I have a great love of tomatoes. When people ask what is my favorite fruit, I say tomatoes and they look at me weird. If I could only have one fruit for the rest of my life, I’m sorry peaches and blueberries, I love you but I could live on tomatoes. So, when I saw this recipe on Smitten Kitchen this summer, a recipe that promised a perfect taste of summertime, it moved to the top of my to do list.

And boy was that a smart move. There was something magical about the taste of these roasted tomatoes. They did taste like pure summertime. They are beautiful and rich, but with the sweetness of a perfectly ripe tomato. And the best part? Roasting tomatoes goes a long way to restore that wonderful fresh summer taste, even if you are using off season tomatoes.That means you can enjoy that ripe tomato taste even in the winter. Now, for this version that I made, I picked the prettiest heirloom tomatoes that I could find. I couldn’t resist the beautiful oranges and different shades of red. Summer tomatoes are just my favorite thing in the world. 
Try out this great recipe from Smitten Kitchen. And if you haven’t been to her site, check it out. There are always fun recipes to enjoy.

Risotto Stuffed Roasted Tomatoes

From Smitten Kitchen 

• 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Coarse or Kosher salt
• 6 medium tomatoes
• Red pepper flakes, to taste
• 1/4 medium or 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 9 tablespoons arborio or another short-grained starchy rice
• Few tablespoons chopped parsley, oregano or slivered basil (or mix thereof)
• Handful fresh breadcrumbs

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat an ovenproof baking dish with olive oil.

Prepare tomatoes: Cut the tops off the tomatoes and scoop out tomato juices, seeds and flesh into a non-reactive (i.e. just about anything but aluminum) bowl. Be careful not to pierce the bottom of the tomatoes.
Prepare reserve: Puree scooped-out tomato flesh in a blender. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, then add 2 tablespoons olive oil, heating it too. Once hot, add onion, garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook until the onion begins to soften. Add rice and cook them together for about 3 minutes, or until rice toasts a little. Add tomato puree and bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low. Season with 3/4 teaspoon salt, then cover skillet with a lid, and let simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until rice is par-cooked. Adjust seasoning if needed.

Reassemble tomatoes: Stir fresh herbs into tomato-rice mixture. Arrange tomatoes in baking pan then spoon mixture into tomatoes, filling them just 7/8 of the way to leave room for the rice to finish expanding. Top with breadcrumbs and drizzle lightly with olive oil.

Bake: Uncovered for 30 minutes, until tomato walls are soft and the rice inside has finished cooking. Serve hot.

Beautiful Photographs by Jessica Yager

Enjoy!