Stuffed Tomatoes

Stuffed tomatoes are a versatile dish and can be prepared in many different ways. The version I present to you now is an Italian interpretation of this dish that can be served as a starter or a side. Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

• 6 firm but ripe tomatoes
• 100 g of Arborio or Carnaroli rice
• 2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese
• Chopped fresh parsley
• Chopped fresh basil
• 1 clove of garlic
• 100 g of mozzarella (or other cheese of your choice)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Extra virgin olive oil

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
2. Wash the tomatoes and cut the top off to create a “cap”. Use a teaspoon to gently scoop out the inner pulp of the tomatoes, taking care not to break the skin.
3. In a bowl, mix the uncooked rice with the grated Parmesan, chopped herbs, finely minced garlic, salt, and pepper. You can also add some of the chopped tomato pulp.
4. Cut the mozzarella (or other chosen cheese) into small cubes and incorporate it into the rice mixture.
5. Fill the hollowed-out tomatoes with the rice and cheese mixture.
6. Place the caps on the stuffed tomatoes and drizzle some extra virgin olive oil over each tomato.
7. Put the tomatoes in a lightly oiled baking dish and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the rice is soft and the tomatoes are slightly browned.

Trivia

Stuffed tomatoes are a typical preparation of Italian home cooking. They can easily be modified to accompany main dishes of meat or fish and are a great way to use ripe tomatoes. In some variants, minced meat or tuna is added to the stuffing for a higher protein content.