SPINACH AND CHEESE STUFFED TOMATOES

By Grandmax4

Ingredients

• 8 ripe red tomatoes -- the best you can find
• Salt for draining tomatoes
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped yellow onions
• 10 oz. frozen spinach -- defrosted, drained and squeezed dry
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Nutmeg -- to taste
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts -- opt.
• 1/4 cup grated imported Parmesan cheese -- plus additional cheese to top tomatoes
• 1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley

Details

Servings 8

Preparation

Step 1

Wash and dry the tomatoes and cut off their tops. With the handle end of a small spoon, scrape out seeds and partitions, being careful not to pierce the sides of tomatoes. Salt the cavities and set tomatoes upside down on a paper towel to drain for 30 minutes.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet, add the onions and cook, covered, over low heat until tender and lightly colored, about 25 minutes.

Chop the spinach and add it to the skillet. Combine onions and spinach thoroughly, season to taste with salt, pepper, and nutmeg and cover. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Do not let the mixture scorch.

Beat ricotta and egg yolks together thoroughly in a mixing bowl. Add spinach mixture, pine nuts, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan and the parsley, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Gently blot tomato cavities dry with a paper towel and spoon an equal share of the spinach mixture into each one. Top each tomato with a sprinkle of additional Parmesan.

Arrange tomatoes in a shallow baking dish and set in the upper third of a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake until tops are well browned and filling is hot and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately.