There aren’t many dishes that offer such a complete cooking experience – colorful, comforting, and with the flavor of a seaside vacation. These stuffed tomatoes are not just another version of a Middle Eastern classic, but a recipe inspired by Greece with a fresh, seasoned, and precise twist that fills the kitchen with aromas of home and sunshine.
The filling is rich, warm, and slightly sweet, with soft rice, herbs, pomegranate concentrate, and cinnamon that add a deep Mediterranean touch. The tomatoes themselves keep their shape in the oven, and the bite that combines the sauce, filling, and crumbled feta on top – is nothing short of perfect.
Ingredients:
For the filling:
2.5 cups jasmine or basmati rice
1 large onion, chopped
12–15 ripe tomatoes
3 tablespoons pomegranate concentrate
½ cup chopped parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
½ tablespoon sweet paprika
1 flat tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon crushed garlic
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
For the sauce:
2 potatoes, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
2 tablespoons pomegranate concentrate
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups water
½ cup olive oil
Juice from one lemon
For serving:
A cube of feta cheese, crumbled
Preparation:
1. Cut a “lid” off each tomato and gently scoop out the inside into a bowl.
2. Rinse the rice, soak it in boiling water for half an hour, then drain and transfer to the same bowl with the tomato pulp.
3. Add the rest of the filling ingredients and mix well.
4. Fill each tomato to about ¾ full and close with its “lid.”
5. Line a wide pot or deep baking dish with the potato slices and arrange the stuffed tomatoes on top.
6. Mix all the sauce ingredients and pour a spoonful of sauce into each tomato. Pour the remaining sauce around them.
7. Cover well with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes in a preheated oven at 180°C. Remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes until everything is golden and fragrant.
8. Sprinkle feta cheese on top and serve with love.
Ines Shilat Yanai, in collaboration with Sugat