[LENTEN]

STUFFED TOMATOES WITH RICE

Yemistes Domates Laderes me Rizi

YIELD: 12 SERVINGS

       12 large tomatoes

       salt to taste

       1 teaspoon sugar

       3 cups minced onions

       1½ cups olive oil

       ½ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

       ½ cup chopped fresh dill

       ½ cup raisins or currants

       ½ cup pine nuts

       1 cup raw converted rice

       salt and pepper to taste

       ½ cup water

Wash tomatoes, slice off caps, and reserve; scoop out pulp, chop, and reserve. Sprinkle inside of tomatoes with salt and sugar. Sauté onions in ¼ cup of the olive oil until soft.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix onion, parsley, dill, raisins or currants, pine nuts, rice, chopped tomato pulp, and 1 cup olive oil. Sauté for 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Fill tomatoes with this mixture. Cover with tomato caps and place in casserole with remaining ¼ cup olive oil and water. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until tops are golden and rice is cooked, basting occasionally. Remove from heat and cool. Serve at room temperature.

Note: Tomatoes can be cooked on the stove top. Cover with aluminum foil and simmer for about 30 minutes, basting occasionally.