Baked Tomato stuffed with Risotto

* original receipe from Raymond Blanc

Serves 4.
prepartion + cooking time: approx 2 hrs

Ingredients:
4 large ripe beef tomato (if not available in market, just choose some bigger and wider tomato)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
fresh chives, finely chopped, to garnish

For the tomato sauce:
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 sprigs of fresh thymes
3 tbsp olive oil
4 ripe tomatoes, chopped
100g (4oz) tomato puree
400ml (14fl oz) water
sugar, salt and pepper to season

For the risotto stuffing:
1 small onion, finely chopped
20g unsalted butter
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
100g (4oz) long grain rice, washed and drained
200ml  (7 fl oz) water
30g or 1 small carrot, finely chopped
30g or 1 small courgette, finely chopped
30g peas
2 tbsp whipping cream
75g Gruyere cheese, finely grated
salt and pepper to season

How to make:

Making the tomato sauce:
1. On a low heat in a medium saucepan, soften the onion, garlic and thymes for 2-3 min with olive oil.

2. Add the chopped tomatoes and the tomato puree and cook on medium heat for 7-8 min, until tomatoes have cooked down.

3. Add water, season with sugar, salt and pepper to the taste you desire and cook for a further 5 min.

4. Puree the sauce in a blender and strain through a sieve. (those tomatoes remaining on the sieve are best used as pasta sauce and cook with minced beef and no food is wasted!)

5. Those sauce drained from the seive is very smooth - set aside for later use.

Preparing the Beef Tomato:
1. Clean the tomato and wipe dry. (better to retain the star shaped green item on top)

2. Slice about 1/4 off the top of each tomato to make a hat and set it aside.

3. With a spoon or the special knife to cut orange nectar, scoop out the pulp and juices from the tomatoes into a bowl and set aside.

Making the Risotto Stuffing:
1. On a medium heat in a medium saucepan, soften the onion and thyme leaves and bay leaf with the butter for approx 3 mins, without letting it color.

2. Stir in rice and cook for 1 min so that rice all coat with butter, onion, etc.

3. Add water and carrot and apprpx 150ml (1/4 pint) of the tomato pulp and juices you extracted earlier and bring to boil.

4. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for 5 min, stirring from time to time.

5. Add courgette and peas for cook for another 15 mins until risotto rice is al dente or soft enough to your liking. Check water all the time. If not enough, add hot water little by little.

6. Correct tastings if necessary, then add cream and the grated cheese and mix well.

Stuffing and cooking the Tomato:
1. Preheat over to 180'C.

2. Divide the risotto between the tomatoes, stuffed them with a spoon and top each of them with the tomato hat.

3. Place them in a baking tray, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and bake for 20 min.

To servce:
1. Reheat the tomato sauce and spoon them into the base of the plate/bowl.

2. Place the baked tomato in the centre.

3. Granish chopped chives around with a dash of extra virgin olive oil.

ENJOY~