Pomodori Ripieni

 

A Brief History

The tomato or pomodoro in Italian, is the main protagonist of the Italian cuisine. It’s interesting because the tomato is not a native fruit/vegetable of Italy. In fact it was introduced to Europe around the early 16th century. History says it was brought from Central America by Spanish conquistadors, some say by Jesuit priests, the main point is that they made their way to Italy. However it took a while for Italians to embrace the tomato as one of their main ingredients, since it lied under the night shade or poisonous fruits/vegetables. The tomato was mainly used as means for decoration until it was discovered that it was an edible night shade fruit/vegetable. Then trying to figure out what to do with tomatoes became an obstacle for many Italians until ideas started flowing, giving rise to all the recipes that involve the tomato as a main ingredient. Recipes involving the use of tomato range from simple salads, sauces, and even stuffed tomatoes which are our main focus in this blog.  Hope you enjoy reading.

 The Pomodori Ripieni or (stuffed tomatoes) are a mouthwatering dish that transform a simple tomato into a culinary piece of art. The sweet and acidic taste of tomatoes are enhanced by a delightful mixture of traditional worldwide used Ingredients, such as vegetables, herbs, cheese, meats, and grains. It can be served as a side dish or an appetizer, and it would most likely be enjoyed during the summer. This dish is very popular in other cuisines such as the Indian or Chinese, but the thing that gives this dish its identity are the ingredients used to prepare it. As noted by the title I will discuss the Italian variant of these delightful stuffed tomatoes. I mentioned before that tomatoes reached Italy around the early 16th century, and once it was okay to eat them many new ideas like stuffed tomatoes were invented and are now enjoyed. It is not clear who invented them but they have now existed for many years. They can most often be found in Apulia or Puglia in Italian, which is a southern part of Italy. You can see on the map to your left that it’s the heel of this boot shaped country. However it can also be found in other northern areas in Italy.

 

Pomodori Ripieni di Farro Al Pesto:

Like I mentioned in an earlier paragraph the ingredients used to make these stuffed tomatoes are what give it its identity and distinguish them among others. Farro was introduced to what today we call Tuscany by the Etruscans around the 11th century B.C.E, and it can be found in the northern parts of Italy. This ancient grain has survived centuries and has now become the sensation of many countries, substituting rice and pasta. For the recipe that I prepared, by the way a really simple one we used pesto farro as our stuffing. Pesto is another commonly used type of sauce made with basil its main ingredient, garlic, pine nuts, Parmigiano Reggiano extra virgin olive oil and salt. To be honest I did not prepare my own pesto, but I bought one that was made with the same ingredients and it made the farro taste delicious.

Ingredients for Pomodori Ripieni di Farro Al Pesto:

·         2 Tomatoes ripe but firm

·         1 cup of uncooked Farro

·         3-4 Tbsp. of Pesto

·         Extra Virgin Olive Oil

·         Salt

·         Pepper

·         Basil

Preparation:

1.      First you should start of by cooking your Farro. You will add two cups of water for one cup of farro, add salt to your taste and let it cook for about 20 minutes. When the farro is done rinse it with cold water and let it drain for about 5 minutes once your farro is completely drained you can put it in a bowl or plate.

2.      While you waited for your farro to cook you could have actually began cutting the top part of your tomatoes and begin cleaning the inside with a spoon removing all the pulp and seeds. For this stuffing you will not need the pulp so you can discard it. You will then sprinkle your tomatoes with a pinch of salt and pepper to your taste. Once this is done you will turn the tomatoes upside down and let any excess juice drain out by placing them on a plate or sheet of paper towel.

3.      Your farro is ready, and your tomatoes have already been drained for at least 10 minutes. It’s time to mix the farro with the pesto. Simply add about 3 tbsp. of pesto to your farro and mix well until your farro is looking somewhat a little greenish, and pretty much you are done with your filling.

4.      Stuff the tomatoes all the way to the top, but don’t over stuff it.

5.      Add extra virgin olive oil with the tips of your finger on the outside of your tomato, and place it on a metal container with a sheet of baking paper.

6.      Let the tomatoes heat up in the oven for at least 10-15 minutes at 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

7.      Take the tomatoes out and place them on a plate, you can add a basil leafs for decoration and voila! You have your Pomodori Ripieni di Farro al Pesto.

 

Pomodori Ripieni Pomodori Ripieni con Melanzane, Mandorle, e Zucchine

This is just another type of pomodori with a different stuffing one that involves a little more of the other common vegetables in Italy. The pomodoro ripieni does not have to be filled only with farro, it can also be filled with rice, inclusively it can have meat cheese etc. this is just to show that people in the Italian cuisine have become creative with what nature has to offer.

Ingredient:

·         2 Tomatoes ripe but firm

·         1 Small Eggplant

·         1 Small Zucchini

·         1 clove of garlic

·         Basil

·         1 cup long grain brown rice (riso integrale)

·         6 Almonds Chopped

·         4 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

·         Salt

·         Pepper

 

Preparation:

1.      First you should start of by cooking your riso integrale. You will add 2 ½ cups of water for one cup of riso integrale, add salt to your taste and let it cook for about 40 minutes. When the riso integrale is done let it cool for a few minutes.

2.      While you waited for your riso integrale to cook you could have actually began cutting the top part of your tomatoes and begin cleaning the inside with a spoon removing all the pulp and seeds. For this stuffing you will not need the pulp so you can discard it. You will then sprinkle your tomatoes with a pinch of salt and pepper to your taste. Once this is done you will turn the tomatoes upside down and let any excess juice drain out by placing them on a plate or sheet of paper towel.

3.      By the time you finish cutting and cleaning your tomatoes the rice is probably not done cooking yet so you might want to start with part of your stuffing. You should cut your eggplant, zucchini into small cubes, and your garlic and almonds should be chopped very finely.

4.      In a pan add 4 tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil, let it heat and add your garlic. Once the garlic is golden yellow you can begin adding your eggplant and zucchini to the pan. You should add some water to allow the vegetable mix to emulsify. Now allow to sit for at least 10 minutes.

5.      When your riso integrale and vegetables have cooked you can go ahead and mix them together, and you have your stuffing ready.

6.      You can now Stuff the tomatoes all the way to the top, but don’t over stuff it.

8.        Add extra virgin olive oil with the tips of your finger on the outside of your tomato, and place it on a metal container with a sheet of baking paper.

7.      You can add some basil leafs tear by hand, to the top of the stuffing and at this point I hope you remember we had to chop some almonds very finely, well this is the time when you sprinkle a little bit of these almonds at the top of the tomato stuffing.

8.      Let the tomatoes heat up in the oven for at least 10-15 minutes at 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

9.      Take the tomatoes out and place them on a plate, you can add a basil leafs for decoration and voila! You have your Pomodori Ripieni con Melanzane, Mandorle, e Zucchine.

I was unable to post a video directly to this blog so I will post the link below so you can access the video and take a look at the preparation of this recipe. I have also uploaded some pictures of some of the steps I took in order to make my Pomodori Ripieni, take a quick look and leave some comments below.

Pomodori Ripieni Preparation video:

http://youtu.be/NjoXmWNHv5g