Pomodori col riso (tomatoes stuffed with rice)
By:
Pollyanna Coupland
Food producer, delicious.
- Published: 31 Aug 24
- Updated: 18 Sep 24
This is a classic Roman dish that sees tomatoes stuffed with anchovy, caper and garlic-flavoured risotto rice, with roast potatoes underneath to catch the juices. So simple, yet so satisfying….
Why not use up that open packet of rice in one of our delicious risotto recipes?
Discover all there is to love about the food of Lazio, including its capital Rome, in our full food lover’s guide to the region.
Ingredients
- 8 large tomatoes
- 12 heaped tbsp risotto rice (carnaroli or arborio)
- 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 8 anchovy fillets in oil, drained and finely chopped
- 2 tbsp capers, roughly chopped
- 1 tsp tomato purée
- 4 large potatoes
- 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
- Handful basil leaves to garnish
Method
- Cut a 2cm lid off the top of each tomato, then scoop out the insides (seeds and liquid) into a large bowl. Use a stick blender to whizz the pulp as smooth as you can get it, then stir in the rice, garlic, anchovies, capers and tomato purée. Set aside for 20 minutes for the rice to start soaking up the liquid.
- Meanwhile, heat the oven to 170°C fan/gas 5. Peel and slice the potatoes 1cm thick, then put in another bowl and cover with water. Once the rice mixture has finished soaking, drain the potatoes, pat dry, toss with the olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Take an oven dish or tray that’s just big enough to fit the tomatoes in snugly and tip in the potatoes – they don’t need to be layered perfectly.
- Divide the rice mixture among the tomatoes, packing it in quite firmly. Spoon in around half the leftover liquid, then add the tomato lids. Pour the remaining juices over the potatoes, then sit the tomatoes on top. Drizzle a little oil over the tomatoes.
- Roast for 50 minutes, then (without opening the door) turn the oven off and leave everything for another 10# minutes. Remove and leave to come to room temperature (or cool to lukewarm), then serve.
- Recipe from September 2024 Issue
Nutrition
- Calories
- 717kcals
- Fat
- 8.3g (1.4g saturated)
- Protein
- 16g
- Carbohydrates
- 132g (20g sugars)
- Fibre
- 14g
- Salt
- 1.2g
delicious. tips
Pomodori col riso is almost always served at room temperature as it’s a summer dish, making it a perfect make-ahead meal.
If you’re using salted capers, make sure you soak them for a couple of hours beforehand.
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I followed the recipe exactly but this was dry and lacking in flavour; a big disappointment.
Oh no! We loved it in the office. Our head of food Tom offers some more advice: The quality of the tomatoes is paramount to get the sweetness; but the anchovies and capers mixed into the rice should provide plenty of flavour. It is quite a dry dish – there’s no real sauce to speak of as all the juices are absorbed by the potatoes below – but that 10-min rest in the oven after it’s cooked is vital to allow the rice to finish steaming through.