Andalusian Stuffed Tomatoes

This month the International Food Challenge is hosted by Shey of Just not the Cakes and we are exploring the cuisine of Andalusia. Andalusia is the largest region in Spain, stretching from the cities of Cordoba and Seville all the way to the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Andalusia is quite popular for its delicious foods. The most popular of these is the Gazpacho which is a cold soup.

Shey gave us four recipes to choose from and I decided to make this simple dish with tomatoes. You could serve this as an appetizer or as a side. It gets ready in no time and tasted yummy. The herbs add a lovely flavour to the dish. But remember to choose tomatoes that are not too sour.

What you’ll need

1. Tomatoes – 3 Big
2. Bread Crumbs – 1/3 cup
3. Onion – 1, small
4. Parsley – 1.5 tbsp (I used Dried Parsely)
5. Thyme – 1 tsp
6. Grated Cheese – 3 to 4 tbsp
7. Black Pepper Powder – ½ tsp (adjust as required)
8. Salt to taste
9. Butter – 1 tbsp

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 300F
2. Cut the tomatoes into half and scoop out the seeds. Reserve the seeds and juice in a separate bowl.
3. Mix the bread crumbs, parsely, thyme and pepper along with the reserved tomato juice and seeds.
4. Heat a non stick kadai with butter, sauté the onions till they turn soft.
5. Add the bread crumbs mixture to the sautéed onions and mix.
6. Turn off the heat and add about 2 tbsp of cheese and mix.
7. Spoon this filling in to the tomatoes. Divide the remaining cheese equally and top the stuffed tomatoes with it.
8. Bake for 15 minutes.

Serve warm.

Notes:

1. Use ripe tomatoes that are not too sour. Else the tanginess will dominate.
2. If the scooped out portion of the tomato is very firm, chop it into smaller pieces, so that it mixes easily with the bread crumbs.
3. Adjust the herbs, pepper and cheese according to your taste.