Italian cuisine · Vegetable Dishes

Pomodori al Riso

Roman oven-baked tomatoes stuffed with rice, baked on a bed of crispy potato wedges.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 8 large beefsteak tomatoes
• 200 g round-grain rice
• 800 g waxy potatoes
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 bunch basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 8 tbsp olive oil
• Salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Cut a lid off each tomato, scoop out the inside with a spoon and reserve it; salt the hollowed tomatoes inside and let them drain upside down for 15 min.
2. Purée the tomato pulp with the finely grated garlic, roughly torn basil leaves, 4 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper, and let the raw rice soak in it for at least 30 min.
3. Peel the potatoes, cut into 2 cm thick wedges, and toss with the remaining olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper.
4. Fill the tomatoes three-quarters full with the rice mixture — the rice will expand further in the oven — put the lids back on, set them in a baking dish, and scatter the potato wedges around them.
5. Bake in the preheated oven at 180°C top/bottom heat for 55–65 min, turning the potatoes once after 30 min, until the rice is cooked and the tomato skins show dark, sunken spots.
6. Let cool for at least 15 min and serve warm with the potatoes — this is how the dish is traditionally enjoyed in Rome.