Baked, Stuffed Tomatoes

Recipe No. 643 from the U.S. Army’s WWII cookbook — Vegetables. Quantities are exactly as printed, for 100 servings; a scaled-down 8-serving version is in the notes.

Ingredients

Tomatoes — 100 tomatoes

• Peppers, green, chopped — 1 pound (1 No. 56 dipper)
• Onions, chopped — 8 ounces (½ No. 56 dipper)
• Parsley, chopped — 1½ ounces (8 mess kit spoons)
• Bacon, diced — 2 pounds
• Butter, melted — 1 pound (½ No. 56 dipper)
• Bread crumbs, moist — 3 pounds (6 No. 56 dippers)
• Salt — 1½ ounces (3 mess kit spoons)
• Pepper — (⅓ mess kit spoon)

Directions

1. Wash tomatoes. Cut piece from top of each tomato; scoop out pulp.
2. Fry green peppers, onions, parsley and bacon together.
3. Pour butter over crumbs; combine crumbs, green pepper and bacon mixture, salt, pepper and tomato pulp. Mix well.
4. Fill tomatoes with mixture.
5. Bake in moderate oven (350° F.) about 20 to 30 minutes or until tender but not soft.

Notes

SCALED TO 8 SERVINGS (the original is ÷12.5): Tomatoes — 8 tomatoes Peppers, green, chopped — 1¼ oz Onions, chopped — ⅔ oz Parsley, chopped — about ¾ tsp Bacon, diced — 2½ oz Butter, melted — 1¼ oz Bread crumbs, moist — 3¾ oz Salt — about ¾ tsp Pepper — scale to taste ((⅓ mess kit spoon))

— TM 10-412, Army Recipes (War Department, 15 August 1944), recipe No. 643, Vegetables. Army measures: 1 No. 56 dipper = 1 qt; 1 No. 55 dipper = 1¾ qt; 1 mess kit cup = 1½ pints.