Tomato

This recipe is a new twist on one in The Lady & Sons Savannah Country Cookbook. Dip into the Dijon sauce with care—it’s a little on the hot side. We like to put a small dollop of roasted red pepper vinaigrette on each tomato slice.

During the winter months I recommend using canned tomatoes, but in the summer, don’t miss the chance to use vine-ripened fresh tomatoes.

Dora Charles—my head cook, my soul sister, and my friend—really puts her big toe in this dish. In fact, Fodor’s Travel Guide called it “The Best Baked Spaghetti in the South.” Go, Dora! (P.S. Dora doesn’t really put her toe in this, that’s just a Southern expression we use when someone has done a dish just right!)

This can be done with mussels and clams mixed, and you can also add shrimp at the end if you like variety.

This dish is a specialty of the South of France, but living or visiting on the coast of Georgia you are quite likely to see it offered on menus. I hope you enjoy The Lady & Sons’ version of this wonderful French dish. Feel free to add any of your favorite shellfish to the pot.