Rice Stuffed Tomatoes

These are great to make - easy and cheap but delicious. The beauty of them is that you can adapt the ingredients to whatever you have in the fridge. It is also a good dish to make if you have friends to cook for as you can do most of the preparation beforehand or use up left over rice from the previous night.

I like to use brown rice for this recipe but you can use plain white long grain, basmati, maybe even risotto rice.

You will need:

A big beef tomato. The bigger the better, you want to pack loads of rice in. 
Rice.
A small onion or half a big one. 
A clove or two of garlic. 
Salt and pepper. 
Coriander.
A lime.
Cheese and breadcrumbs (optional).

• First, put the rice on to cook in salted water.

• Cut a circle in the top of the tomato at an angle, not too big as you want all the rice to stay in there but big enough so that you can stuff the rice in there.

• Scoop out the inside of the tomato with a small spoon and roughly chop in a bowl. Keep all the juice and seeds that come out as you are scooping.

• Chop the onion and gently fry in a small amount of oil (or butter if you are feeling luxurious) until the onions start to go take on a little colour. Add the chopped garlic and fry for a minute or two, stirring all the time.

• Next, turn up the heat and add the chopped up tomato that you scooped out. You can add a little of the coriander at this stage but save most of it until the end. When it starts to bubble turn the heat down and simmer until the tomatoes have lost most of their liquid and it has a thick consistency. Season with salt, pepper, a pinch of sugar if you like and squeeze the lime juice in.

• By now the rice should be cooked so drain it well and leave in the pan for a minute or so. When most of the moisture has evaporated tip the rice in to the tomato sauce pan, add the rest of the coriander and mix it all well.

• Now spoon the combined rice and sauce in to the tomato. Pack it in well. Sprinkle with cheese and breadcrumbs and place on to a baking tray. Cook in the oven on a medium to high heat for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese has melted and browned, and the skin of the tomato starts to crack and peel. 

• Serve up straight away. 

A good variation on this is to use basil instead of coriander. Olives or capers also work well and you can add whatever vegetables you have to it - aubergine, spinach, chickpeas, peppers...use your imagination. You could even replace the rice with puy lentils.