Pan-Seared Tomatoes Stuffed with Pork
Seventy-five years of French domination left many influences in the Viet kitchen. Because I grew up eating these stuffed tomatoes on a regular basis, it never crossed my mind that they were adapted from a traditional French idea. It should have: farci means “stuffed” in French and tô-mát is a Vietnamese transliteration of the French tomate. My edition of Larousse Gastronomique offers nine recipes for stuffing tomatoes. Here’s a tenth, flavored with a shot of fish sauce, of course. As a hybrid dish, these savory, slightly tangy tomatoes can be enjoyed with chopsticks as part of a traditional Viet dinner or with knife and fork as part of a Western-style meal. For the best results, select firm, slightly underripe tomatoes that will hold their shape nicely after cooking.
For an extra treat, make “dirty” rice by sautéing some cooked rice in the oil that remains from cooking the tomatoes. This works best if the tomatoes were seared in a nonstick skillet.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 4 to 6 with 2 or 3 other dishes
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Trim off the crust from the bread, put the bread in a small bowl, and cover with water. While the bread softens, prepare the tomatoes for stuffing. Halve each tomato crosswise. Seed the tomato halves (see page 152), then use a teaspoon to remove the meaty insides to create a tomato cup; remember to be gentle near the stem. Reserve the insides for another use, such as Tomato Egg Drop Soup (page 59).
Step 2
To make the stuffing, drain the bread and squeeze firmly to extract excess liquid. In a bowl, combine the bread, pork, onion, garlic, fish sauce, salt, and pepper. Mix thoroughly with a fork and then divide into 8 roughly equal portions. Blot the inside of each tomato cup with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. Stuff each tomato cup, pressing gently to ensure that the stuffing reaches all the crevices. Mound the stuffing a bit, if necessary.
Step 3
In a 12-inch skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Place each tomato cup, skin side down, in the skillet. Cover with a lid or piece of aluminum foil and cook for 5 minutes to brown the tomatoes and begin cooking the filling.
Step 4
Uncover the skillet and be ready for a little drama. Using 2 spatulas, carefully turn each cup over, stuffing side down. (Expect a dark brown circle in the center of the tomato where it was frying. It’s okay if the skin breaks.) Lower the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, for 10 to 12 minutes; use a splatter guard, if needed. After 5 minutes, check the stuffing side to see if it is browning too quickly, lowering the flame if necessary. You want a gentle sizzle. When the tomatoes show signs of collapse and there is some wrinkling in the skin, they are done.
Step 5
Use a spatula to transfer the cups to a platter, placing them stuffing side down for an attractive presentation, then serve. Advise diners to use a spoon or knife to break each cup into smaller manageable pieces for easy eating.
