Stuffed tomatoes with ricotta and basil

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 2 onions, red
• 1 handful of olives, black
• 4 oxheart tomatoes
• 3 garlic cloves
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 2 eggs
• 250 g ricotta
• 70 g Parmesan, grated
• 1 handful of pine nuts, roasted
• ½ bunch basil
• Salt and pepper, coarse or Allspice d’Espelette

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 45 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 5 minutes

Peel the onions and cut into wedges. Wash and dry the tomatoes, then cut off the blossom end along with a small top. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (top and bottom heat). Hollow out the tomatoes and roughly chop the insides. Do not peel the garlic cloves; just press them in. Mix the garlic cloves, onion wedges, tomato flesh, a little salt, and 3 tablespoons of olive oil well. Place this mixture in an ovenproof dish and place it on the middle rack of the oven for 20 minutes. Sprinkle the hollowed-out tomatoes with salt. Separate the eggs. Mix the egg yolks with the ricotta, Parmesan, pine nuts, and the remaining olive oil, then season with salt and coarse pepper (or Piment d’Espelette). Beat the egg whites until stiff, fold them into the ricotta mixture, and carefully fill the tomatoes. Remove the tomato and onion mixture from the oven and reduce the temperature to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit). Place the stuffed tomatoes on the tomato and onion mixture. Then bake everything on the middle rack of the oven for about 30 minutes. Once the tomatoes are out of the oven, let them rest for about 15 minutes. Roughly tear the basil leaves, sprinkle them over the stuffed tomatoes, and enjoy lukewarm. Just serve with a crusty piece of bread and a glass of chilled rosé, and summer can begin.