stuffed vegetabled (vegetarian)

RICE STUFFING FOR VEGETABLES


1/2 lb Long grained rice
1/2 c Olive oil
1 c Water
1 lg Tomato (or use the scooped out pulp of the tomatoes you are using to stuff)
1 md Onion
Few sprigs dill & parsley
1 oz Pine nuts (pignoli)
1 t Sugar (more to taste)
1 pn Thyme
Salt and pepper
1 oz Currants

This stuffing is for eggplants, pepper, tomatoes and zucchini. It is made
with olive oil and served as a cold vegetable dish.

Slice onion very finely, skin and roughly chop tomato and wash the rice
until the water runs clear. Heat the olive oil in a deep pot and fry the
onion until it becomes soft. Add the tomato, pine nuts, currants, sugar,
thyme and season and then stir in the drained rice and fry them together
for two or three minutes. Cover with just enough water to come half an inch
above the the level of the rice and then boil out the water and steam for a
few minutes until the rice mixture is dry. Allow to cool. Stuff veggies
with mixture, arrange in a flat roasting pan, cover each one with its lid
(after insides are scooped out and sprinkled w/ salt). Pour around them
enough water to come half-way up their sides. Bake in a 350 oven for 45
min. or until they are well cooked through & soft, but have not lost their
shape. Sprinkle w/ chopped dill and parsley.

this is enough stuffing for 2 pounds of various vegetables, I usually do 3-4 tomatoes, green peppers, zucchini and an eggplant or two.

to prepare the vegetables:
peppers, cut the top off and take the seeds out (reserve the top)
tomatoes, same as above, scoop the pulp out and reserve the top
with zucchini, I cut in half and scoop out the inside, making sure not to puncture the bottom - as a lid on this I use sliced tomatoes.
with the egplant, I also cut in half and scoop out the inside, again making sure I dont puncture the bottom, and use sicled tomatoes for the lid, for the lid, roma tomatoes are a good fit....