Baked Tomatoes Stuffed with Herbed Rice
- Salt
- 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice (3/4 pound)
- 12 medium tomatoes
- 3 anchovy fillets, mashed
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (1 1/2 ounces)
- 1 small red bell pepper, diced
- 2 tablespoons chopped basil
- 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
- Freshly ground pepper
- Preheat the oven to 350.
- In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the rice over high heat until al dente, about 15 minutes.
- Drain the rice thoroughly and transfer it to a large bowl.
- Meanwhile, cut off the top fourth of each tomato; reserve the tops.
- Using a melon baller and working over a bowl, hollow out the tomatoes.
- Pass the tomato pulp, seeds and juices through a food mill fitted with the fine disk.
- In a bowl, mash the anchovies with the butter.
- Stir the anchovy butter into the hot rice, then mix in the tomato puree, cheese, red pepper, basil and parsley.
- Season the rice and the hollowed-out tomatoes with salt and pepper.
- Stuff each tomato with 1/3 cup of the rice.
- Put the tops on the tomatoes and transfer to an oiled roasting pan.
- Bake for 30 minutes, basting with the pan juices; the tomatoes are done when they are tender and the rice is warm.
- Serve warm.
salt, arborio rice, tomatoes, anchovy, unsalted butter, cheese, red bell pepper, basil, flatleaf, freshly ground pepper
Taken from www.foodandwine.com/recipes/baked-tomatoes-stuffed-with-herbed-rice (may not work)