Stuffed tomatoes are something we've all tried at one point.
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Even if this popular recipe seems simple, it is not easy to make. The tomato must be well cooked, the stuffing must not be too dry and the whole thing should, of course, be quite tasty.
Our tips for successful stuffed tomatoes
To make stuffed tomatoes, you have to select the right variety. Go for a large tomato with firm flesh that will hold well during cooking. The ideal is to choose the Marmande tomato, Beefsteak tomato or tomato Ferline.
- The flesh of the tomato
To make this delicious dish, the tomato's flesh should be scooped out, but do not throw it away. This will be used to make the stuffing. If you have some leftover, you can put it in the bottom of the dish before putting the tomatoes on top. This will create a deliciously candied sauce.
- The stuffing
Generally, beef or veal meat is used for stuffed tomatoes. It consists of bread, milk, meat and the tomato flesh. This should all be well peppered and salted. It should be compact without being dry. If you notice that your stuffing does not hold well, add a beaten egg.
Otherwise, you can go to the butcher to buy a ready-made stuffing.
- Draining the water from the tomatoes
Tomatoes are waterlogged vegetables. It is, therefore, more than likely that this vegetable will let out water when cooked. To avoid getting a stuffed tomato all wet, the tomato must be drained. To do this, simply cut the tomato on top, empty out the flesh, salt it and turn it over, letting it stand for 30 minutes. The water from the tomato will drain and your tomato will be juicy as it should be: a little, but not too much.
Once your tomatoes are well-drained, hollowed out and stuffed, they will need to be cooked. Place them in a baking dish, keeping in mind not to leave too much space between them. This will prevent them from collapsing. If you have some tomato pulp left, you can put some in the bottom of the dish. Place a small knob of butter on each tomato. For the cap of the stuffed tomatoes, remember not to put it on at the beginning, at the risk of burning it. Put it on the tomatoes at the last moment, 10 minutes before taking them out of the oven.
Accompany your stuffed tomatoes with rice.
Variations
As you can imagine, tomatoes are not available all year round. You should, therefore, think about trying this recipe with other seasonal products. In autumn, try butternut squash or pumpkin. In summer, vary the tomatoes with zucchini or eggplant. In winter, try white cabbage.
