Stuffed Tomatoes
Tomatoes are at their best right now and so they're all I want to eat. After making every possible version of tomato salad all summer, I was in the mood for something else this weekend. These stuffed tomatoes are made with short-grain rice, plenty of herbs and spices and are filled with feta. A really good 'make ahead, take them straight from the fridge to the oven' sort of dinner for a long weekend. I make these all summer long when tomatoes are at their best.
A few tomatoes (I used huge beef-heart ones last night and smaller vine tomatoes today)
200g of short-grain rice
1 small onion, finely chopped
A good glug of olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
A huge handful each of chopped dill, parsley and mint
Half a teaspoon each of fennel seeds, cinnamon, and chilli flakes
A few bay leaves
1 heaped teaspoon of salt
A block of feta, crumbled (you can leave this out if you fancy)
The zest and juice of half a lemon
Start by hollowing out your tomatoes. Slice the top off each with a bread knife and then scoop out the centre. I use a melon baller as its sharp edges make it so easy. Keep everything from inside the tomato and add it into a blender with a splash of water and blitz until smooth. Put the tomatoes to one side as you make the rice. Saute the onion in the olive oil until it starts to catch some colour, add in the garlic, fennel seeds, cinnamon and chilli flakes and cook until fragrant for a minute or so.
Pour in the tomato puree from the blender and stir. Add the bay leaf and salt and let this simmer as you wash your rice. Add in the rice and depending on how much liquid your tomatoes have, another splash of water so you've got about 3cm of liquid above the top of the rice in the pot. Bring it to a boil and then turn it down low and put the lid on.
Cook for about 10-15 minutes until tender on the outside with just a little bite left in the centre. When the rice is done, stir through the herbs, lemon zest and juice and let it cool a little. Stuff each tomato with the rice mix and fill the centre of each with the crumbled feta. Pop the lids of the tomatoes back on, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and roast for 45 minutes at 180C.
