Herb stuffed tomatoes

A wonderful summer stuffed vegetable recipe. We love the freshness of the tomatoes in contrast to the herb stuffing.

This cookbook was the first one in my Ottolenghi collection; I now have all the others. It brought beautiful flavours to my table and opened my mind to great recipes. Most of the recipes are simple, but each dish is fabulous. I have cooked more than half the recipes from this cookbook. I do need to post from here more often.

For more fabulous recipes from this cookbook, click here.This cookbook was the first one in my Ottolenghi collection; I now have all the others. It brought beautiful flavours to my table and opened my mind to great recipes. Most of the recipes are simple, but each dish is fabulous. I have cooked more than half the recipes from this cookbook. I do need to post from here more often.

For more fabulous recipes from this cookbook, click here.

6 medium tomatoes with a flat bottom.

Cut the tomatoes at the top, where the stem is. Discard the tops. Scoop out the insides carefully without making holes in the tomatoes, and save the inside meat separately. Add some salt to the inside and place upside down on paper towels to drain for 1 hour.

1 large onion finely diced 3 cloves garlic finely diced

12-15 black oil-cured olives, seed removed and diced large

1/4 cup bread crumbs, panko brand preferred

2 tablespoons oregano, fresh if available, diced

1 tablespoon mint, diced

3 tablespoons parsley, diced

1 1/2 tablespoons capers, whole

Black pepper and salt

Olive oil

Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil on low to soften, 5-7 minutes; do not let them brown. Add saved tomato pulp and cook until a thick sauce forms and the oil floats out. Remove from heat, add all other ingredients, and mix well.

Put this stuffing into the drained tomatoes. Put into a glass (Pyrex) baking dish, and bake for 30-35 minutes at 375 F until the tomatoes are soft.

Serve as is or with a spoon of garlicky yoghurt if desired, either at room temperature or warm.