Sunday is my Farmers’ Market day. Can’t wait.
In particular, I’m looking for peak-of-the-season tomatoes. In recent weeks the vendors at my market have artfully arranged mounds of all sorts of beautiful tomatoes on their tables in colors ranging from bright golden yellow flecked with Christmassy red to a green that would make Kermit the Frog sit up and take notice.I’m particularly fond of those large flat multi-colored tomatoes. Few things are as pretty on a galette than an arrangement of multi-colored tomato slices. Here is one we previously featured on Blue Cayenne. You can find the recipe if you follow this link Tomato Galette.
This summer, I’m also in love with the black cherry tomatoes like the ones shown in the background photo below; I think they are a variety called Indigo Rose. There also is an abundance of tomatoes this year (see front right of the photo below) with intense dark red flesh; they are a small to medium sized tomato that is deep red with some black on the tomato’s “shoulders” by the stem. The Farmers’ Market vendor I buy tomatoes from says they are called Black Krim.
Scientists seem to be of a mind that intensely-colored fruits and vegetables (like these tomatoes) are good for our health. In fact, the site Science Insights says of black tomatoes: “A black tomato is a tomato variety whose skin turns deep purple, mahogany, or near-black due to high levels of anthocyanins, the same pigments that give blueberries, eggplant, and red cabbage their dark color. Despite the dramatic exterior, the flesh inside is typically red or dark red, and the taste is often described as richer and more complex than a standard red tomato. Black tomatoes aren’t genetically modified. Most come from traditional crossbreeding between cultivated tomatoes and wild species that naturally produce anthocyanins in their fruit.”
“Richer and more complex” flavor? I’m definitely “in.”
My plan for this week’s buy is to make an arborio rice-stuffed tomato bake on a bed of waxy Yukon Gold potatoes. I love this recipe because it allows the tomato taste to shine with little significant interference from the bland accompaniments–the rice and the potatoes. Served with a pretty tossed green salad,these stuffed tomatoes make a substantial main dish or they can be served alongside a main dish of your choice.
This recipe is from Leah Koenig’s Portico cookbook. You can order the cookbook through your local bookstore or on Amazon here,
Here is the recipe as I prepared it in my kitchen.
Stuffed Tomatoes With Rice
Ingredients
- 1/2 C. Arborio rice
- 8 medium ripe tomatoes
- 1/4 C. extra virgin olive oil
- 3 medium garlic cloves
- 2 T. fresh basil (chopped)
- Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper
- 2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes (peeled, halved and cut into wedges)
- Freshly-grated Parmesan
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Step 2 Fill a small saucepan about half full of water. Bring water to a boil. Add rice. Reduce heat to medium-high and cook for 5-7 minutes until rice begins to soften. Stir rice while it cooks. Remove from heat, drain and let cool.
- Step 3 Cut the tops off the tomatoes and set the tops aside. Use a sharp spoon to remove pulp from insides of tomato bottoms being careful to leave about 1/4 inch of tomato (and tomato skin) undisturbed. Transfer the tomato pulp to your processor. You should have about a cup and a half of pulp. Process briefly. You want the tomato pulp mixture to be a bit chunky.
- Step 4 Put processed tomato pulp in a bowl with the partially-cooked rice, olive oil,chopped basil, 1 t. salt, 1/2 t. pepper, and garlic. Stir to combine.
- Step 5 Peel and quarter the potato. Put the potato in the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch pan. Drizzle potato wedges generously with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Step 6 Arrange tomato shells on top of the potato wedges, filling each tomato with the rice mixture. Top each tomato with one of the tomato caps you have reserved. Place the tomatoes filled side up on top of the potatoes. Cover with foil and bake for about 1 hour. You want the tomatoes to be hot and to begin to collapse. You also want the potatoes to be cooked through and creamy. Uncover the dish and bake for another 20 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven and let it cool on the counter for about 30 minutes.
- Step 7 Serve warm or at room temperature. Garnish with more fresh basil and a generous dusting of Parmesan.
