Tomatoes Stuffed With Lamb And Pine Nuts Recipes

TOMATOES STUFFED WITH LAMB AND RICE (YEMISTES DOMATES ME RIZI)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Cut the top off of the tomatoes and clean out all of the pulp, leaving a 1/2-inch thick skin. Reserve the pulp. In a medium saute pan, heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until the onions are golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, reserved tomato pulp, and rice, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the lamb, pine nuts, parsley, dill, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine and continue cooking until lamb is browned.
• Fill the tomatoes with the lamb mixture, sprinkle the tops with cheese, and drizzle with the remaining 4 teaspoons of olive oil. Place in a 9-by 13-inch baking dish. Pour water in the bottom of the dish and bake for 1 hour. Serve warm.

MAUREEN ABOOD'S EGGPLANT WITH LAMB, TOMATO AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Heat broiler and line a baking sheet with foil or parchment.
• Brush both sides of eggplant slices with 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt. Arrange slices on prepared baking sheet and broil in batches until they are deep mahogany brown, turning once halfway through, 5 to 7 minutes per side.
• Adjust the oven to 375 degrees with rack positioned in the center.
• In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the remaining olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent, but not browned, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add ground lamb or beef, stirring frequently and breaking up meat into very small pieces with the side of a metal spoon. Season with remaining teaspoon salt, cinnamon and pepper. Sauté until meat is just cooked through. Taste and add more salt or pepper, or both, as needed.
• In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add pine nuts and reduce heat to medium-low. Stir nuts to coat them with butter and continue stirring constantly until nuts are golden brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Keep a close watch over the nuts; they can burn quickly once they begin to brown. Transfer nuts to a bowl while still warm and salt them lightly.
• Coat a 13-by-9-by-2-inch baking dish with remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Spread 1/2 cup of tomato sauce in the bottom of the dish. Lay 1/3 of the eggplant slices in a single layer over the sauce, covering as much surface area of the bottom of the dish as possible. Spoon half the meat evenly over eggplant. Pour 1/3 of the remaining tomato sauce evenly over meat. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the pine nuts. Layer again with eggplant, meat, tomato sauce and pine nuts. Finish with a layer of eggplant and cover with more tomato sauce, sprinkling top with pine nuts.
• Pour 1 cup warm water around the perimeter of the baking dish. (Sauce will thicken as it bakes.) Cover pan with foil and bake for 90 minutes. Remove foil and top eggplant evenly with mozzarella. Bake for 15 minutes longer, uncovered, or until the cheese is bubbling and golden. Serve eggplant warm, over rice.

LAMB-STUFFED TOMATOES, MIDDLE EASTERN STYLE

Steps:

• Stand tomatoes on stem ends. Cut off top 1/4 of tomatoes (reserve tops for another use). Using melon baller, scoop out seeds and pulp from tomatoes. Sprinkle insides of tomatoes lightly with salt. Place tomatoes, cut side down, on paper towels and drain 20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly oil 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Mix lamb and all remaining ingredients in large bowl to blend. Fill tomatoes with lamb stuffing, mounding slightly at top. Arrange tomatoes in prepared dish.
• Bake tomatoes until stuffing is cooked through and meat thermometer inserted into center of stuffing registers 160°F, about 1 hour. Let stand at least 10 minutes. Serve tomatoes warm or at room temperature.

TOMATOES STUFFED WITH LAMB AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Cut the tops off the tomatoes to form the lids, and set to one side. Carefully scoop out the seeds and jelly of the tomatoes with a teaspoon and set aside.
• Heat up the oil in a smallish saucepan. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Add the garlic and cook a further minute.
• Add the lamb mince and cook until lightly browned.
• Add the pine-nuts, reserved tomato flesh and breadcrumbs. Cook a further minute or 2 until the mixture is well combined. Add some water to the mixture if it's cooking too quickly.
• Place the tomatoes in shallow baking dish. Spoon the lamb mixture into each tomato, ensuring that they're firmly stuffed.
• Place the lids on top of the tomatoes and push down on top of the mixture.
• Cover with foil and bake in a moderate oven for 20-30 minutes.