Jul 24

Jul 24 "Risi e bisi" stuffed tomatoes

There is something so beautiful about stuffing vegetables and baking them in the oven. They are a great way to use up any leftovers, for meal prep or just to impress your guests.

Today we are making a “risi e bisi” stuffed heirloom tomatoes.

“Risi e bisi” is essentially a classic Italian rice dish from the Veneto region. It literally translates to “rice and peas”. You could compare it to a risotto, but dryer and not made by the risotto rules. Today I added tomato and basil to it to complement the beautiful in season tomatoes even more.

The beauty of this dish it’s that it is super versatile and you could add an array of different ingredients to it.

Just a few out the top of my head:

Spinach to add a little more nutrients.
pan fried aubergine, courgette, would be amazing too. Make sure to pan fry them first in lots of olive, garlic and parsley.
Olives, sun dried tomatoes, capers for a more southern Italian flavor palette.
Swap out the rice for orzo, it’s nice to switch it up sometimes!
Add (vegan) cheese like mozzarella or ricotta for an extra touch of creaminess.

These stuffed tomatoes can also be made in advance and stored in the fridge to bake them a few hours or days later. Great for mealprep or when you have a busy day. Just grab, bake and eat!

Enough chitchat, let’s cook!

This recipe makes 6 tomatoes

ingredients

For the risi e bisi:

250 gr of risotto rice
olive oil
1 large white onion, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
400 ml of tomato passata or sauce
150 ml of white wine
10 fresh basil leaves
4-6 tbs of nutritional yeast
250 gr of frozen peas
500-700 ml of vegetable stock
Salt and peper to taste

6 large heirloom tomatoes
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

How to

Start by making the risi e bisi. Heat up a good amount of olive oil in a large pot. (I add enough olive oil to completely cover the base of the pot.)
Add the onion and garlic and fry for a few minutes until transluscent.
Then add the rice and leave it to toast for a few seconds, stirring and making sure all of the rice grains are coated in the oil.
Deglaze the rice with the white wine and let evaporate completley, while stirring.
Add the tomato passata and 500 ml of stock. Bring to a boil then lower heat to bring to a simmer.
Add the fresh basil leaves, stir and continue to cook (while stirring occasionally) until the rice is almost done. Add more stock if needed.
Add in the frozen peas and cook for another 5 minutes until they are defrosted and hot.
Take of the heat and add the nutritional yeast. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
Cut the tops of the heirloom tomatoes and with the spoon hollow out the inside of the tomato. Be careful not to break the skin.
Fill each tomato with the rice mixture and top each stuffed tomato with their lid.
Place them in baking dish and drizzle over some olive oil and season with some more salt and pepper.
Cover the dish with tin foil and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 25 minutes.
Once done remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes.
Serve with some extra fresh basil on top.