Real Provençal Tomatoes

Vegetarian. From Provence with love.

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Bonjour and welcome to this recipe no. 15.

True Provençal tomatoes have nothing in common with those pale copies sometimes found, garnished with meat and simply topped with industrial breadcrumbs. The real recipe holds a few secrets: magnificent fleshy tomatoes, a generously perfumed persillade, and that gentle, slow cooking which reveals all the flavors.

In the past, when the baker had finished his daily baking, the village women would come to slip their dishes into the still-warm oven. The tomatoes found there that gentle, persistent heat that slowly transformed them into little candied jewels. They gorged themselves on their own juices, concentrated their flavors, adorned themselves with that melting texture that makes all the difference.

For in Provence, at the heart of our villages, the memory of the communal oven still remains. A legacy from medieval times, it reigned on the central square, made available by the local lord - here that of Le Castellet - so each inhabitant could bake their daily bread.

This service was not a choice but an obligation, private ovens being forbidden to prevent the fires that then ravaged our villages. Built according to the mason's art and inspired by Roman ovens, it was vast enough to feed the entire village. The peasants paid their due to the "fournier" - in coin or in kind - for this baking right.

Even today, some Provençal communes, Le Castellet notably, preserve these witnesses of the past and revive them during village festivals, thus perpetuating this beautiful tradition of sharing. I had the joy of participating in a baking class there. Here is a beautiful image of time reclaimed:

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Real Provençal Tomatoes

Les vraies tomates à la provençale

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Ingredients

Serves 6

• Six medium tomatoes, ripe but firm

• Four garlic cloves

• Three tablespoons of finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

• 5 cl of olive oil

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F).

2. Cut the tomatoes in half horizontally. Gently press them with your fingers to remove as many seeds as possible.

3. Peel the garlic and take a generous handful of parsley. Finely chop them using a knife or a food chopper.

4. In a non-stick pan, place the tomatoes skin side down, and cook them over medium heat for about 15 minutes, until most of their water has evaporated.

5. Transfer the tomatoes to an oven-safe dish. Drizzle them with a bit of olive oil, then sprinkle the garlic and parsley mixture on top.

6. Bake for about 1 hour.

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Thank you for reading, let me know what you think in the comments!