Baked Tomatoes Stuffed With Bulgur Feta And Raisins Recipes

BAKED TOMATOES STUFFED WITH BULGUR, FETA AND RAISINS

Steps:

• Place the bulgur in a large bowl and pour the boiling water over it. Let stand for 1 hour. Drain well. Meanwhile, slice the top 1/4 inch off of the tomatoes. Scoop out the center of the tomatoes, being careful not to tear the shells; reserve the insides for another use. Place the tomatoes, tops and bottoms, on a layer of paper towels, cut side down. Let stand for 30 minutes. Pat the inside of the tomatoes dry.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Add the onion, feta, raisins, parsley and mint to the bulgur and stir to combine. Mix in the olive oil, salt and pepper. Spray a baking sheet lightly with the olive oil. Spoon the filling into the tomato shells, top with the lids and place on the baking sheet.
• Bake just until the tomatoes are tender and the filling is hot, about 20 minutes; do not let the tomatoes get too soft. Divide among plates and serve immediately.

TOMATOES STUFFED WITH BULGUR AND HERBS

Steps:

• Place the bulgur in a bowl and add 1/4 teaspon salt. Mix together. Bring 1 cup water to a boil, and pour over the bulgur. Allow to sit for 30 minutes or until the bulgur is soft and fluffy. Transfer to a strainer and press out excess water. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Slice off the tops of the tomatoes, about 3/4 inch down from the stem (or far enough down that it will be easy for you to hollow them out). Using a teaspoon or a grapefruit spoon, carefully scoop out the seeds, taking care not to cut through the skins. Place in a strainer set above a bowl. Rub the seed pods against the strainer to extract the juice. Discard the seeds. Carefully scoop out the pulp, and chop fine.
• Mix together the bulgur, herbs, garlic, pine nuts, the chopped tomato pulp, 1/4 cup of the strained juice and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Season the hollowed out tomatoes with salt and pepper. Fill each tomato with the bulgur filling (you may have some stuffing left over). Place in a baking dish that is small enough to fit the tomatoes snugly. Drizzle 1/2 teaspoon olive oil over each one, and place the caps on top. Pour about 1/2 inch of water into the pan, and cover with foil. Bake 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and uncover. Serve warm, or allow to cool to room temperature.
• Puree the garlic with a pinch of salt in a mortar and pestle. Stir into the yogurt, along with the mint. Serve the stuffed tomatoes with a dollop of the yogurt.

TOMATOES STUFFED WITH BULGUR AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Cut off and discard top third of tomatoes and scoop out insides (leave shells intact for stuffing), transferring to a sieve set over a bowl to drain excess liquid. Coarsely chop tomato from sieve and reserve for making braised eggplant .
• Sprinkle insides of tomato shells with 1/2 teaspoon salt and drain upside down on a rack set in a pan while preparing filling.
• Simmer lentils in 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan until just tender, 18 to 20 minutes. Drain in a sieve, then rinse under cold water and drain well.
• Heat oil in a 5-quart heavy pot over moderate heat until hot, then cook pine nuts, stirring, until golden, about 2 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.
• Cook onion in oil remaining in pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Add bulgur, chard, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper and cook, stirring, until greens are wilted, about 2 minutes. Add remaining cup water, then remove from heat and let stand, covered, until bulgur is tender, about 30 minutes.
• Stir in pine nuts, currants, parsley, dill, lemon juice, lentils, and salt and pepper to taste. Spoon filling into tomato shells.

FETA CHEESE-STUFFED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Cut a thin slice off the top of each tomato. Scoop out and discard pulp. Invert tomatoes onto paper towels to drain., In a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, feta cheese, sour cream, onion, lemon juice and oregano until blended. Place mixture in a heavy-duty resealable plastic bag; cut a small hole in a corner of bag. Pipe mixture into tomatoes. If desired, sprinkle with black pepper. Chill until serving.

BAKED FETA-STUFFED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Cut four large tomatoes in half.
• Scoop out pulp from each tomato half, leaving shells intact; discard seeds, and then coarsely chop pulp.
• In medium bowl, stir together tomato pulp, 4 ounces crumbled feta cheese, 1/4 cup fine, dry breadcrumbs; 2 tablespoons chopped green onions; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley; and 2 tablespoons olive oil.
• Spoon mixture evenly into tomato shells, and place in a 13x9-inch baking dish.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
• Garnish with Italian parsley sprigs.