1 1/4 c Water
1/2 c Rice; long grain
6 Tomato; firm, ripe,
-3 inches in diameter
2 ts Salt
6 tb Olive oil
1/2 c Onion; minced
3/4 c Tomato puree; canned
1/2 c Parsley; finely chopped,
-prefer flat leaf parsley
2 tb Fresh mint; chopped
2 ts Garlic; finely chopped
1/4 ts Oregano; crumbled
Black pepper; freshly ground
Baked Tomatoes Stuffed with Rice: In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup
of water to a boil over high heat. Pour in the rice in a slow thin
stream, stir once or twice, and cook briskly uncovered for 8
minutes, or until the rice is softened but still somewhat
resistant to the bite. Drain the rice in a sieve and set aside.
Cut a 1/4 inch slice off the stem ends of the tomatoes and set
aside. With a spoon, hollow out the tomatoes, remove the inner
pulp and discard the seeds. Chop the pulp and set it aside.
Sprinkle the tomato cavities with 1 teaspoon of salt and turn them
upside down on paper towels to drain.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Make the stuffing: in a heavy skillet,
heat the oil over medium heat until a light haze forms above it.
Add the onions and, stirring frequently, cook for 5 minutes, or
until they are soft and transparent but not brown. Stir in the
rice, tomato pulp, 1/2 cup of the tomato puree, the parsley, mint,
garlic, oregano, the remaining teaspoon of salt and a few
grindings of pepper. Stirring constantly, cook until most of the
liquid in the pan evaporates and the mixture is thick enough to
hold ts shape almost solidly in the spoon.
Arrange the tomatoes, cut side up, in a baking dish large enough
to hold them side by side. Fill the tomatoes with the stuffing,
packing firmly and cover each tomato with its reserved top.
Combine the remaining 1/4 of tomato puree with the remaining 1/4
cup of water and pour the mixture around the tomatoes. Bake
uncovered in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes, basting the
tomatoes once or twice with the cooking liquid. Cool to room
temperature and serve the tomatoes directly from the baking dish.
