Pomodori ripieni di riso

Thursday, August 15th, was Ferragosto, the holiday marking the height of summer when Italians escape the city, go to the beach or the mountains, and enjoy a few weeks of vacation.

Here in the US, it was a regular workday. But still, we celebrated Ferragosto in our small way by making pomodori ripieni di riso, tomatoes stuffed with rice for dinner.

When Stefano was young, he spent summers with his family at their house in the southern Lazio countryside near the Tyrrhenian Sea. His father, Andrea, planted up to 200 tomato plants in their garden, so there were tomatoes all summer long. They sliced them and ate them with salt, pepper, olive oil, and basil; made simple tomato sauces; and often, stuffed them with rice and baked them. At the end of the season, they pressed them and bottled enough sauce to last all year.

When Stefano was a child in the 1970s and early 1980s, Ferragosto was spent with aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends at the beach. With umbrellas, tables, chairs, and beach bags filled with food, plates, forks, and everything else needed for a feast at the beach, they set up camp and settled in for the day. Pomodori ripieni di riso were always among the food Stefano’s mom, Maria, packed.

Fast-forward several decades, and times have changed. We have only a few tomato plants in our little city garden. We usually wait until fall to vacation in Italy, when the crowds have thinned out and the weather is cooler. When we go to the beach, we rent lounge chairs and beach umbrellas and dine at the beach club’s restaurant.

But we still make pomodori ripieni di riso in the summertime, Roman-style, like Stefano’s mom, Maria, did, the flavors evoking memories and transporting us back in time.

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Pomodori ripieni di riso

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Additional Time: 1 minute

Total Time: 2 hours 1 minute

We make pomodori ripieni di riso in the summertime, Roman-style, like Stefano’s mom, Maria, did, the flavors evoking memories and transporting us back in time.

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Ingredients

• 4 large, ripe but still firm tomatoes
• 1 small bunch basil, chopped
• 1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, cut into pieces
• 4 anchovies (optional)
• 1/2 c. Arborio rice
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 4-6 medium potatoes

Instructions

1. With a sharp knife, slice the tops off the tomatoes and set them aside.
2. Carefully remove the pulp of the tomato by cutting through the walls and scooping out the fruit with a spoon. Preserve the tomato pulp and juices from each tomato.
3. Turn the hollowed tomatoes upside down on a cutting board or plate and set aside.
4. Put the tomato pulp and juices in a bowl. Add the basil, parsley, garlic, and anchovies and pass the mixture through a food mill, or blend it.
5. Salt and pepper to the liquid to taste, and add a generous dash of olive oil.
6. Add the rice to the tomato mixture, stir, and let it marinate for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally.
7. Preheat the oven to 400° F.
8. Coat a baking dish with olive oil.
9. Peel the potatoes, cut them into pieces, and distribute them evenly at the bottom of a medium baking pan. Salt and pepper the potatoes well, drizzle olive oil over them and stir.
10. Retrieve the hollowed tomatoes and lids.
11. Fill each tomato approximately 3/4 full with the rice-tomato mixture. 
12. Spoon the remaining liquid into the tomatoes. 
13. Place the lids back on the tomatoes and bake for approximately 1 hour, periodically stirring and checking the potatoes.
14. After 1 hour, drain off the liquid and let it cook for 30-45 minutes longer until the tomatoes are browned on top and the potatoes have a deep golden color.
15. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before serving.

Notes

The longer the tomatoes rest, the more vibrant the flavors will be. They are delicious served at room temperature, even the next day.

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