By: Chef Laura Bonicelli
Pomodoro al Riso is a traditional Roman take-out food. Best served room temperature, the dish makes a beautiful addition to an antipasti platter or a light meal served with potatoes. Buy your tomatoes at your favorite Farmers Market!
About Pomodoro al Riso
Pomodoro al Riso is a perfect make-ahead dish. The assembly is simple, but it does take quite a bit of time in the oven. Many recipes call for par-cooking the rice, but I found the entire dish cooks beautifully as long as you tent the pan to steam the rice for the first part of the baking process.
It’s always best to start with ripe tomatoes. When tomatoes are in season locally, that’s not a problem. I buy vine-on tomatoes and put them in a paper bag on my countertop for several days to ripen them in the winter. Typically, I make these with Italian rice, but they will work with any rice you have on hand.
It is incredible how much better the stuffed tomatoes are the day after cooking. Chill them in the fridge overnight and let them stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
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Step by Step Instructions
Pomodoro al Riso
Ingredients
- 8 ripe medium tomatoes
- 1/2 cup Arborio rice -- carnaroli or bomba
- 1/4 cup finely chopped basil
- 2 cloves garlic -- peeled and minced
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- olive oil and fleur de sel -- for finishing
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400º F.
- Cut 1/2 inch of the top off of the tomato. Reserve.
- Working over a bowl, scoop out the pulp without puncturing the tomatoes; reserve the pulp. Arrange the tomato shells open-end up in a medium baking dish.
- Pulse the tomato pulp in the bowl of a food processor to a chunky puree, then transfer into a bowl. Add the rice, basil, garlic, and oil; season generously with salt and pepper. Mix well.
- Spoon the filling into the tomato shells. (Scoop the rice first, dividing evenly among the tomatoes; then fill with the liquid). Surround tomatoes with remaining liquid. (It's okay if there's a little rice in it,) Place tomato tops on each tomato, if desired. If you prefer, bake them without the tops. Drizzle a little olive oil over the tomatoes, cover with foil, and bake for 50 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 25 minutes until rice is tender and tomatoes are soft and browned.
- Remove from the oven and serve warm or cool to room temperature before serving.
Notes
Chef Laura Bonicelli
Nutrition
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