunchy, toasted top.

Tomatoes stuffed with pesto ciabatta

1-1/2 cups ciabatta breadcrumbs
9 ripe, firm, ripe roma tomatoes (or small round tomatoes)
1/2 cup of pesto (homemade or store bought)
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste.

Here’s how to make them:Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Slice the tops off of the tomatoes (save the tops for garnish later). Hollow out the cavities of the tomatoes by gently squeezing them and using your pinky finger.

Salt and pepper the inside of the tomatoes and put them on a rack, upside down, with paper towels below, to shed some water.

To prepare the bread crumbs: slice a day old ciabatta loaf lengthwise (so the slices can fit into the mouth of your food processor), using the steel blade attachment process the bread lengths until nicely “crumbed”.

Whatever you don’t use at this time can be allowed to dry out, then stored in an airtight container for future use.

Thoroughly mix the pesto in with 1-1/2 cups of breadcrumbs.

Using a small spoon and your fingers, stuff the tomato cavities with the bread crumb mixture.

Place the tomatoes in a baking container. Drizzle the tops of each of the tomatoes with olive oil.

Place in the heated oven and bake for 40 minutes. When finished, the tomatoes should be soft but not collapsing. The bread crumbs should have a golden brown crust.