12 Firm, ripe tomatoes
Salt
Granulated sugar
3 tb Olive oil or butter
1 md Onion; finely chopped
2 cl Garlic; chopped
1/4 c Fresh parsley; chopped
1/2 lb Lean lamb or veal; ground
1/4 c Dry white wine
1/4 c Water
6 tb Raw long-grain white rice
Tomato juice (if necessary)
Freshly ground pepper
2 Fresh mint or basil sprigs
1 pn Grated nutmeg
Wash the tomatoes, then turn each stem-side down, and with a sharp
knife carefully cut the end now up to make an opening or "cap" being
careful not to detach the cap entirely. With a small spoon,
carefully, without breaking the outer skin of the tomatoes, scoop the
pulp into a bowl. Place the tomato shells in a baking-serving dish
large enough to support them touching. Sprinkle the inside of the
shells with salt and sugar.
Meanwhile, prepare the stuffing. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet and
add the onions. Cook over moderate heat until soft and transparent,
then add the garlic and parsley, and blend. Add the meat, mashing
with a fork, then add the wine and water, cover, and simmer for a few
minutes. Add the rice and tomato pulp and stir. (Tomato juice may
be added if necessary, since the mixture should provide enough liquid
for the rice to absorb.) Cover the skillet and simmer about 7
minutes, then add salt, pepper, mint or basil, and nutmeg. Taste for
seasoning. Remove from heat, and fill the tomatoes up about
two-thirds of the way with the stuffing and liquid. Cover with tomato
caps, brush with oil. Bake in a moderate oven (350 F) until the rice
is tender (approximately 50 minutes to 1 hour), basting inside the
tomatoes with liquid released by them. Serve warm.
Note: For Tomatoes stuffed with Rice, use 1 1/4 cups raw long-grain
white rice instead of the meat and rice in the above recipe,
eliminate the wine, and include with the other seasonings a few
tablespoons each of black raisins and 2 tablespoons pine nuts, if
desired. Rice in baked stuffed dishes takes much longer to cook then
over a burner. Stuffed green peppers, also popular in Greece, can be
made the same way with an entirely different flavor.
From: "The Food of Greece" by Vilma Liacouras Chantiles.
Avenel Books, New York.
