Today it’s back to Moosewood. Post the Mollie Katzen era, still good recipes but without the personalized presentation. Still if size matters, then ‘Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant’, published in 1990 has over 700 pages!
The recipes are a collection of the Sunday night menu. A night which differed from others in that the menu featured the food from one particular ethnic, national or regional cuisine. 18 of which are featured in the book. 8 of which feature tomatoes as the signature part of the recipe. ( Must note which 10 cuisines lack winning ways with tomatoes )
As there’s a world of tomato ideas to cover, I’m going to divide this post into two, 2nd part tomorrow.
Today I’m seeing how 4 different cuisines approach the task of tomato stuffing. If 2009 was the summer of roasting tomatoes, I feel 2010 might be the summer for stuffed. There’s something satisfying about the notion of something being container and content. They also seem quaintly old fashioned and due a revival.
So which corner of the globe can put the stuffing back into the tomato?
Chile
I’m not sure it’s this one. It maybe because they’re cold – maybe they will appeal more come summer?
The tomatoes are hollowed out and stuffed with a mix of cottage cheese, finely chopped onion, olives, parsley, breadcrumbs, mayo and lemon juice.
Provence
Tomato Farcies. The stuffing is garlic sautéed in olive oil with basil, breadcrumbs and Parmesan. This mix is then piled on top of (more than stuffed into) the tomatoes and baked in the oven.
Perfect for a terrace with a view and a long stemmed, chilled glass of Rose.
Croatia
Mushroom-stuffed Tomatoes.
More substantial but as with the Chilean tomatoes, the actual tomato flesh isn’t used. The stuffing is onions and mushrooms sautéed with marjoram, parsley and paprika into which beaten egg is added before filling the tomatoes. The tomatoes are topped with a combination of grated cheese ( Kashkaval or Cheddar) and then popped in the oven to bake.
British Isles
Tomatoes with Forcemeat.
Harking back to medieval times when meat was supplemented with minced vegetables, herbs, nuts and fruits to make it go further.
The stuffing is sautéed onion, mushrooms and the tomato flesh, flavoured with sage, rosemary and parsley. To which cooked rice, raisins and paprika are added. The filled tomatoes are then topped with breadcrumbs and baked in the oven.
So at the moment, leading the way in the stuffed tomato revivalist movement, are Croatia and UK. ( And although they snuck in as a borrowed photo I’m think Swiss with Swiss cheese and a meaty filling needs to be investigated further as well !)
