Stuffed Tomatoes

So this recipe I got from a cookbook I've had for quite some time. It's called "In My Kitchen" by Annie Bell. I actually have never made anything from this cookbook, mostly because although the recipes look great they are all done with a process each. There didn't seem to be anything straight forward and simple in it, and so I stayed away out of fear. I have finally faced that fear and make these AMAZING stuffed tomatoes. They received a definite 5/5 from Pete, and unfortunately I paired them with Ricaroni and let's just say Ricaroni tasted terrible in comparison.

I made a couple adjustments because the cooking time is supposed to be almost 3 hours, and I wasn't really up for a 3 hour wait. Also, I've got to say I would make these again for sure. They were absolutely delicious and honestly not that hard to make (bonus points for the good review too)

So here is the recipe. Let's get started.

Ingredients:
8 x 200-225g ripe beefsteak tomatoes (I used some medium sized vine tomatoes)
sea salt & black pepper (no sea salt so just used regular salt)
caster sugar
600g sausage meat (I used 2 sausages for 5 stuffed tomatoes as it was just the 2 of us)
1 medium egg
50g (1/4cup) bread crumbs
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
2 shallots (tiny styled onions - super cute)
3 tbsp chopped parsley, plus extra for garnishing
extra virgin olive oil

Instructions:
Remove a lid from each tomato.

Remove the insides with a sharp knife or spoon, or both. Put the inside of the tomatoes aside in a food processor ( I used my magic bullet). Puree them with light salt and pepper, and sugar.

Sprinkle the inside of each tomato with a little salt and sugar, and place upside down on a double layer of paper towel and drain for about 20 minutes (about how long it will take to get the stuffing part done).

Combine and thoroughly blend the sausage meat, egg, breadcrumbs, garlic, shallots, parsley, and some salt and pepper (basically all the rest of the ingredients) in a large bowl.

Turn the tomatoes up the right way and stuff them to the top with the sausage mixture, smoothing the surface.

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large cast-iron casserole that will hold the tomatoes snugly in a single layer over a medium heat; this will help contain the edges as they cook. Add the tomatoes stuffed side down and cook for about 5 minutes or until the stuffing colors a deep gold. Loosen them with a spatula and turn them the right side up. If some color before others remove them to a plate and wait for all of them to reach the same color.

I personally just put them in a glass Pyrex and had the oven going at about 300. Once they browned I flipped them over.

Spoon the reserved tomato puree , around the stuffed tomatoes. Bring the tomatoes to a simmer then cook, uncovered, over a low heat for 1 1/4-1 3/4 hours until they are sitting in a rich well-reduced sauce. Time will vary so watch that the sauce doesn't dry out.

I cooked them for about 1/2 hour at 350 in the oven, but watched them carefully not to have them burn. Every oven heats a little differently so adjust accordingly.

Serve hot or room temperature drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled parsley ( I used some extra pureed tomato on mine). Also tastes great cold, so would make a good summer meal or if you want to cook in advance.

Great job, now go enjoy those tomatoes.

Thanks for following along.