Puttanesca rice-stuffed tomatoes

Name: Puttanesca rice-stuffed tomatoes
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 4-6
Cuisine: Italian,Mediterranean
Ingredients: 12 vine-ripened tomatoes (it looks nice if you can leave a small piece of the green stem attached to the tomato); 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 1 small brown onion, peeled and finely chopped; 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced; 50g best-quality anchovy fillets (1 small tin), chopped; 1 tbsp tomato paste; 130g long-grain white rice, rinsed; 35g pitted, black kalamata olives; 10g salted capers, rinsed; 20g fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped; 1 tbsp lemon juice; ½ tsp dried oregano

Danielle Alvarez

March 14, 2025

Serve with a green salad and rosé wine (optional).William Meppem

easyTime:1-2 hoursServes:4-6

For me, this dish is the stuff of late-summer dreams. Not only does it marry Italian, French and Greek sensibilities, it holds so many of my favourite flavours – tomatoes, anchovies, capers – in a gorgeous little red orb.

My preference is to eat these at room temperature, so bake them in the morning and serve for lunch, al fresco, with a green salad and glass of rosé. The world will quickly feel right again.

Ingredients

12 vine-ripened tomatoes (it looks nice if you can leave a small piece of the green stem attached to the tomato)
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small brown onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
50g best-quality anchovy fillets (1 small tin), chopped
1 tbsp tomato paste
130g long-grain white rice, rinsed
35g pitted, black kalamata olives
10g salted capers, rinsed
20g fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp dried oregano

Method

Step 1
Preheat your oven to 180C fan-forced (200C conventional).
Step 2
Cut the tops off the tomatoes and set them aside. Using a teaspoon and/or a small paring knife, scoop the flesh of the tomatoes into a bowl. Chop the tomato flesh to a fine pulp and set aside. Place the tomato shells in a baking dish with the cut side up.
Step 3
To make the filling, place a non-stick pan over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, along with the onion and garlic, and saute gently until the onion is translucent (about 8-10 minutes). Add the anchovies and tomato paste and fry together for a further minute or two.
Step 4
While the anchovies cook, bring 100ml of water to a boil. Add the rinsed rice to the pan, then immediately add the boiling water, stirring to combine. Add the chopped tomato pulp, too. Turn the heat to low and gently simmer for about 6-7 minutes to par-cook the rice (it will still be crunchy in the middle), adding more water as necessary to stop the rice sticking to the pan. When the rice is par-cooked, turn the heat off and add the olives, capers, parsley, lemon juice, dried oregano, a pinch of salt and some black pepper. Stir to combine.
Step 5
Fill the cavities of the 12 tomatoes and place the “lids” on top. Drizzle the tomatoes with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and cover with aluminium foil. Bake for 40 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for a further 20 minutes uncovered. If you find the tops pop off the tomatoes as the rice cooks and expands, simply put them back on top and continue cooking.
Step 6
Serve either hot or at room temperature with a leafy salad dressed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.