AUTHENTIC  ITALIAN  RECIPES

 FROM

 RISTORANTE  d'ANNAMARIA

Stuffed tomatoes is by far the easiest of the stuffed vegetable recipes and the lightest to eat.

Ingredients for four persons:

4 medium size red ripe tomatoes

2 cups of cooked calrose type rice

salt to taste

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup finely chopped celery

black pepper to taste

salted capers

How to do it:

Cut the tomatoes in half from the side (not through the stem)

Remove the seeds and the watery pulp around the seeds.

Add a pinch of salt to each of the tomato halves

Cook your rice using the following recipe:-

                          To make 2 cups of cooked rice, boil 1 cup of water over high heat in 

                          a 1 quart sauce pan. Bring the water to a boil and add 1 cup of 

                          uncooked rice (not rinsed). Bring the water back to a full boil stirring 

                          only twice. Cover the pan tightly. Reduce the heat to very low and 

                          cook the rice for 15 minutes exactly. Remove the rice from the heat 

                          and let it stand for 5 minutes. Do not lift the lid from the pan until the 

                          rice is cooked and has stood for the 5 minutes. Remove the lid and fluff 

                          the rice with a fork.

Put the rice in a bowl and let it cool a bit.

Add the olive oil, the lemon juice, the celery and salt and pepper to taste

Mix the rice well.

Fill all tomato halves with the seasoned rice.

Add two or three capers to the center of the rice in the tomatoes.

Serve hot in winter - cold in summer or however you want.