½ pound chicken breast 1 T finely chopped fresh parsley,
1 tsp salt preferably the flat-leaf Italian
Freshly ground black pepper variety
¼ pound lean, boneless smoked 1 medium-sized bay leaf, finely
ham, cut into chunks crumbled
4 large firm ripe tomatoes, each ¼ tsp crumbled dried thyme
about 3 inches in diameter ¼ tsp ground hot red pepper (cayenne)
1 T butter, softened, plus 4 T ½ c plus 2 T soft fresh crumbs made
butter, cut into ¼-inch bits from French- or Italian-type white
1 c finely chopped onions bread, pulverized in a blender
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Combine the chicken breast, ½ tsp of the salt and a few grindings of black
pepper in a small saucepan and pour in enough water to cover the chicken
completely. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low and simmer
partially covered for about 10 minutes, or until the chicken feels firm when
gently prodded with a finger. Transfer the chicken breast to a plate to drain
and, when it is cool enough to handle, remove the skin. With your fingers or
a small, sharp knife, pull or cut the meat from the bones. Discard the skin
and bones and cut the meat into small chunks. Then put the chicken meat and
the ham through the finest blade of a food grinder. (There should be 1½ to
2 cups of ground meat.)Cut a ¼-inch-thick slice off the top of each tomato and, with a small spoon, scoop out the pulp to create a shell about ¼ inch thick. Invert the tomato shells on paper towels to drain, chop the pulp coarsely, and reserve it in a small bowl.
Preheat the oven to 350°. With a pastry brush, spread the tablespoon of softened butter over the bottom and sides of a shallow baking dish large enough to hold the tomatoes snugly in one layer. Set the dish aside.
In a heavy 10- to 12-inch skillet, melt 2 T of the butter bits over moderate heat. When the foam begins to subside, add the onions and, stirring frequently, cook for about 5 minutes, or until they are soft and translucent but not brown. Add the reserved tomato pulp, the parsley, bay leaf, thyme, red pepper, the remaining ½ tsp of salt and a few grindings of black pepper. Stirring frequently, cook briskly until most of the liquid in the pan has evaporated and the mixture is thick enough to hold its shape almost solidly in a spoon. Add ½ c of the bread crumbs and the reserved ground chicken and ham, and mix well. Taste the stuffing for seasoning.
Spoon the stuffing into the tomato shells, dividing it equally among them and mounding the centers slightly. Arrange the tomatoes side by side in the buttered dish and sprinkle the tops with the remaining 2 T of bread crumbs and 2 T of butter bits.
Bake in the middle of the oven for 45 minutes, or until the tomato shells are tender when pierced with the point of a small, sharp knife and the stuffing is golden brown. Serve at once, directly from the baking dish or attractively arranged on a heated platter. Serves 4.
