Home > News > Dream of Italy Newsletters > Newsletter Archive > September 2013 Newsletter > Tomatoes Stuffed With Basil, White Wine & Rice

Tomatoes Stuffed With Basil, White Wine & Rice

Makes

6 Tomatoes

Ingredients:

6 large, ripe, bright red, vine ripened tomatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup Arborio rice

1 clove garlic, peeled

Generous pinch flaky sea salt and freshly ground pepper (fresh pepper packs a tremendous difference, as in last month's recipe)

Handful of fresh basil leaves

1 cup white wine or water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 150^o C.

Turn tomatoes upside down and slice the bottom of each most of the way through so that a flap about the size of a soft-drink bottle top is formed. Squeeze the flesh of each tomato into a sieve over a small bowl, being extra careful not to split the skin. Squish the pulp and seeds into the sieve using the back of a spoon and reserve the juice. Discard the pulp.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the rice and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring to coat each grain of rice in oil. Remove the garlic. Add the strained tomato liquid and season with salt and pepper. Tear the basil into the mixture, then remove the pan from the heat.
Jo Seagar Italia Cookbook

Divide the mixture between the tomato shells and place the stuffed tomatoes in a shallow roasting dish, Top up each with white wine or water. Close the lids and bake for approximately 1 hour until the rice has swelled and filled the tomato with risotto.

You may need to top up the tomatoes with extra wine during cooking as the rice absorbs the liquid.

Serve as a side dish or with a few rocket leaves as a vegetable course. Perfect with crusty bread for lunch.

Recipe courtesy of Jo Seagar's fantastic cookbook Italia.

Italia is a beautiful book, we even have it for sale for NZ $39.50 here on the website! Find it here