Eat the tops…
Serve with feta…
And go heavy on the pepper!

That’s my advice for how to eat this weeks’ meal of the week,
Stuffed Doncaster tomatoes.

Let’s start with the tops!

Often overlooked,
The tops for me are the cherry on top of what is already an amazing dish.
They look great,
And taste even better,
With the bread crumb creating a delightful crunch,
With the top itself kind of a caramelized deliciousness!

Next the feta!

Why?

Because this dish is a little sweet,
“just like you darling”
As the Greek’s would say,
So it needs some balancing out.

Gorgeous in season tomatoes,
Sweet!
Shredded in season local carrot,
Sweet!
And salty, creamy, Dodoni feta,
Brings just the necessary contrast the dish needs to get the balance right.

Finally…
Pepper!
Cracked and lots of it!

Black pepper and tomato was,
Is,
And always has been a thing!

Our Doncatser toms only seem to elevate with the addition of pepper,
So just go for it!

Good quality olive oil,
And excellent salt is a must.

I just love Murray River pink salt
And I think that everyone should use it…
But that’s just me!

Next the potato.
Desirees are my spud of choice for this Greek classic.
Ideal for roasting…
And a super match for the sweet tomato and oil based sauce!

Finally,
Herb it up!
Parsley is good,
Mint is better,
And dill is the best!!

Enjoy yours as we enjoyed ours,
Buon appetito!

– – – – – – – – – –

Ingredients

3 desiree potatoes cut into wedges
2 tbsp olive oil
¼ cup breadcrumbs
Dried thyme for garnish
¼ cup olive oil
16 Doncaster tomatoes

For the Filling

1 leek (white part only) chopped finely
1 red onion diced finely
1 large carrot grated
200g mushrooms cups diced
½ cup dill chopped
½ cup mint chopped
1 cup parsley chopped
1 garlic cloves chopped finely
½ cup Arborio rice
1 cup chicken stock (or water if you have no stock)
½ tsp dried thyme
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp tomato paste
Sea salt
Cracked pepper

Method

Pre-heat oven to 200°C.

Wash and dry the tomatoes.

Cut the tops of the tomatoes (not completely so they have a lid) and with a spoon, scoop out the inside and put into a bowl. Make sure you don’t pierce the flesh of the tomato.

With your hands, squeeze all the juice off the white cores of the tomato so that only the juice is left. Discard the white cores. Set the tomatoes and tomato juice aside while you prepare the filling.

In a large pan heat up the 4 tbsp of olive oil and start to sauté your red onion. Once the onion is translucent add the leek and sauté until soft. Add the garlic and when you start to get the aroma of the garlic, add the rice and cook for around 2 minutes. Add the thyme and season well with salt & pepper.

Add the mushrooms and cook stirring for about 2 minutes. Add the carrot and cook for 1 minute.

Pour in your tomato juice, 1 tbsp paste and stock and cook for 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in parsley, dill and mint. Taste the mixture and season if needed.

Arrange your tomatoes in an oven dish. Flip open the tops and season inside with salt and pepper.

Using a spoon, fill up all the tomatoes with your filling and close the lids. Using a strainer, pour all the excess liquid over the tops of the tomatoes then set the dish aside.

In a pan, heat the 2 tbsp of olive oil. Once hot, add the potatoes, season with salt and some thyme and cook until they are golden. Remove from the heat.

Arrange the potatoes amongst the tomatoes to hold them into place. Pour the ¼ cup olive oil evenly over the tops of the tomatoes. Sprinkle a little thyme over the top and then sprinkle the breadcrumbs evenly over the tomatoes and potatoes.

Cook in the oven, covered, for 25 minutes, then uncovered for 35 minutes or until rice is tender and tomatoes have colour.

Serve with feta cheese and crusty bread.