Today my Nonna showed me how to make these gorgeous tomatoes stuffed with rice. She was actually surprised when I told her that her recipe was naturally vegan and gluten-free. These are simple to make and look quite impressive too! This would be great idea for a dinner party when you want to show off some culinary skills while offering something that hopefully all of your guests can eat.
Ingredients:
Makes 12 stuffed tomatoes
- 12 tomatoes- must be ripe, round, and large
- 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2/3 cup white wine
- 2-4 cloves of garlic, depending on taste
- a handful of basil
- a handful of parsley
- 3/4 cup Arborio rice
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
Instructions:
- Wash the tomatoes, removing any stems.
- Turn the tomatoes upside down (so they are more stable) and slice off a thin piece at the top. Set the tops of the tomatoes to the side.
- Using a knife and spoon, empty the insides of the tomatoes into a medium-sized pot.
- Once all of the tomatoes resemble bowls, lightly salt them on the inside and turn them upside down onto a plate for a few minutes to get rid of excess water.
- While this is happening, add the olive oil, white wine, finely chopped garlic, hand-torn basil and parsely, rice, salt and pepper to the pot with the tomatoes’ insides.
- Mix everything well and place on medium heat. Let it boil for just a few minutes before removing it from the heat to cool. The rice doesn’t need to cook all the way because it will cook in the oven.
- While waiting for the rice to cool, preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
- Once the rice has cooled, mix it well and fill the tomatoes. Place the tops of the tomatoes back on each tomato.
- Bake in the oven for approximately 20-30 minutes.
- Enjoy!