Lori’s Italian Stuffed Tomatoes

 My sisters recipe. “Pomodori Repieni al Forno” is a favourite of mine. Served hot or cold they are unique and flavourful. Cold, outdoors is my favourite way to eat these, topped with a tablespoon of my best olive oil and a sprig of basil.

1 cup uncooked long grain white rice

6 tbl of extra virgin olive oil

8 large vine ripen tomatoes

1 tsp black pepper, and a little salt

6 large cloves  garlic, minced

1 large bunch finely chopped parsley

Cut the “lid” off the tomatoes and retain. Being careful the preserve the integrity of the walls of the tomatoes, hollow them out with a thin spoon. Use a tip of a sharp knife to cut at x at the centre of each tomato to make the task easier. Reserve the pulp to combine it with the garlic, salt and pepper, rice and parsley. Squeeze the pulp through your hands to break it up to smaller pieces. I use a bowl for this task. Now, fill each tomato, then add the lids. You will not be able to use up the rice mixture-no worries.

Arrange tomatoes in a Pyrex dish. Pour the olive oil over each tomatoes til all of the oil is evenly divided amougst them.

Cook at 325F for four hours. Periodically baste the liquid runoff back over the tomatoes as the cook. One or two may split while cooking, some make plenty.

Not all the rice will cook. This is normal. Try it first this way. Otherwise, the last hour, add 1 tsp water in each tomato and cover them with tin foil over the dish forming the best seal you can, the cook further.

Only through long cooking, can these tomatoes develop such a sweet and intense tomato flavour.