Baked Stuffed Tomatoes paella Style |
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Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cook Time: 15 Minutes |
Ready In: 45 Minutes Servings: 6 |
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By Simon Hopkinson, Sainsbury's magazine Nov '09. Another one saved on here for safe-keeping! You can stuff the tomatoes, ready to be baked, a few hours ahead. Prep doesn't include soaking time. Ingredients:
8 firm ripe, medium tomatoes |
1/2 small green pepper, deseeded, pith removed and coarsely chopped |
4 garlic cloves, crushed |
1 large pinch of crushed dried chili pepper flakes |
1 handful flat leaf parsley |
1 teaspoon spanish paprika |
1 teaspoon saffron thread, steeped in 1tbsp boiling water |
125 ml olive oil, plus a little more, if liked |
75 g carnaroli rice |
maldon sea salt |
Directions:
1. Remove the stalks from the tomatoes and then turn them over. Using a small, sharp knife, slice horizontally through about a fifth of the way down the tomato, to give 8 little caps. Reserve these for later. Using a teaspoon, carefully scoop out all of the tomato innards into a bowl.
2. Place the hollowed-out shells in a roasting dish that will accommodate them snugly. Put the green pepper, garlic, chilli, parsley, paprika and infused saffron (with its water) into a food processor and pulse until the ingredients are evenly but coarsely chopped. Now tip in the tomato pulp with 100ml of the olive oil and process further until the entire mixture is a sloppy, seedy, and oily tomato pap, with the other solids now more finely processed and in suspension.
3. Put the rice into the bowl that previously held the tomato pulp and pour over the tomato pap. Mix well and season with sea salt to taste. Leave to soak for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Preheat the oven to 200C, fan 180C, gas 6.
4. Fill the tomatoes with the rice mixture. Don't be tempted to over-fill - there may be a little left over - but do make sure that as much liquid as possible is included, even if it overflows into the dish. Replace the little caps on the tomatoes and trickle over the remaining oil (plus a little more, if you like).
5. Bake in the oven (with any extra rice in a dish alongside) for about 45 minutes, turning the heat down a touch if the tomatoes are browning too much - but browned and blistered they certainly must be! Taste a little of the rice to make sure it is fully cooked, although it will also continue to swell and tenderise as it cools. Serve at room temperature, for preference, basting well with the juices and oil just before serving.
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