Romaine And Egg Stuffed Tomatoes With Pancetta Recipes

ROMAINE- AND EGG-STUFFED TOMATOES WITH PANCETTA

Steps:

• Cook pancetta in 2 tablespoons oil in a 10- to 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden and crisp, 4 to 7 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain, reserving fat in skillet.
• Strip romaine leaves from stems, reserving both separately, then tear leaves into roughly 2-inch pieces. Measure 4 loosely packed cups of leaves and reserve remainder. With motor running, add garlic to food processor to finely chop. Turn off and add the 4 cups romaine leaves along with the parsley, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and cheese, then pulse until finely chopped. With motor running, add remaining cup oil in a slow stream, blending until incorporated.
• Put oven rack in upper third of oven and preheat oven to 400°F.
• Cut off about 1/8 inch from top of each tomato with a sharp knife. Gently scrape out pulp and seeds with a spoon and discard them. Put tomatoes, cut sides up, in a 9-inch glass or ceramic dish and spoon 1 tablespoon romaine-parsley pesto into each tomato (you will have extra pesto). Crack 1 egg into each tomato and season with salt and pepper. Bake eggs in tomatoes until whites are set and yolks are still runny, 18 to 22 minutes.
• While eggs bake, heat fat in skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook remaining torn romaine leaves and stems, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, turning and stirring with tongs, until leaves are wilted and stems are crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in pancetta and divide mixture among 6 plates. Top each serving with a tomato and sprinkle with additional cheese.

PANZANELLA STUFFED HEIRLOOM TOMATOES

Steps:

• Cut the top 1/4-inch off each tomato and reserve. With a serrated knife, cut the interior membrane away from the outside skin without cutting through completely; scoop the membrane and seeds out with a spoon and transfer to a strainer set over a bowl to drain. Season the hollowed tomatoes and the membrane in the strainer with salt and pepper.
• Put the onions in a small bowl and cover them with 2 tablespoons vinegar and a pinch of salt. Let stand 10 minutes; this will remove some of the raw sharp flavor of the onion. In a bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon vinegar, the garlic oil and 1/4 cup of the drained tomato water. Season well with salt and pepper.
• Coarsely chop the drained tomato membrane and put in a mixing bowl. Drain the onions and add them along with the grissini pieces. Drizzle the dressing over the bowl and toss very well; season again and add more oil, tomato water and vinegar, as needed, to evenly moisten the stuffing. Stuff each tomato with 1/4 of the stuffing and garnish with the tomato tops. Chill until ready to serve.

PLAT - PANCETTA, LETTUCE, AVOCADO AND TOMATO WITH ROMANO AIOLI

Steps:

• In a large nonstick saute pan set over medium heat, cook the pancetta in batches until crispy, 3 to 4 minutes each side. Let drain on a paper towel and set aside.
• For the aioli: In a food processor, add in the garlic and pulse. This not only breaks down the garlic, but it seasons the bowl. Then add in the lemon juice, mustard, sugar and egg yolks. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Process until combined, about 10 seconds. Then slowly stream in the oil while the machine runs. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add in the Romano cheese and process for 10 more seconds. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more lemon juice, salt and pepper if necessary.
• For the sandwich build: Lightly toast the bread. Smear some aioli on each slice of bread. Top with 2 slices tomatoes, some avocado slices, 2 pieces of crisp romaine and 3 to 4 slices of crispy pancetta. Bite like a king.

ROMAN STUFFED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to moderate (350 degrees).
• Cut a slice from the top of each tomato, then scoop out seeds and juice; take care not to break the walls. Strain juice and, if necessary, add water to make 6 tablespoons of liquid. Lightly oil a shallow baking dish with the salad oil. Put tomato shells in the dish and sprinkle 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil over the shells.
• Heat remaining olive oil in a heavy saucepan. Add parsley and garlic and saute over medium heat 3 minutes. Add rice and cook 3 minutes longer, stirring constantly. Add chicken bouillon. Cover and cook 10 minutes, or until rice is almost done.
• Remove rice from heat. Add salt and pepper to taste, and cinnamon.
• Fill tomato shells with rice mixture. Over each, pour about a tablespoon of reserved tomato juice-water mixture. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. If rice shows signs of drying out during baking, baste with a little hot water. May be eaten hot, at room temperature or cold.