Stuffed Tomatoes

This recipe is featured in the book "The Foods of the Greek Islands".

• Ready In: 2 hrs 30 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 12  medium  ripe but firm tomatoes
• 1  cup olive oil
• 3  cups  chopped onions
• 1  fennel bulb, trimmed and finely chopped
• 1  tablespoon fennel seed, preferably freshly ground or crushed in a mortar
• 1  cup arborio rice
• 1  cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1  cup  chopped fresh dill
• 1⁄2 cup  chopped of fresh mint
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
•  freshly ground black pepper
• 1  medium potato, scrubbed,halved crosswise and each half quartered

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Cut off the top 1/2 inch of each tomato; set aside the tops.
3. Using a grapefruit spoon, very carefully remove as much pulp as possible from each tomato, without piercing the skin.
4. Chop the pulp.
5. Measure out 2 1/2 cups.
6. Discard the rest.
7. In a large skillet, heat 2/3 cup of the oil and saute the onions and fennel bulb over medium heatfor 5 minutes, or until soft.
8. Add the fennel seeds and rice and saute, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes.
9. Add 2 cups of the tomato pulp, reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes more.
10. Stir in the parsley, dill, and mint and cook for 2 minutes more.
11. Remove from the heat and add the salt and plenty of pepper.
12. Stuff the tomatoes with the rice mixture, leaving a little room for the stuffing to expand, and cover with the tomato tops.
13. Place the tomatoes in a large 13x9 inch baking dish and arrange the potato pieces in the gaps between the tomatoes.
14. Pour the remaining 1/2 cup tomato pulp over everything and drizzle the tomatoes with the remaining 12 cup oil.
15. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
16. Bake for 1 hour, or until the rice is tender (life the cover of a tomato and check).
17. Turn off the oven and let stand in the over for 10 minutes, then let cool to room temperature.