Tomatoes Stuffed With Lamb And Pine Nuts Recipes

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.

MEDITERRANEAN STUFFED ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Use a melon baller to separate and remove seeds and pulp separately from the zucchini, carving out each half and leaving about a half-inch shell. Chop zucchini pulp into pieces about 1/4 inch in diameter. Discard seeds.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir onion and garlic in hot oil until tender, about 5 minutes. Add ground lamb; continue to cook and stir until lamb is lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir chopped zucchini into the lamb mixture. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer mixture until the zucchini is hot, about 3 minutes. Drain excess grease. Season lamb mixture with coarse salt and black pepper.
• Remove skillet from heat. Stir tomato sauce, tomatoes, feta cheese, pine nuts, and 1/4 cup mint leaves through the lamb mixture; spoon into the zucchini halves. Put stuffed zucchini halves into a large baking dish. Pour water into the baking dish.
• Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Mix bread crumbs and mozzarella cheese in a bowl. Sprinkle 1/4 cup mint leaves over the zucchini and top with the bread crumb mixture. Continue baking until the top is crusty and browned, about 10 minutes more.

STUFFED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Set up your grill for indirect heat. If using a charcoal grill, build the coals on one side only. If using a gas grill, heat one side only.
• Cut the tops off of each tomato and scoop out the inside flesh into a bowl. Set aside the tomato shells. Roughly chop the inside tomato flesh or break it up with your hands, yielding 1 cup. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
• Place a large saute pan over the direct heat side of the grill and add a drizzle of olive oil. Season the ground beef with salt and pepper. When the oil is hot, add the ground beef and cook until it begins to brown, breaking it up into smaller pieces as it cooks, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic, onions, lemon zest, another drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Give it a stir and cook until fragrant and the onions are translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Then stir in the reserved tomato insides. Cook for about 1 minute, scraping the bottom of the pan for any brown bits. Add the mint and parsley. Give it one more stir and remove from the heat. Add the rice, pine nuts and goat cheese.
• Fill each reserved tomato shell to the top with the beef mixture and place into a cast-iron skillet. Sprinkle with the panko and drizzle with olive oil. Place on the indirect heat side of the grill and close the lid. Bake until golden brown on top, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve with olive oil drizzled over the top.

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.

ROASTED TOMATOES STUFFED WITH COUSCOUS, CHANTERELLES AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Peel tomatoes. Mince one tomato and set aside. Cut a 3/4-inch slice from the bottom of the others, reserving these pieces to serve as lids. Scoop out seeds and center flesh. Rub the insides with 1 tablespoon of olive oil; place a garlic clove, a sprig of thyme, a sprig of tarragon, a bay leaf and a basil leaf into each. Put the lids on and bake until they begin to soften, but still maintain their shape, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and discard garlic and herbs.
• In a double boiler, warm the couscous. Add the minced tomato, chanterelles, pine nuts, cucumber and corn and stir. Add 1 tablespoon of oil, the chopped chives, the minced tarragon and mint and stir. Spoon into the tomatoes, reheat in the oven and serve two to a plate garnished with whole chives.

POTATO CAKES STUFFED WITH LAMB AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Start by making the dough.
• Boil the potatoes whole until cooked but not mushy.
• Drain well for 10 minutes and then, while they are still warm, peel and mash.
• Stir in the flour and season with salt.
• Set aside.
• Meanwhile, make the filling by melting the butter and olive oil together in a pan over a medium-high heat.
• Add the onion and cook until it is nice and soft, then add all the spices and cook for a further minute.
• Add the lamb and cook for 5-8 minutes until nicely browned.
• Stir in the pine nuts, tomato puree, water and the parsley.
• Season with salt and pepper and set aside until cool enough to handle.
• To prepare the potato cakes, first wash and dry your hands, then flour them.
• Divide the dough into 4 balls.
• On a well floured surface, flatten one ball to a disc about 1 cm thick.
• Put 2 tbsp of filling in the centre and bring up the sides of the dough to enclose the meat.
• Place on a floured surface, neaten the shape of the cake and patch up any cracks.
• You should get a patty about 10 cm across and 3-4 cm thick.
• Repeat with the other dough balls.
• At this point, you can keep the cakes in the fridge for 1-2 days-- just make sure there's enough flour to keep them from sticking-- but the fresher the better.
• Cover the bottom of a large frying pan with oil 3-4 mm deep and place over a medium to high heat until nearly smoking.
• Gently lift up the cakes and lower into the oil one by one.
• Do not turn until they are dark, golden and crispy.
• Fry the other side, dab off any extra oil and keep warm in a low oven.
• Mix together the yogurt with the garlic and salt.
• Serve with a salad and the yogurt as a garnish.

TOMATOES STUFFED WITH BULGUR AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Cut off and discard top third of tomatoes and scoop out insides (leave shells intact for stuffing), transferring to a sieve set over a bowl to drain excess liquid. Coarsely chop tomato from sieve and reserve for making braised eggplant .
• Sprinkle insides of tomato shells with 1/2 teaspoon salt and drain upside down on a rack set in a pan while preparing filling.
• Simmer lentils in 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan until just tender, 18 to 20 minutes. Drain in a sieve, then rinse under cold water and drain well.
• Heat oil in a 5-quart heavy pot over moderate heat until hot, then cook pine nuts, stirring, until golden, about 2 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.
• Cook onion in oil remaining in pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Add bulgur, chard, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper and cook, stirring, until greens are wilted, about 2 minutes. Add remaining cup water, then remove from heat and let stand, covered, until bulgur is tender, about 30 minutes.
• Stir in pine nuts, currants, parsley, dill, lemon juice, lentils, and salt and pepper to taste. Spoon filling into tomato shells.

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.

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.