RICE STUFFED TOMATOES – Recipe by Piero Benigni – This is a classic of Italian cuisine, with many regional variations in both preparation and cooking. In this recipe of my own they are tasty, easy and with a sure outcome. The rice is partially cooked in the blended pulp with the help of some stock in a risotto-like manner. After stuffing the tomatoes, final cooking in done the oven.
Ingredients for 2 persons
- 6tomatoes (4 to 6 pcs depending on size)
- 6 spoonscarnaroli rice
- 1 clovegarlic
- 60 gscamorza cheese (2 oz)
- 4 spoonsolive oil
- 30 gpecorino cheese (or Parmesan, grated, 1 oz)
- 900 mlvegetable broth (1 qt)
- 2 spoonstomato sauce (1 oz)
Tools for the rice stuffed tomatoes
- Cooker
- Oven
- Chopping Board
- Knife
- Baking Dish
- Scale
- Bowl
- Spoon
- Teaspoon
- Casserole
- Pot
- Wooden Spoon
Getting ready
Prepare 900 ml (1 qt) of vegetable stock and check that it is perfectly salted. Cross cut tomatoes and save cups. Gently remove the pulp with a teaspoon and put it in a bowl, trying to eliminate the seeds. Be very careful not to break trough the shells. Salt shells inside and put upside down for half an hour to make them drop the contained water.
Meanwhile blend the pulp with the hand blender. Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the casserole, put over a medium flame and add the chopped garlic, the blended pulp, 2 spoons of tomato sauce and the rice. Start cooking and stir often. When rice is near to dry add a ladle of simmering stock, stir and adjust flame to a gentle simmering. When the stock is near fully absorbed add one more ladle and so on, until the rice is al dente and rather dry. If you run out of stock, continue with hot water. Turn off the flame, add the grated cheese, stir well and let cool until lukewarm.
Put some salt inside the shells and start gently stuffing them with a spoon, adding small pieces of cheese to the rice as shown in the picture. As a variant in stuffing you can also add some chopped ham (or sausage, salsiccia or bacon). Let your imagination run free.
Cooking the rice stuffed tomatoes
Fill tomatoes a little over the edge and place cups on top. Arrange them in a baking dish. This should be large enough to accommodate them side by side, so that they do not fall sideways during cooking. Pour 2 spoons of olive oil on bottom.
Put in pre-heated oven at 180 °C (350°F), not fan assisted, heat above and below, position halfway up. Cook for 40-50 minutes or until you see that outer skin and caps have shrivelled up, sign of perfect cooking. These tomatoes can be served hot, lukewarm and even cold in the summer. They last 3 days in the fridge and can also be frozen with a 3 months life in the freezer.