Herbed Tomatoes

This tremendously simple recipe is one of my all-time favorites! Be sure to use firm tomatoes lest they collapse in the oven under their own lusciousness. Large tomatoes do better than

Flavorful and colorful: Herbed Tomatoes

medium-sized ones in this recipe. And fresh herbs taste better than dried, because honestly Dollinks, any dish called Herbed Tomatoes may just have something to do with the fresh-is-best flavor of herbs. 

Herbed Tomatoes:

4 slices bacon, diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/4 tsp. (1.2 mL) salt
1/2 tsp. (2 mL) pepper 
2 tbsp. (25 mL) chopped fresh mint
2 tsp. (10 mL) chopped fresh oregano
4 large, firm tomatoes, each horizontally sliced in half
6 tbsp. (90 mL) grated Parmesan cheese (see Note)
1 tbsp. (15 mL) butter or margarine

Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. (see Additional Note). Sauté bacon until crisp. Remove from skillet but do not blot dry. Add garlic and onion to bacon fat. Sauté until golden. Mix in salt, pepper, mint, and oregano. Return bacon to mixture. Spread halved tomatoes in ungreased shallow baking dish. Top with bacon mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan and dot with butter or margarine. Bake, uncovered, 30 min., or until tomatoes are just tender. Serves 4-to-8.

Note: I believe the flavor of real Parmesan cheese would be lost among these ingredients. I prefer to use powdered, shake-on Parmesan for this dish. 

Additional Note: This recipe works best in a standard oven rather than a microwave.