TOMATOES STUFFED WITH BLACK RICE AND SHRIMP

1¹⁄₃ cups water

³⁄₄ cup Italian black rice such as venere rice (do not use Forbidden rice or Thai sweet sticky black rice)

³⁄₄ pound peeled and deveined small shrimp

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

6 large globe tomatoes (6 ounces each)

¼ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1. Combine the water and rice in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer slowly until the rice is tender and the water has been absorbed, about 40 minutes. Set aside, covered, to steam for 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, mix the shrimp, 2 tablespoons of the oil, the garlic, and red pepper flakes in a bowl. Set them aside at room temperature while you heat up a grill pan over medium heat until smoking or prepare the grill for direct high-heat cooking. Set the shrimp in the pan or on the grill grate over direct heat and cook until pink and firm, about 5 minutes, turning once or twice. Transfer to a cutting board and chop into tiny bits.

3. Place the chopped shrimp in a bowl. Fluff the rice with a fork and add it to the bowl. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, the lemon zest, lemon juice, and black pepper.

4. Cut the tops off the tomatoes. Scoop out the flesh and seeds with a small spoon, preferably a serrated grapefruit spoon. Place ¹⁄₃ cup of the shrimp salad in each tomato. Top with some of the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

SERVES 6

Active time: 15 minutes

Total time: 55 minutes

Make ahead: Store the hollowed-out tomatoes and salad separately, for up to 2 days. Fill the tomatoes just before serving.

CHEF IT UP!

• Shave the cheese, rather than grating it; lay paper-thin strips on the stuffed tomatoes.

TESTERS’ NOTES

• Whole-grain, Italian, black rice is the sweetest of all the rices. For the best contrast, search out ripe but still firm tomatoes that will have just a hint of sour pop behind their summery freshness.
• We developed this recipe with very small shrimp, ones that take about 50 to make a pound. You can also use so-called “salad shrimp,” sometimes called “baby shrimp” (although they are in fact fully adult shrimp caught in frigid, northern waters). Since these are sold precooked, skip step 2, adding the garlic and red pepper flakes directly to the salad. If you don’t want the taste of raw garlic in the salad, cook the minced garlic and red pepper flakes in the oil for about half a minute in a small skillet set over medium heat. Or look to the salad bar of your supermarket for roasted garlic cloves, a really easy solution.
• There’s no added salt in the recipe because the shrimp and cheese are both quite salty. If you’d like a little more salt, sprinkle a few grains over the stuffed tomato halves just before serving.