I’ve mentioned before that my love for cooking stems from my Dad. We’re constantly talking about food, and emailing or calling each other with different recipes that we’ve found, so when I called to check in the other day, it wasn’t unusual that we spent 20 minutes chatting about this great recipe he found.
Jade from The Mess Pot chose August’s theme for What’s Baking, which was “Celebrate Summer,” and as soon as I opened up the email Dad had sent with the recipe inside, I knew it would be a perfect fit. Dad is making an effort to consume less meat, and so am I, and if all meatless recipes taste as good as this one, I see much less meat in my future. Two of the best kinds of summer produce, tomatoes and zucchini, are the stars of this dish. The ingredient list is simple and the end result delicious. The tops of the filling got a little bit charred in the oven, but it didn’t distract from the amazing flavor. I’m so glad I decided to add some golden raisins to the mix. I loved the sweet little bites against the the savory of the rest of the filling.
We ate these as a meatless main dish (2 tomatoes per person) but it would make an excellent side dish alongside some simply seasoned chicken breasts.
Moroccan Stuffed Tomatoes – adapted from New York Times Dining, created by Anissa Helou
- 3 Tbsp. Olive Oil, plus additional for brushing baking dish
- 4 Ripe Vine tomatoes, tops sliced and seeds removed
- Salt, to taste
- 1 Onion, minced
- 3 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 1 Lb. Zucchini, trimmed and grated
- 3 Tbsp. Golden Raisins
- 3 Tbsp. Cilantro, finely chopped
- 1/3 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes, or to taste
- 3 Tbsp. Shelled Pistachios
Preheat oven to 350. Brush a baking dish with olive oil. Without puncturing the tomato, cut off a small slice from the bottoms so that they sit flat. Arrange tomatoes in the baking dish, open side up, and sprinkle lightly with salt.
Place the grated zucchini in a colander, sprinkle lightly with salt and allow to drain for a few minutes. Squeeze out as much moisture as possible.
Heat 3 Tbsp. olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Heat until shimmering, then add onion and saute, stirring often, until golden and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, zucchini and golden raisins to the pan and saute an additional 2 minutes, until the zucchini has softened and the raisins are plump. Remove from heat and add cilantro, red pepper flakes and pistachios. Spoon the filling into the tomatoes, mounding the tops.
Bake for 40 minutes. Garnish with additional cilantro and pistachios, if desired.
