THE ORIGINAL ‘RECEIPT’

BAKED TOMATOES.  – Take off the stalks from the tomatoes;  cut them into thick slices, and put them into a deep baking-dish;  add a plentiful seasoning of pepper, and salt, and butter;  cover the whole with bread-crumbs;  bake in a moderate oven from twenty minutes to half an hour, and serve very hot.  This vegetable, dressed as above, is an exceedingly nice accompaniment to all kinds of roast meat.  The tomatoes, instead of being cut in slices, may be baked whole;  but they will take rather longer to cook.

~The Young Ladies’ Journal. London: Edward Harrison, 1870-1871.

THE UPDATED RECIPE

• 3 tomatoes
• 1 Tb. butter
• salt and pepper to taste
• ⅓ c. grated bread crumbs
• 1 Tb. melted butter.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Slice the tomatoes about ⅝-inch thick, and put them into a baking-dish of sufficient size to give a depth of slices of about 2 ½ inches, evenly arranged.

Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, and dot with butter.

Sprinkle the bread crumbs evenly over the top, and then drizzle the melted butter onto the crumbs.

Bake, uncovered, for approximately 25 to 30 minutes, and serve hot from the oven.

This quantity will serve two or three people;  the recipe can be increased proportionately, to serve a larger number of people.

A note from Patricia: It’s the time of year when gardens are full of tomatoes, and we’re all wondering what we can cook to take advantage of them when they’re at their absolute best. This recipe is sooooo easy, and as a person who doesn’t normally eat a whole lot of tomatoes (it’s a texture thing for me), I was delighted by this side dish recipe. I grabbed 3 ripe and juicy field tomatoes at the farmer’s market and whipped this up with some gluten-free breadcrumbs (GF bread pulsed in the food processor). It was ready in no time, and I topped it with some fresh basil from the garden. Delicious. It’s refreshing to enjoy tomatoes all on their own (vs. being something we eat in salads, or in a sandwich), especially this time of year when they are at their tastiest. Try this with steak or roast beef, or even with some roasted chicken. And if you’re feeling cheesy, top with some parmesan cheese too!

Tomatas are very good sliced, and fried in butter.

~Leslie, Eliza. Miss Leslie’s Complete Cookery. Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches. Philadelphia: Henry Carey Baird, 1861.