Meat-Stuffed Tomatoes
Recipe from the book "The First Ukrainian Everyday Cookbook" (1-ша українська загально-практична кухня), 1929, by Olha Franko.
"Meat-stuffed tomatoes" is a traditional dish of Greek cuisine known as Gemista. Vegetables — most often tomatoes and peppers — are stuffed with ryzh* (rice) combined with various additions. For instance, in the Mediterranean part of Greece, pine nuts and raisins are folded in, while in the north of the country, minced beef or pork is far more common. This dish beautifully captures the Mediterranean approach to cooking, centred on simple yet aromatic combinations of ingredients, so often lifted by olive oil, fresh herbs, and local spices.
Ingredients
Sauce: the scooped-out tomato pulp, 1 tablespoon of sour cream, salt, pepper, sugar
Preparation
- Slice the tops off the tomatoes and scoop out the inner pulp.
- Parboil the rice by steeping it in hot water.
- Sauté the onion, mix with the minced meat, and cook through until the meat is done.
- Combine with the rice, season with salt and pepper to taste; fresh herbs may also be added.
- Fill the hollowed tomatoes with the stuffing and replace the tops as lids.
- Cook the reserved tomato pulp down until soft, then stir in the sour cream, salt, and sugar to taste.
- Spread the sauce over the bottom of a baking dish and arrange the stuffed tomatoes on top.
- Bake in the oven at 180° for approximately 40–50 minutes.