Tomatoes with Pine Nuts and Parsley

6 tomatoes

2 T. olive oil

½ cup pine nuts

4 T. butter

2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup fresh parsley, minced

Halve and seed the tomatoes (it’s not necessary to get out all the seeds). Sprinkle the cut sides with a small amount of salt and then let them drain cut side down for 15 to 30 minutes.

When they have drained sufficiently, preheat the oven to 350°. Sauté the tomatoes in the olive oil for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until they are beginning to soften. Set them cut side up in an ovenproof baking dish (the size will vary depending on how big your tomatoes are) and keep them warm in the oven.

Pour the olive oil that you just used to sauté the tomatoes into a small skillet and turn the heat to medium. Add the pine nuts and sauté for about 2 minutes or until they are lightly colored. Transfer them with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.

In a medium skillet, melt the butter and then add the garlic and minced parsley plus a pinch of salt. Sauté, gently stirring often, for 5 minutes.

Remove the tomatoes from the oven and spoon the parsley mixture over the tomatoes; top them with the pine nuts. They are ready to serve immediately, or you can return them to the oven for about 5 minutes if they need a bit more cooking time.

Serves 6 to 12.