SippitySup

Juicy Stuffed Tomatoes in the Roman Style

Rice Stuffed Tomatoes

Summer starts on June 21st! But before I start jumping through the sprinkler I’ve decided to line-up a few go-to recipes. Simple dishes that can stand alone or sit nicely beside something from the grill. I’m looking for food I can make a day ahead in the cool of the evening and turn to again and again. Juicy stuffed tomatoes in the Roman style are first on the list.

Stuffed vegetables appear on just about every antipasti table in Italy, but Pomodori con riso (tomatoes with rice) are especially beloved during the heat of a Roman summer. Of course firm but ripe summer tomatoes make the perfect little vessel and can be stuffed with just about anything. But it’s the simple Roman rice-stuffed version that grabs my attention because they are best served at room temperature, or even cold from the refrigerator. 

When it’s hot outside there’s nothing better than eating cold food.

Roman Style

These stuffed tomatoes are so simple I make them at home well before I plan to serve them. But in Rome, you’re just as likely to see great trays of them in the windows of a bakery or a rosticceria where they’re baked in the bread oven until the rice gets tender and the tomatoes just begin to slump. People pick them up on their way home from work or on their way to a cool countryside picnic. 

It’s potatoes that make this dish different from most of the stuffed tomatoes you’ve eaten in your life. Typically Roman-style stuffed tomatoes are surrounded by chunks of golden potatoes – crisp on the top and sticky from tomato juice on the bottom. That’s Roman-style. GREG

Rice Stuffed Tomatoes
Rice Stuffed Tomatoes

Baked Tomatoes Stuffed with Rice (Roman Style)

Print This Recipe Total time Yield 8Source Adapted from Rachel RoddyPublished
Baked Tomatoes Stuffed with Rice (Roman Style)

Ingredients

  • 8 firm, ripe medium tomatoes
  • kosher salt (as needed)
  • 8–10 fresh basil leaves (roughly chopped)
  • ¼ cup cup chopped shallots
  • 2 clove garlic (peeled and chopped)
  • 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (divided), plus more for drizzling
  • freshly cracked black pepper (for seasoning)
  • ½ cup arborio rice
  • 1 pound russet poatoes (peeled and cut into ½ to ¾’-inch chunks

Directions

Trim about ¾” from stem-end of each one and set ends and set each of these “caps” aside. Working over a medium bowl, use a small spoon or melon baller to carefully scoop out inner pulp without puncturing the walls of the tomatoes. Sprinkle the insides of the empty tomatoes with some salt and turn upside down on a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

Meanwhile, add the fresh basil, shallots, garlic, and ½ cup olive oil to the tomato flesh and season with salt and black pepper. Use a hand blender or food processor to puree the mixture. Add the rice, stir well and set aside for at least 45 minutes so that the rice can absorb the flavorful liquid.

Position oven rack in the top third of oven, then preheat oven to 350°.

Toss the potato chunks with the remaining ¼‑cup olive oil, sprinkle with salt and arrange them along the bottom of a shallow casserole dish or baking tray large enough to fit all the tomatoes.

Scoop a generous ¼‑cup of the saucy rice filling into the hollowed out tomatoes (there may be a little filling left over), and place a reserved tomato end on top of each stuffed tomato as a cap then nestle the tomatoes on top of the potatoes. Drizzle a little oil over tomatoes, and bake until the rice is tender and the tomatoes are wrinkled and beginning to brown but still holding their shape, about one hour and fifteen minutes. Begin checking on the tomatoes after 30 minutes, adding a splash of water only if needed to keep the bottom from burning.

Remove from oven, and set aside to cool to room temperature. Serve with a generous drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil at room temperature or, on a hot day, chilled.