Bacon and Blue Cheese Stuffed Tomatoes

Photo by Michael Piazza

Submitted by Andrew Cantella of Back Bay, Boston. He gets his tomatoes at the Copley Square Farmers Market, and finds his copy of Edible Boston at Island Creek Oyster Bar.

"Below is my favorite tomato recipe I’ve been trying to perfect this summer. Try it using large cherry tomatoes as a cocktail hors d’oeuvre, or serve larger ones as a first course."

Serves 2-4

4 Roma tomatoes, or more smaller tomatoes
¾ cup crumbled blue cheese, like Great Hill Blue from Marion, MA
½ cup chopped cooked bacon
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil
Parmigiano Reggiano, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 400°.

In a small bowl, mix together the blue cheese, bacon, olive oil, basil, and black pepper.

Slice off the tops of the tomatoes and hollow them out using a paring knife or a melon baller. Fill each tomato with some of the cheese mixture and top with a few pinches of grated Parmigiano Reggiano, enough to cover the blue cheese.

Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until bubbly and browned on top. Serve immediately, or at room temperature.