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Roman stuffed tomatoes
Serves 4 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 4 large ripe tomatoes
- 16 basil leaves
- 1tsp salt
- 2tbsp olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
- 200g risotto rice
- 4 small garlic cloves
Method
Preheat the oven to 175C/
155C F/Gas 3. Cut off and
reserve the tops of the
tomatoes, then scoop out the
flesh. Use a food mill to crush
the contents into a bowl to
remove pips and hard bits,
keeping the shells intact.
Alternatively, run the pulp
through a fine sieve with
a wooden spoon.
Shred the basil leaves finely
and stir these into the pulp
with the salt, 2tbsp olive oil and a couple of grinds of black
pepper – the rice will absorb
and knock back the flavour, so it
needs to be properly seasoned.
Add the rice to the tomato pulp, then simmer in a pan for 6 minutes. Set aside to cool a little, then divide the mix evenly among the tomato shells, making sure not to overfill.
Tuck a small garlic clove into each tomato and top with the lid. Place them in a baking dish and drizzle everything with olive oil. Bake in the oven for 50–60 minutes, then remove and leave to cool a little before removing the garlic cloves. Serve warm or at room temperature.
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