Stuffed Tomatoes with Rice Mint and Feta

Stuffed Tomatoes Rice Mint Feta

1⁄3 cup extra virgin olive oil                                             
6 large firm tomatoes                                                                         
Kosher salt                                                                           
2 1⁄2 cups cooked and cooled jasmine rice                  
1 1⁄2 cups roughly chopped Italian  parsley  

3⁄4 cup crumbled feta
1⁄2 cup chopped fresh mint
3 cloves garlic, minced
Freshly ground black pepper
Grated parmesan for topping

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F.

Preparing the tomatoes: Rub the inside of a 3-quart baking dish with 1 tbsp. of the oil and set aside. Using a serrated knife, cut off the top third of each tomato and discard the tops. Cut 1⁄8" off the bottom of each tomato so that they'll sit upright in the baking dish; discard bottoms. Using a small spoon, gently scoop out the seeds and pulp from each tomato and discard.  Do not scoop out the walls of the tomato or they will break. Sprinkle the insides of each tomato with a little salt. Place the tomatoes upside down on a plate layered with paper towels and let them sit for 30 minutes to remove any excess tomato juice, which could make the filling soggy.

Local tomatoes

Rice filling and baking: Stir together the remaining olive oil, rice, parsley, feta, mint, and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the tomatoes in the baking dish, cut sides up, and fill each with the rice mixture, mounding the tops slightly. Using a small brush, coat the tomatoes with some of the olive oil from the baking dish. Sprinkle each tomato with the parmesan cheese and bake until the filling begins to brown lightly and the tomatoes soften, about 30-45 minutes depending on the size of the tomatoes. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Be sure to use firm tomatoes, but not soft ones or they will collapse during baking.