Monica

Passport & Plate - Tomates à la provençale “Mami´s recipe”

France | Wednesday, March 12, 2014 | 5 photos

Ingredients
Large perfectly ripe tomatoes (at least 5 tomatoes per person)
Garlic (approximately 1 garlic head per every 5 tomatoes)
Small bunch of parsley
Salt
Black pepper
Olive oil (have a bottle at hand)

How to prepare this recipe
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 2 to 3 hours
Serves: 2

Preparation: Cut off and remove the tomato tops. With your fingers, remove the tomato seeds
Seasoning: The seasoning consists of a mix of 20% garlic and 80% parsley. In a blender, chop the garlic and parsley together.

Let´s cook!:
In a large pan, pour a significant amount of olive oil over a low fire. Place each of the tomatoes, top part facing down, into the pan. Make sure the fire is low. The tomatoes should simmer. Keep checking that the tomatoes are not sticking to the pan. Use a wooden spoon to detach any tomato that is beginning to stick to the pan. After approximately 30 minutes, the tomatoes should start to look a bit more "comfortable" in the pan. Their red color will become slightly more orange and the skin will have slightly detached. Flip each of the tomatoes over so that the top part is now facing up. Add some more olive oil. Again, check that the fire is low and with a wooden spoon make sure the tomatoes are not sticking to the pan. After another 30 minutes, flip each tomato over again and repeat the above process. The tomatoes will slowly shrink. It is normal to see some toasted black parts in the pan. Keep repeating these steps - flipping the tomatoes over, adding oil and ensuring they are not sticking - a few more times as needed. Approximately 20 minutes before the tomatoes are ready, sprinkle the garlic and parsley mix you prepared beforehand. Also add some salt and pepper.
Keep in mind: It is important to NOT add any salt until the end. Otherwise, the tomatoes will release all their liquid. The number of times the tomatoes need to be flipped will depend on their quality. The better and heartier the tomato, the more "flips" it will require to properly shrink and caramelize.

The story behind this recipe
It was my first time in Provence, France. My boyfriend invited me to his family´s summer house surrounded by lavender fields, hills covered in olive trees and the warm earth that gives delicious rosé wine.

During my first few days I kept hearing about tomates à la provençale. They referred to it as one refers to a relative or long-time friend. I could sense a quiet excitement. When I heard that their grandmother Mami would wake up at 6am to make it, I knew this was something serious. I started secretly hoping that tomates à la provençale was on the mother´s list for the week.

One day during breakfast I saw her take out a big frying pan with weathered wood and patina metal. This was definitely Mami´s pan. Next I saw a basket full of red, plump tomatoes come in from the garden. My heart started beating. By the time the garlic was chopped and the parsley cut, I was more than ready to hear "Today tomates à la provençale!"

My boyfriend and his brother started calling family and friends, "Mom is making tomates à la provençale. Join us!" I wasn´t the only one eagerly waiting. Then I observed the magic unravel.

I could feel these tomatoes were happy little guys simmering in olive oil. After 30 minutes the mom said, "When they´re ready you flip them." Ready is hard to define. It is a feeling, an instinct that is honed the more you cook this dish. The tomatoes begin to take on subtle hues of orange and yellow. Every 30 minutes they are flipped as they slowly shrink and caramelize.

Any respectable tomates à la provençale takes a minimum of 2 to 3 hours to cook. It illustrates the French saying laisser le temps aux temps (Give the time, some time). Thus the real recipe is rarely served in restaurants, but only at homes in Provence. Everyone celebrates the ingredients and the experience it takes to get it just right.

I identify with this respect for food and tradition. I would be honored to be able to show how Italian kitchens continue to exemplify this culture.