BAKED STUFFED TOMATOES WITH HERBS

Preparation time 5 mins Cooking time 30 mins Serves 4

200g day-old white bread, torn into small pieces (you’ll need 4 cups) 1 cup pecans, walnuts or almonds,

coarsely chopped

1/4 cup olive oil, plus extra 2 Tbsp 4 medium, ripe tomatoes

150g button mushrooms, finely

chopped

2 Tbsp thyme, marjoram or oregano leaves, picked, plus extra thyme sprigs, to serve

2 cloves garlic, crushed Sea-salt flakes and freshly ground

black pepper, to season

STEP 1 Preheat oven to 180°C fanforced (200°C conventional). Toss bread, nuts and oil on an oven tray. Bake for 5-7 minutes, or until bread is crisp and golden and nuts are toasted. STEP 2 Halve tomatoes. Remove and discard seeds. Scoop out flesh from tomato halves, coarsely chopping any large pieces, and put in a medium bowl. Add toasted bread and nuts, mushroom, thyme, garlic and extra olive oil, and mix to combine. Season. STEP 3 Spoon bread mixture into tomato halves and put on an oven tray lined with alfoil. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until tops are browned and tomatoes are just starting to collapse. Garnish with thyme sprigs. Serve.