Baked Tomatoes with Rice
Serves 4
8 firm, ripe medium tomatoes
½ small green pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
a large pinch of dried chilli flakes
a handful of chopped parsley
1 tsp Spanish Paprika
1 tsp saffron threads, steeped in 1 tbsp boiling water
125mls olive oil
75grms carnaroli rice
Maldon Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Remove the stalks from the tomatoes and turn them over. With a small sharp knife slice
through the tomato to give little caps, reserve these for later. With a teaspoon, scoop
out the inside of the tomatoes into a bowl. Sit the hollowed out shells in a roasting
tin.
In the food processor blitz the green pepper, garlic, chilli, parsley, paprika and
saffron. Then add the tomato pulp with 100ml of the olive oil and pulse again. Put the
rice in a bowl and add the contents of the food processor, season with salt and pepper
and leave to soak for 30 mins stirring occasionally. Heat oven to 200c/400f/gas 6. Fill
the tomatoes with the rice mixture, replace the caps onto the tomatoes and trickle over
the remaining oil. Bake in the oven for 45 mins and taste the rice to make sure it is
fully cooked. Serve two as a starter with crusty bread or as a side dish with fish or
chicken.