Baked Tomatoes

Fine fat orbs of heirloom tomatoes are perfect for this baked dish. Hollowed out and then stuffed, they look especially jaunty with their jack-o-lantern style lids popping open. We stuff these orange, red, and yellow beauties with a Mexican-inspired mix of rice and fideos (vermicelli), and other lively flavorings.

What is Vermicelli in Our Baked Tomatoes’ Filling?

Beyond being simply a thin pasta, the inclusion of vermicelli (known as fideos once chopped and toasted) in our Baked Tomatoes filling plays a role in creating that traditional Mexican-inspired texture and flavor. We toast these very fine strands of pasta before adding them to the rest of the stuffing ingredients. This toasting step is key to getting the fullest flavor out of this recipe. It gives the fideos a slightly nutty undertone and helps them retain a crunchy bite rather than becoming mushy when they absorb the cooking liquids. The distinct texture and flavor of fideos makes this recipes more delicious than versions which use rice alone. It’s a clever way to add body and depth to the overall Mexican-inspired mixture inside these Baked Tomatoes.

Baked Tomatoes

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• Author: Cheryl Alters Jamison
• Yield: Serves 6

Print Recipe

Description

Baked potatoes? Nah, we’ll take Baked Tomatoes instead!

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Ingredients

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• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 6 oz bulk Mexican chorizo
• 1 cup uncooked rice
• ½ cup crumbled vermicelli or fideos
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 1 large celery stalk, minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2½ cups chicken stock
• 1 tsp table salt, or more to taste
• 6 medium to large slicing tomatoes, 12 to 16 oz each
• 4 oz (about 1 cup) grated monterey jack or asadero cheese
• 1 heaping tbsp fresh cilantro
• Handful of small tomatoes in contrasting colors, optional

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Warm the butter and chorizo in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat and cook until chorizo is browned.
3. Add the rice and vermicelli and sauté several minutes, until the rice is translucent and the vermicelli light brown.
4. Add the onion, celery, and garlic and continue heating for a couple of minutes, scraping up from the bottom, until the vegetables begin to soften.
5. Pour in the stock and sprinkle in the salt. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to a low simmer, and cook until the liquid is absorbed and the rice and vermicelli are tender, about 18 minutes. Let the mixture sit covered at room temperature for 10 to 30 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, carefully slice off a “lid” of each tomato, by making a crosswise cut just above its shoulder. Reserve the tops. With a paring knife (or grapefruit knife) and teaspoon, cut and spoon out the flesh and seeds of each tomato, jack-o-lantern style. Discard the cores and seeds with any gel clinging to them.
7. Chop the spooned-out tomato flesh and stir it, the cheese, and the cilantro into the rice and vermicelli mixture.
8. Sprinkle the inside of each tomato with more salt.
9. Pour a thin film of olive oil into a cast-iron skillet or heavy baking dish. Fill each tomato with the rice and vermicelli mixture, mounding a bit of the mixture at the top, and place them in the skillet. (You will likely have more filling than you need. It makes a great side dish on its own, too.) Top each tomato with its lid. Arrange small tomatoes in spaces between the stuffed tomatoes. Pour a bit of olive oil over each tomato.
10. Bake the tomatoes for about 30 minutes, until tender and lightly colored. Spoon out and serve with some of the juices from the skillet.

Story by Cheryl Alters Jamison
Styling by Julia Platt Leonard
Photography by Tira Howard

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