Stuffing tomatoes isn’t an original idea, but it is a tasty one. I like stuffed tomatoes much better than stuffed peppers. They’re pretty quick and easy to make, especially if you have some leftover grains lying around. While fresh, uncooked tomatoes are one of the joys of summer, I also love what happens to tomatoes when they get baked or roasted: they get even sweeter, and juicier, and their smell fills up the whole house.
One big tomato per person makes a good, light meal. It’s easy to overestimate the amount of filling you’ll need, but if you end up with extra, you can save it for a snack on its own.
This recipe is totally flexible: the type of tomato, the grains, the other elements of the filling, are all up to you Experiment. Have fun. My only caveat is to make sure the filling has a good consistency: moist, but not wet. Too dry, and it’ll dry out or burn. Too wet, and it will get soggy and might fall apart. Other than that, you can include choppings of other veggies, cheese, herbs, whatever you like. I made mine with quinoa and herbed bovre (a soft, crumbly cheese I got at the farmer’s market). I can imagine using rice, couscous, small pasta, bulghur, or even lentils for the main substance of the filling. Be creative, because the sky’s the limit.
- Cook your grains, if they aren’t already cooked.
- Rinse and core tomatoes. Cut them in half – if possible, cut them so they will sit flat.
- With a spoon, carefully scoop out the flesh of the tomatoes, being careful to leave enough flesh around the outside to hold it together.
- Add the juice you’ve scooped out into the filling, if they it take extra liquid. (Or, use the juice as the cooking liquid for the grains!) Then chop the tomato flesh and add it to the filling.
- Add whatever other ingredients you want to the filling.
- Put the tomato halves on a tray, and scoop the filling into them until they are full and then some. Sprinkle a little cheese on top if you like.
- Bake at a high temperature, or broil, until the top of the filling browns a little. Remove them carefully from the tray, so they don’t collapse!
- Enjoy!