Tomatoes Stuffed With Bulgur And Pine Nuts Recipes

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.

GREEK STUFFED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Prepare the tomatoes. With a sharp paring knife, cut out the tops of the tomatoes as you would a jack-o'-lantern, leaving them intact so that you can replace them when you bake the tomatoes. Cut away the woody core, and reserve the tops. Using a small spoon, preferably a grapefruit spoon, scoop out the insides of the tomatoes. Place a strainer over a bowl, and rub the seed pods against the strainer. Discard the seeds. Finely chop the pulp. Add to the bowl with the juice. Salt the tomato shells, place them upside down on a rack set on a baking sheet, and let drain while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
• Toss the shredded zucchini with a generous amount of salt, and let drain in a colander for 10 minutes. Take up handfuls of zucchini and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Transfer to the bowl with the tomato pulp. Add the garlic, mint, parsley or dill, and rice or bulgur. Season generously with salt and pepper. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and let sit for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a baking dish large enough to accommodate all of the tomatoes. Fill the tomatoes almost to the top with the stuffing, and replace the caps. Place in the oiled baking dish. Drizzle on the remaining oil. Place in the oven, and bake 45 minutes to an hour until the tomatoes are almost collapsing. Remove from the heat, and allow to cool to room temperature or serve hot.

ROASTED TOMATOES STUFFED WITH COUSCOUS, CHANTERELLES AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Peel tomatoes. Mince one tomato and set aside. Cut a 3/4-inch slice from the bottom of the others, reserving these pieces to serve as lids. Scoop out seeds and center flesh. Rub the insides with 1 tablespoon of olive oil; place a garlic clove, a sprig of thyme, a sprig of tarragon, a bay leaf and a basil leaf into each. Put the lids on and bake until they begin to soften, but still maintain their shape, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and discard garlic and herbs.
• In a double boiler, warm the couscous. Add the minced tomato, chanterelles, pine nuts, cucumber and corn and stir. Add 1 tablespoon of oil, the chopped chives, the minced tarragon and mint and stir. Spoon into the tomatoes, reheat in the oven and serve two to a plate garnished with whole chives.

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.