Tomatoes with Rice Filling

Ingredients

• 800 g beef tomato (4 beef tomatoes)
• 1 tsp cold pressed olive oil
• chives rings (for garnish)
• butter (for the baking dish)
• 50 g finely chopped onions
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 1 bay leaf
• 100 g long grain rice
• 30 g carrot slice (1 mm thick)
• 30 g celery (cut into 2 mm thick pieces)
• 30 g zucchini (in 2 mm thick slices)
• 30 g frozen peas
• 2 tsp sour cream
• 75 g finely grated Gruyère cheese
• Salt
• ground white pepper
• 50 g finely chopped onions
• 2 finely chopped garlic cloves
• 2 thyme sprigs
• 3 tsp olive oil
• 4 finely diced beef tomatoes
• 100 g tomato paste
• 1 pinch sugar
• Salt
• ground white pepper

Instructions

1. 1.

   Step 1: Wash the beef tomatoes and pat them dry. From each tomato, cut off about a third of the stem end as a lid and set aside. Carefully hollow out the lower two thirds with a spoon and reserve the flesh in a bowl.

2. 2.

   Step 2: For the tomato sauce, sauté the garlic with thyme in olive oil. Add the tomato pieces and tomato paste and cook until the tomatoes soften. Add 400 ml water, season with salt and pepper, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust with salt and sugar if needed. Blend the mixture, strain through a sieve if desired, then set aside.

3. 3.

   Step 3: For the filling, sauté onions with bay leaf and thyme in butter until translucent. Add rice and cook for 1 minute, then pour in 200 ml water, add carrot slices and 150 g of reserved tomato flesh. Season with salt and pepper.

4. 4.

   Step 4: Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer while stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes.

5. 5.

   Step 5: Add celery and zucchini slices, stir in peas, and simmer for about 15 minutes.

6. 6.

   Step 6: Stir in crème fraîche and grated cheese, taste the filling mixture. Preheat oven to 180 °C.

7. 7.

   Step 7: Fill the hollowed beef tomatoes with the rice mixture and place tomato lids on top. Arrange filled tomatoes in a lightly greased baking dish.

8. 8.

   Step 8: Drizzle olive oil over the tomatoes and bake for about 20 minutes on the middle rack. Warm the tomato sauce just before serving. To serve, spread some sauce on warmed plates, place one filled tomato on each, and garnish with chives rings.