Goat Cheese Stuffed Tomatoes

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degree Fahrenheit.
2. Wash and dry the tomatoes thoroughly, and slice off ½ inch of the top of each tomato. Remember to reserve the tops.
3. With a spoon scoop out the innards of the tomatoes; core and seeds.
4. With a sharp serrated knife, slice a thin sliver off the bottom of each tomato. This will help them stand up straight.
5. Grease a 9 by 13 inch glass or ceramic lasagne dish with 2 tbsp. extra olive oil or butter.
6. Arrange the prepared tomatoes in the baking dish in upright positions.
7. In a clean bowl, add softened goat cheese, egg, basil, bottled red pepper, salt, olive oil and freshly ground black pepper.
8. Scoop the goat cheese mixture with a tablespoon into each tomato, making sure to fill until it mounds up ½ inch over the rim of the tomato.
9. Top off each tomato evenly with bread crumbs and cover with the reserved tops and drizzle each tomato with the remaining 2 tbsp. olive oil.
10. Put the dish in the oven and bake the tomatoes for 35 minutes or until tomatoes are tender and lightly browned.
11. Take the dish out of the oven and let the tomatoes set for 15 minutes before serving.

Trivia

• Did you know that tomatoes get their name from the Aztec word xitomatl which literally means, “Plump thing with a navel”?

Tomatoes in the French language are called pomme d’amour or love apples; this is because in earlier times the heart-shaped fruit was thought of as an aphrodisiac.