Part 6: At the Table in Italy with Ellynne

This column features an Italian cookbook recipe. Last week, during my adventure in the Carrefour Italian Supermercato, I sauntered past a stand of Italian cookbooks. Just for fun, I picked up the one called “side dishes (“conturno” in Italian) to see if something might appeal to me.

And of course, everything was written in Italian, but somehow I came across a short recipe for tomatoes! I decided I could most likely figure out the ingredients, then estimate the quantities and the cooking directions and with a little help from an Italian dictionary, this is the result.

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POMODORI RIPIENO A RISO (Tomatoes Stuffed With Rice)
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
4 large ripe tomatoes
1/2 cup rice, cooked according to package directions
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
a little oregano, basil, peeled and minced cloves of garlic (“spacchi
d’aglio”), and salt, to taste

Directions:

Scoop out tomatoes and place in a baking pan, cut sides up. Mix together cooked rice, olive oil, and spices and the garlic, and gently spoon into tomatoes. Bake (“forno”) at 350 degrees for about 15 – 20 minutes until hot. Buon Appetito!