Karen Mintzias
     12 md Ripe tomatoes

           Sugar
           Salt
           Freshly ground pepper
      1 lg Onion; chopped

    1/4 c  Pine nuts (optional)

  1 1/2 c  Short grain rice

    1/2 c  Currants

  1 1/2 c  Hot water

      2 tb Chopped parsley

      2 tb Chopped mint

           Water or dry white wine
  Serves: 6 Cooking time: 45 minutes Oven temperature: 180 C (350 F)
  Slice tops from tomatoes and reserve.  Scoop pulp and sprinkle cavities
  with a little sugar.  Keep aside.
  Put pulp in a saucepan with salt, pepper and 1/2 teaspoon sugar and simmer
  until soft.  Press through a sieve and reserve pulp.
  Gently fry onion in half of the oil until transparent.  Add pine nuts (if
  used) and cook for further 5 minutes.  Stir in rice, currants, hot water,
  parsley, mint and season to taste.  Bring to the boil, cover and simmer
  gently for 10 minutes until liquid is absorbed.
  Fill tomatoes, allowing room for rice to swell. Replace tops and stand in
  an oven dish.
  Pour pureed tomato pulp and equal quantity of water or white wine into
  dish.  Spoon remaining oil over tomatoes and cook, uncovered, in a moderate
  oven for 30 minutes.  Serve hot or cold.
  Note: This makes a pleasant luncheon dish or an attractive accompaniament
  to main meals.
  From: "The Complete Middle East Cookbook" by Tess Mallos. ISBN: 1 86302 069
  1

  Typed for you by Karen Mintzias