Stuffed tomatoes were a standard summer lunch when I was a child. Made with big ripe home-grown tomatoes and stuffed with a mixture of canned tuna fish and saltines bound with mayo, my siblings and I would gorge on them. The recipe here is more complex than what my mother made, primarily with the addition of scallions, feta cheese, and capers, but it still satisfies as those long ago tomatoes did. (Larger image.) Makes 4.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 4 lg. tomatoes; 3" diameter
- 1 6-oz. can tuna
- 8 saltine crackers; crushed
- 1/4 cup sliced scallions; sliced into 1/8" rounds
- 1/4 cup diced green pepper
- 2 Tbsp. capers
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 2 Tbsp. feta brine
- 1/2 lemon; juiced
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
Preparation:
1. Remove tomato tops and dice. Remove pulp from tomatoes, discard seeds, and dice flesh.
2. Mix diced tomato and all other ingredients in a bowl and allow flavors to meld for at least an hour.
3. Salt interiors of tomatoes and stuff with tuna mixture.
Note: I strongly recommend tuna packed in olive oil instead of water. It tastes far better.
