At the Bloomingdale farmers market Saturday, these heirloom tomatoes caught my eye.  The tomato pusher told me they're rather hollow on the inside and popular for stuffing.  I'm ashamed to admit that I failed to make note of both the name of the tomatoes and the name of the tomato pusher who sold them to me.  Instead, my mind wandered to the baby leeks I had bought moments earlier from the 7th Street Garden stand . . . and then to the coolers full of sausage at the Truck Patch Farm stand across the way, which were staring me in the face.  The seed for sausage and leek stuffed tomatoes was planted.  So I bought a few of the tomatoes, then wandered across the way and bought some pork sage sausage and started plotting how I'd do it.

I learned yesterday from a reliable source that this heirloom tomato is known both as Tigerella and Mr. Stripey. How cool are those names?

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 pound ground pork sage sausage*
• 4 baby leeks*, cleaned thoroughly and cut into 1/2" pieces, using the entire white portion and as much of the green tops as have a tender, sweet onion-y flavor raw (see note in instructions below)
• 4 medium-sized stuffable tomatoes*, like the Tigerella / Mr. Stripey tomatoes pictured above
• 1 oz. Parmesan, freshly grated
• freshly ground black pepper
• some fresh basil* for garnish

1. Add the olive oil to a skillet over medium heat and sauté the sausage and leeks together in the skillet, covered, until the sausage is browned and cooked thoroughly (10-15 minutes).  Most leek recipes call for using only the white lower portion of the leek.  I find that, though the green tops of supermarket leeks are often tough and leathery, the green tops of farmers market leeks—at least the portion closer to the white portion—are often tender and sweet and entirely edible.  So use your own judgment.
2. Cut the tops off the tomatoes, as pictured above.  Gut the tomatoes gently with a small spoon.  (Snack on the tomato guts while waiting for the sausage and leeks to cook).  If you've got some basil, poke a whole in the tops of the tomatoes and stick some basil in it.  I used seedling basil from my windowsill.
3. When the sausage and leeks are done cooking, mix in the grated Parmesan and season to taste with black pepper.  The sausage I used was plenty salty on its own, so no addition of salt was necessary.
4. Stuff the tomatoes and serve on a bed of greens.

You may be wondering why I didn't roast these stuffed tomatoes—as most stuffed tomatoes are usually roasted.  Two reasons.  First, the tomatoes were so beautiful and firm yet perfectly ripe, I just couldn't imagine subjecting them to heat.  Second, I didn't feel like heating up the oven on a hot, hot summer evening.

This dish is simple and delicious . . .  took well under 30 minutes to prepare.  When I do it again, I might drizzle the stuffed tomatoes plated on the greens with a balsamic reduction, but otherwise I wouldn't change a thing.  This recipe's a keeper.