1 large head cold Romaine lettuce, shredded
1 dozen Grade A large eggs, boiled and peeled
1-1/2 heaping cups real mayonnaise (or as much as desired)
3/4 cup mixed vegetable seasonings (onions, celery, shallots, parsley), finely chopped
1/2 cup extra celery, as desired, ultra-small diced
2 teaspoons Frank Davis Sprinkling Spice or Cajun seasoning to taste
Sea salt and fresh-ground black pepper as desired
6 large ripe genuine Creole tomatoes, refrigerated
1 cup crispy rendered bacon, chopped to garnish consistency
Paprika to sprinkle over each stuffed tomato
Finely minced parsley as a final garnish
Your favorite salad dressing, if desired
First, wash, dry, and shred the head of Romaine lettuce and spread it out evenly over a large serving platter. When the platter has been prepped, refrigerate it until time to stuff the tomatoes.
In the meanwhile, place the boiled eggs on the kitchen counter. Then, using an egg slicer, cross-cut 6 of the whole eggs into a large mixing bowl (I prefer stainless steel because it keeps the finished egg salad colder than its glass equivalent and is non reactive with the mayonnaise).
Then take the remaining 6 eggs and coarsely chop them into the same bowl—this gives you a mixed consistency (fine and coarse) which results in an egg salad with discernable texture.
Next add to the chopped eggs the salad fixin’ ingredients—the mayo, vegetable seasonings, extra celery, Sprinkling Spice or Cajun seasoning, and the sea salt and black pepper. Then with a chef’s spoon or rubber spatula, begin combining the ingredients and the chopped eggs until the consistency is uniform and silky smooth.
It’s at this time that you remove the chilled tomatoes from the ‘fridge. Then with a thin-bladed tomato knife, remove the tops by cutting through the upper portion of the tomatoes on a 45-degree angle, much as you would cut the top off a Halloween jack-o-lantern. When all the tops are removed, use a melon baller to completely remove the insides of each tomato, hollowing out the entire center globe.
And now you can begin filling each globe with the egg salad, judging the quantity as you stuff to make certain they’re all filled equally.
When all the tomatoes are completely stuffed, place them on the chilled, lettuce-filled platter. Then liberally sprinkle each one with paprika and drizzle on the chopped bacon and the final parsley garnish. Either serve immediately atop the lettuce, tossed with salad dressing and accompanied by a bowl of Tortillo chips or Frito corn chips, or. . .re-chill the tomatoes again and serve later as a primary cold entrée.
It’s a crisp, clean, light, and refreshing taste of summertime. And your kitchen stays cool!
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Chef’s Notes:
1. To cross-cut an egg, place it into an egg slicer and press down on the wire lid. Then give the egg a quarter turn and press down on it again.
2. You can discard the tomato tops, but I suggest you save the tomato innards in a plastic bag, stash the bag in the freezer, and use the tomato debris in Italian red gravy, redfish courtbouillion, or homemade tomato and bacon dressing.
