Choose large tomatoes. Do not skin them, but scoop out a small place at
the top, which fill with a stuffing. The simplest is made of
bread-crumbs, minced onion, cayenne, and salt. First fry the onions in a
little butter, add the bread-crumbs, moistened with a little water (or,
better, stock) and seasoned with a very little Cayenne pepper and enough
salt. Fry them a moment; then fill the cavities, allowing the stuffing
to project half an inch above the tomato, and smooth it over the top.
Bake.
A better stuffing is this: Chop very fine some cold cooked chicken,
lamb, beef, or pork. Each of these may be used, or they may be mixed.
However, a very little pork mixed with any kind of meat makes a pleasant
seasoning. Now fry a little chopped onion in butter, and, when just
colored, throw in the chopped meat, a few bread-crumbs, very little
stock, and season the whole with salt, pepper, and some parsley. When
hot, and well mixed, take it off the fire; add the yolk of a raw egg to
bind it together. Fill the tomatoes with this preparation, sprinkle
bread-crumbs over the tops, and bake. The tomatoes are a pretty garnish
around any kind of meat. If served as a course alone, pour into the
bottom of the dish a tomato-sauce flavored with a little sherry.