Stuffed tomatoes

A typical dinner Greek families have year around is stuffed tomatoes.  It feeds easily a large family, it is inexpensive and tasty and it is prepared with healthy ingredients available locally and characteristic of the Mediterranean diet.

Ingredients 

10 ripe tomatoes

1/4 cup olive oil

1 small eggplant finely chopped

1 small green pepper finely chopped

4 small onions finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic chopped

10 tablespoons of Carolina rice

Potatoes

Parsley, salt and pepper, breadcrumbs,

Parmesan, raisins, pine nuts, oregano (optional)  

Directions

Preheat oven to 190°C (350F). Slice tops off tomatoes and put them aside. Scoop out tomato pulp and seeds, being careful not to break tomato shells.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Brown the onions and garlic, add the tomato pulp and stir for 2 minutes.  Add the chopped eggplant to the tomato/onion/garlic mix and cook for 2 minutes. Add the 10 tablespoons of rice to the mix, stirring for two minutes.  Season the mix with salt and pepper to taste. Add chopped parsley.  Add half a cup of raisins and pine nuts and stir for another minute.  Add breadcrumbs, Parmesan, oregano to taste. Stir to combine. Remove from heat.

Fill each tomato with the mix. Place tomato tops over filled tomatoes. Place cut potatoes in spaces in between the tomatoes with remaining mix.  Drizzle tomatoes and potatoes with olive oil.  Place the pan with tomatoes in the oven and bake at 190°C for 90 minutes or until tomatoes become wrinkled. Take the pan out let them cool for while, serve and enjoy.   Bon appetite!