1: Peel 4 tomatoes, then cut out and discard the hard stalk end.
2: Cut the tomatoes in half horizontally.
3: Sprinkle the tops with fine salt, then turn upside down and stand on a wire rack. Salt the bottoms and leave to drain for a good half hour.
4: Prepare the stuffing by blending together 30 g parsley (leaves only), 1 garlic clove (peeled), 1 tablespoon herbes de Provence, 50 g breadcrumbs, salt and pepper. This will give you a nice green crumbly mixture or thick paste. Set aside.
5: Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C). Butter a gratin dish and spread the 500 g cooked rice evenly in the bottom. Pour 4 tablespoons olive oil over to stop it drying out too much in the oven.
6: Pour 2 tablespoons olive oil into a frying pan on high heat. When good and hot, add the tomato halves, cut side downwards. Fry for 2 or 3 minutes on this side.
7: Turn the tomatoes and fry for a further 2 or 3 minutes.
8: Sit the tomatoes on the rice.
9: Top each tomato with a generous layer of the stuffing mixture, then trickle a little olive oil over.
10: Bake for about 30 minutes.
11: Serve 2 tomato halves per person on a bed of rice.
Remarks
In stage 5, it works well if you use meat juices or a little stock in place of the olive oil.