Elizabeth Bard’s Recipe for Petits Farcis Stuffed Tomatoes and Zucchini
Beef · Main Course · Provencal Recipes · TasteThis delicious summer recipe comes from Elizabeth Bard’s latest book, Picnic in Provence: A Memoir with Recipes, which we published with her permission. The stuffed vegetables can be served as a lunch or light dinner.
Stuffed Tomatoes and Zucchini Légumes d’Été Farçis
This dish instantly transports me back to Jean’s garden — big, bright beefsteak tomatoes and croquet-ball-size round zucchini stuffed and baked to sagging perfection. Lovely for a casual dinner in the garden. Serves 8 as a light dinner
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 slices slightly stale bread sourdough or dense whole-grain
- ⅓ cup milk
- 4 ripe Beefsteak tomatoes 10–12 ounces each
- 4 round zucchini 7–8 ounces each - see note
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large red onion chopped
- 1 cup fennel chopped (about ½ bulb), with some fronds
- 2 large garlic cloves minced
- ½ tsp herbes de Provence
- ground black pepper
- 1 handful flat-leaf (Italian) parsley chopped
- 1 large egg
- 1½ pounds pork sausages use Toulouse, saucisse fraîche, or Italian, sweet or hot varieties
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ cup white wine
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Put the bread and milk in a small bowl to soak.
- Cut the tops off the tomatoes and hollow out until you have about a ½- to ¾-inch shell. Chop the pulp and reserve with the liquid.
- Hollow out the zucchini as you did with the tomatoes. Chop the inside zucchini flesh and reserve in a separate bowl. Place the hollowed-out vegetables in a large ovenproof dish, preferably one pretty enough to bring to the table.
- In a medium frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Sauté onion, fennel, and zucchini pulp for 5 minutes, add garlic, and sauté for 3 minutes more. Add chopped tomato pulp, herbes de Provence, and a grind of black pepper; simmer for 5 minutes. Add parsley and stir. Remove from the heat and let cool.
- Squeeze a bit of the excess milk out of the bread, chop into coarse crumbs, set aside. In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg.
- Remove sausage meat from its casings and break it up without overworking the meat. Add the beef, bread, and tomato mixture and combine — I use my hands for this part. Then add the egg and give the stuffing a final mix. Divide the stuffing evenly among the vegetables. Drizzle with the additional 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the white wine to the bottom of the dish.
- Cover the dish tightly with tinfoil and bake 1½ hours, until the sausage is cooked through and the vegetables are perfectly tender; the saggier the better, as far as I’m concerned. Remove the foil and pass under the broiler for 3 minutes to brown. There will be quite a bit of yummy sauce at the bottom of the dish.
- Serve on a bed of quinoa or wild rice. Pass a bowl of sauce.
Notes
Tip: Round zucchini are sometimes available at farmers’ markets and high-end grocers. If you can’t find them, buy one extra-large zucchini or two medium ones, cut them in half lengthwise, and hollow them out like a hot dog bun and stuff them according to the recipe. Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
More Provencal Recipes with Tomatoes
Tomato Confit - A Fundamental Ingredient
Tomatoes intensify and sweeten after long, slow cooking. I use the same technique for all tomatoes, whether sweet cherry tomatoes or the meatier Romas.
Check out this recipe
Blistered Cherry Tomatoes
A quick and easy way to enjoy all your fresh tomatoes!
Check out this recipe
Eggplant Tomato Gratin
A new way to enjoy eggplant cooked with fresh local tomatoes! Use a heavy baking dish like a lasagna pan or pyrex.
Check out this recipe
Cheesy Tomato Beans with Spinach and Roasted Shrimp
This dish is one that I adapted from a recent (January 2022) Bon Appétit magazine recipe. This version added the shrimp and substituted spinach for the broccoli rabe... Enjoy!
Check out this recipe
Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence – Montagne St. Victoire: Full-day Wine tour from Marseille
Embark on a full-day wine tour from Marseille or its surrounding cities to the captivating Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence, the westernmost vineyards of Provence.
Book this ExperienceLegal
All rights reserved. Perfectly Provence articles and other content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten (including translations into other languages) or redistributed without written permission. For usage information, please contact us.
Syndication InformationAffiliate Information
As an Amazon Associate, this website earns from qualifying purchases. Some recipes, posts and pages may have affiliate links. If you purchase via these links, we receive a small commission that does not impact your price. Thank you in advance for supporting our work to maintain Perfectly Provence.
Previous Post
August Village Festivals in ProvenceNext Post
Need 5 Reasons to visit CotignacRelated Provence Articles
Delicious Saffron Broth for Poached Sea Bass
August 18, 2017
Fresh sea bass poached in a delicious shrimp and saffron broth.…
Easy Filet Mignon with Bordelaise Sauce for Two
February 22, 2019
Sometimes, you just want a quiet meal at home, a good movie and an easy dinner. Filet Mignon with Bordelaise Sauce fits the bill for a no-fuss dinner. Serve with your favourite red wine, and enjoy a peaceful evening. A quick and easy dinner for a quiet night at home. Recipes for Quiet, Romantic Dinners…
Recipe for a Classic Pot au Feu for Cold Weather Days in Provence
September 17, 2014
The pot-au-feu is a very traditional Provençal dish. Pot-au-Feu is translated to “pot on the fire,” essentially a French stew. Typically, it is made with beef, although it can also be made with pork. Many countries have a variation on pot-au-feu, as it generally is a way to use low-cost (less desirable) cuts of meat. …
Summer Salad Heirloom Tomato and White Nectarine
August 8, 2018
Building on a classic Italian salad this variation combines heirloom tomatoes, white nectarines, mozzarella and fresh basil on a plate. Serve as a starter course or a lunchtime salad along with crusty baguette.…
No Comment