If there is no BBQ available,  ground beef will do very well in “tomates farcies” or stuffed tomatoes, a perfectly healthy dish for a student budget.

You need two small to medium size tomatoes per person. A large one would work too but the cooking time will be longer. First cut off the top of the tomatoes,  remove all the pulp inside and save it in a pot.

Make the stuffing in a bowl with  half a small onion sliced very fine, one clove crushed garlic, 250 gr extra lean ground beef, or better bison, one egg, one quarter cup fine bread crumbs, one tbsp balsamic, a little bit of Worcestershire sauce, five sprigs of chopped parsley, thyme, salt and pepper. Mix well. Fill the tomatoes with the stuffing, put the cap back on and bake on 360 for 40 minutes. The stuffing will remain very moist inside the tomatoes. My stuffing was just right to fill five tomatoes. It does not matter if you overfill a bit.

I like to serve this on a bed of rice. So add 2 tbsp olive oil, half a sliced onion to the pulp of the tomatoes, cook on low for 5 minutes, add a cup of jasmine rice, stir for 2 minutes, then add 4 cups water. Stir once, cook open. When there is almost no water left,  stir again, cover and turn down to lowest setting for 5 minutes more. You can present the tomatoes on a bed of rice for a fully balanced meal.

Made by my brother with tomatoes from Provence