Walnut- and Mushroom- Stuffed Tomatoes

These tomatoes, large and small, were filled with a sauteed mixture of onions, garlic, mushrooms, walnuts, and herbs and then baked at a high temperature until the tomatoes' juices bled into the filling, the skins blistered, and the walnuts on top got toasty.

* Fresh sage is magic.

* I scoffed when my friend Julia insisted on stuffing the tiny tomatoes, but they were the best, because you need not cut them up to eat them, so you can fully enjoy their composedness.

* The photos are from before baking because they got eaten too fast to be photographed after.

Walnut- and Mushroom-Stuffed Tomatoes

Ingredients

olive oil

tomatoes! (stuffing probably fills about 8 medium tomatoes)

*

olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 pkg mushrooms (we used crimini), minced

tamari

thyme, dried

fresh parsley, minced

fresh sage (not too much--this stuff is potent!), minced

1/2 c walnuts, chopped

Instructions

1. Oil a baking dish and preheat oven to 375*.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet.  Saute onion several minutes, then add garlic, then add mushrooms and saute until everything is soft and juicy.  Add a bit of tamari, and stir in thyme, parsley, and sage.  Turn off the heat and stir in walnuts.  Set aside to cool.
3. With a paring knife, cut out the top of each tomato and then scoop out all the seeds and water inside (a melon baller was very helpful for this).
4. Fill hollow tomatoes with stuffing and place in baking dish.  Bake on top rack of oven for about 25-45 minutes, until tomato skin is blistered and filling is hot.  Serve hot.  Makes about 8 medium tomatoes.