Tomatoes filled with Spinach Fettuchini

[janet-in-nc]

I made these to go with the beer can chicken. They were pretty, tasty and make ahead. Everyone ate every scrap. I used pretty big tomatoes but will use slightly smaller ones next time. I also used all light cream. This is from "A Private Collection" Junior League of Palo Alto 1980

1/4 pound spinach Fettuchini

8 medium size tomatoes

salt and pepper

1 C heavy cream

1C light cream

1/2 t ground thyme

1/2 t salt

1/8 t white pepper

grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350

Cook noodles in boiling,salted water until al dente, drain well. Cut off tops of tomatoes and scoop out insides. Season with s&p and drain on paper towels. Set aside

Heat creams in saucepan, add seasonings, add noodles and simmer until cream is absorbed. (my note: I added some grated parm to this).

Meanwhile bake tomatoes in ungreased shallow dish for about 5 min or until heated through. (Don't let them collapse)

Fill shells with noodle mixture, top with more cheese and bake again until hot.

 

[dawn_mo]

I was looking for something to go with the herb roasted pork loin

which I plan on taking to the FM for the Dinner For Two. These sound perfect. Do you think I could make these the day before and refrigerate? I need something that will be able to be reheated in the microwave. They sound wonderful. Thanks!

 

[janet-in-nc]

I think you could make them the day before but I can't comment on the microwave. Rarely use it.

 

[curious1]

Tomatoes Stuffed with Rice is another nice side. The recipe I use is inside, Giada's is at the link.

* Exported for MasterCook 4 by Living Cookbook *

Tomatoes Filled with Rice

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time: 0:00
Categories : Rice Side Dish
Vegetable


Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

4 medium tomatoes
1/2 cup (about) onion, a little less, diced small
2 Tbs (about) olive oil
1/3 cup arborio rice
little chopped basil, parsley, or other herb
1/3 cup water
salt and pepper
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs or 1/4 cup dried
olive oil to drizzle the top

1. Slice the top off the tomatoes and carefully spoon out the pulp and seeds
and place in a small bowl. Put the tomatoes in an oiled baking dish that
they fit fairly snugly.

2. Sauté the diced onion in the olive oil until soft but not brown. Add the
rice and sauté for a couple of minutes. Add the tomato pulp, herb of choice,
and water, season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low
and simmer, covered for 10 minutes.

3. Stir, taste for seasonings, then spoon evenly into the prepared tomato
shells, putting any extra rice around the shells. Put the bread crumbs on
top of the rice, drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 350 degrees for about an
hour.

Author Note: Next, we have tomatoes filled with rice - an Italian classic
that I am utterly obsessed with and don't eat nearly enough of. You take
four large tomatoes (these are the first non-greenhouse ones I've found at
the market this year, from my favorite New Jersey ladies in Union Square,
and they are fantastic), cut the tops off and scoop out the insides, which
you then chop up and reserve (along with all the liquid and seeds). Dice a
small onion, or another quarter of the Vidalia onion you used for the dish
above, and sauté it gently in olive oil. After it has softened, add 1/3 cup
of arborio rice to the pan and stir that around for a few minutes. Chop the
tomato pulp and add all of it, plus 1/3 cup of water, to the onion and rice,
fold in a few torn basil or oregano leaves and a good sprinkling of salt,
lower the heat and simmer the rice, covered, for 10 minutes. Heat your oven
to 350 degrees, spoon the par-cooked rice into the tomatoes, put them in a
small, oiled baking dish, top them a few breadcrumbs and a drizzle of olive
oil, and bake for an hour and 15 minutes. The tomatoes will shrivel a bit
and become incredibly fragrant and sweet. Let them cool for a bit before
eating.

Author Note: The rice is hot and sludgy and delectable and the tomatoes are
sweet and caramelized. To gild the lily, you could slice up potatoes and put
them around the base of the tomatoes before putting them in the oven, as the
Italians do (who else can combine rice and potatoes with such success?) -
they get all oil-slicked and tangy from the tomato juices - but even without
the potatoes, this is one of my favorite meals.


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/tomatoes-stuffed-with-rice-recipe/index.html

 

[angak]

Curious, this sounds lovely. could you edit the part with the Author's notes about how long to cook

the rice. it says "ro" and maybe it's 20 minutes?

 

[curious1]

Done, 10 min. The recipe was re-written by DH because the original was hard to use. It's here>>

http://wednesdaychef.typepad.com/the_wednesday_chef/2007/07/bladibla-bladib.html

 

[CathyZ]

Dawn I would use the rice-stuffed tomatoes for your side

if you have to use the microwave then pick the rice instead of the fettucini. With the cream-based sauce on the fettucini against the tomato...well, I think you would find a watery mess if you microwaved them the next day. I think you'd have much better luck with the rice-stuffed tomato. The rice will absorb more of the juice from the tomato.

If you really want the fettucini, don't stuff the tomato until the next day- heat up just before serving.

 

[dawn_mo]

I am packaging them up for people to buy.

And I know a lot of them will reheat in the microwave. I have had rice the last two weeks so I wanted something a little different this week. Maybe orzo instead of the fettuccine?
I just looked at the recipe again. I can package the tomatoes uncooked and stuffed, with instructions for the customer to heat in the microwave. That should take care of the collapsing tomatoes, don't you think? I think I will go with the orzo and include some minced red bell peppers and some thinly sliced green onions. That should look nice and taste great.

 

[dawn_mo]

This sounds so good Curious. It almost sounds like risotto stuffed

tomatoes. This is definitely on my menu for next week and on my list of sides for the market. Thanks for posting!

 

[angak]

I worry a bit about reheating the cream sauce---reminds me of alfredo sauce and it always breaks

when I re-heat it.

 

[barb_b]

Dawn, what about Moyns Killer Tomaoes ((Miss her)) or Cathy's Gazpacho Salad ((YUM!))

 

[janet-in-nc]

I made them earlier in the day and did the 2nd cooking in the oven. There isn't any sauce.....

because, as the recipe says, the cream has all been absorbed by the fettuchini. They came out very well.