FOOD FRIDAY - STUFFED TOMATOES

“It’s difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato.” - Lewis Grizzard
 
For Food Friday a traditional vegetarian Summer dish from Greece. This is a delicious and filling meal, best served with some crusty bread, a full bodied, hard, yellow cheese and some red wine.
 
Domátes Yemistés (Stuffed Tomatoes) 
Ingredients
8-10 very ripe, round tomatoes (garden grown if possible)
10 tablespoons calrose rice
2 medium onions, finely grated
½ cup fresh, chopped parsley
½ cup fresh, chopped spearmint
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted in olive oil
1 cup olive oil
½ cup breadcrumbs
½ cup grated parmesan
2 potatoes, peeled and cut in small scalloped pieces
½ cup butter
1 glassful of vegetable stock
Salt, pepper
Pinch of cinnamon and pinch of cumin 

Method 
Wash and dry the tomatoes. Cut the tops off, about 0.5 cm down and retain the tops. Empty the flesh of the tomato out with a teaspoon, taking care not to damage the skin, so that you have an empty tomato shell, about 0.5 cm thick all around. Retain the tomato flesh in a bowl. Dust the inside of each tomato with salt and pepper. Put the flesh of the tomato in a food processor and process until reduced to a pulp.
In a frying pan, put half a cup of olive oil and brown the grated onion, adding the rice, once onion is golden. Stir through and add the pine nuts, followed by the spices. Add the tomato pulp and chopped herbs and stir through. Remove from the fire.
Fill the tomato shells with the rice mixture until they are ¾ full. Put the tops of the tomatoes on the stuffed tomatoes and place carefully in a deep baking pan, side by side. Place the potato pieces in between the tomatoes and dot with dobs of butter. Add the stock and pour a little olive oil on top of each tomato. Sprinkle with the breadcrumb/parmesan mixture.
Bake for about 70-75 minutes at 180˚C, until the tomatoes are very tender and the rice is cooked.

This post is part of the Food Friday meme,
and also part of the Food Trip Friday meme.