Pomodori Farciti di Magro, or Meatless Stuffed Tomatoes: Before Vatican II the Catholic Church decreed that people were not to eat meat on Fridays or other select days throughout the year. This meant much fish was consumed, guaranteed the popularity of baccalà inland where fresh fish rarely arrived (especially in the country), and gave the chefs of the wealthy further incentive to devise tasty meatless dishes for their masters.
Prep Time: 1 hours, 30 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
- ** For the Tomatoes **
- 12 round, not too large tomatoes that are all the same size
- 1/2 a medium-sized onion, thinly sliced
- A medium-sized carrot, minced
- Broth (meat or vegetable as you prefer)
- Salt
- Pepper
- 2 ounces (50 g) seasoned lard, minced (use prosciutto fat if need be)
- 3 ounces (75 g) prosciutto (these are considered seasonings, not meat)
- 1/2 cup white wine
- ** For The Filling **
- 1 1/4 pounds (500 g) eggplant, diced and fried
- Abundant oil for frying
- 1 1/8 pounds (500 g) canned tomatoes, seeded and chopped
- A clove of garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons of the oil from the frying
- 2 ounces (50 g) salted capers, rinsed and minced
- 1/4 pound (100 g) pitted sweet black olives (from Gaeta if possible), chopped
- 1/2 pound (200 g) fresh mozzarella, diced
- Freshly shredded basil
- 3 tablespoons bread crumbs
Preparation:
Continuing with the introduction, this recipe is based on one that Ippolito Cavalcanti, Duca di Buonvicino and master Neapolitan gastronome, published in the 1850s (the original is much more cursory than this). The above ingredients will serve 6. And now, the recipe:Dice the eggplant and fry it, then drain the pieces well on absorbent paper.
Cut the caps off the tomatoes, gently empty them, taking care not to puncture the skins, and set them to drain upside down.
While they're draining, combine the eggplant, garlic, canned tomatoes, capers, olives, mozzarella, 2 tablespoons of oil, basil to taste, and bread crumbs. Season the mixture to taste with salt and pepper and use it to fill the tomatoes, replacing their caps as you go.
Preheat your oven to 400 F (200 C).
Take a heat-proof dish and lay down half the onion, carrot, lard and prosciutto. Place the tomatoes in the pan over the seasonings layer and cover them with the remainder of the seasonings. Sprinkle everything with the wine and enough broth to keep things from drying out (about 1/4 cup; go easy) and bake. When they are done (15-20 minutes) let them cool, then drain them on an absorbent paper. Transfer them to a serving dish, spoon some of their drippings over them, and serve.
Variations on the stuffing:
- Mozzarella, ricotta, Parmigiano, egg yolk, minced prosciutto, and, if you like, shredded chicken breast.
- Melanzane al funghetto (stewed eggplant) with a few canned tomatoes, capers, olives, parsley, bread crumbs, and mozzarella.
