ITALY - Rice filled tomatoes (Pomodori Ripieni Riso)

4 Medium size fresh tomatoes
3.5 ounces rice
approximately 1/2 cup of short grained rice or Orzo pasta (cooked 'al dente')
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bunch basil, minced
2 spoonfuls of tomato puree
Olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

355 F oven temp

Remove the top of the tomato horizontally (keep the top for garnish). Scoop out the inside of the tomatoes with a spoon and dry the inside of the tomato with a paper towel. (keep it in a bowl - you will need to puree it with a blender - add dash of salt/pepper to taste)

Boil pasta or rice until it is cooked al dente.

Combine the cooked rice, garlic and basil; add two spoonfuls of the tomato puree, salt, and pepper to the rice mixture.

Put the tomatoes on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Drizzle tomatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Fill each tomato with the rice mixture and cover with the tops. Drizzle additional olive oil over top of tomatoes and spoon the reamining tomato puree over the tomatoes.

bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes