Pomodori Ripieni
SERVES 4
When I was a little boy, in late May when the tomatoes were green my grandpa used to take me to the field and tell me, “Fabio, pick the tomatoes that are ripe.” I was a horrible child, of course, and to fill my basket faster I picked everything from white to light-green tomatoes. Green tomatoes don’t have a lot of flavor. Either you fry them, which is not really Florentine, or you carve them out, stuff them with ricotta and other tasty things, and bake them. The result is pure pleasure in your mouth—the sour of the unripe tomato with the sweetness of the ricotta and the meatiness of cold cuts. And you get your serving of vegetables, too. You make kids happy, and you make Mom happy. Everybody wins. Except the tomato, of course.
4 green tomatoes
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
¼ lb. mortadella, chopped
¼ lb. Italian sausage crumbles, cooked (see note below)
½ cup pitted black olives, chopped
4 tbsp. olive oil
Extra-virgin olive oil, for serving
Preheat the oven to the highest broiler setting.
Cut the tops off the tomatoes. Scoop out the tomato flesh with a spoon and discard.
Combine the cheeses, meats, and olives in a bowl and mix well. Fill the hollowed-out tomatoes with the mixture, mounding the top. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over each tomato and place in an oven-safe pan.
Place the tomatoes under the broiler, and broil for 10–12 minutes, until they are golden brown and crusty.
Remove and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil.