Greek Stuffed Tomatoes


I will be spending the next few days on a lovely Greek beach, enjoying the sun, sand and sea. I'll be sipping on cocktails and eating some scrumptious Greek food. I'll be enjoying my time with Soeren and Tom and just breaking free from the daily routine and hectic life. No appointments, no meetings, no phones, no mails and no stress! Just the three of us having a fun time and a much needed break.

Yes, we're packing our bags and are off on vacation to the lovely Peloponnese. Oh, I know you all are a bit green. But don't be - to make up for it I am leaving you with a gorgeous recipe - Greek Stuffed Tomatoes. Furthermore, I'll be taking lots of pictures and when I get back I will share them with you. So, hopefully we can all gather around and re-live the vacation once again. Give me a smile! Just promise to miss me a bit - LOL! I know I'll be missing you!

A few days ago I decided to kick in the vacation mood and make something Greek. I really love Greek food as I find it healthy made of fresh ingredients and just full of sun! There certainly are many variations to stuffing your tomatoes and I am sure everyone has their own recipe. I particularly like this one as it combines the lovely tastes of feta, garlic and zucchini along with herbs like oregano, giving it a wonderful aroma.

So as I head off on my vacation I hope you enjoy cooking this up.

Before I sign out, just wanted to let a few of you who asked and emailed about the shoes and the streaks in this post know - yes I got both. And both look gorgeous ;-)



Events on WFLH:

MM Logo

Monthly Mingle: Take Two - Deadline October 12. I've designed this logo and hope anyone taking part in the Monthly Mingle will use it as part of their entry/post.


Mixology Monday: Exotic Drinks - Deadline October 16. I'd really love to see a few of my regular readers taking part in this issue. So, folks join in the Exotic cocktail party!





Music while cooking:

Jack Johnson - Upside Down. Great vacation feeling sound!
Album: Sing-a-longs and Lullabies for the film Curious George

*Artwork and music courtesy of iTunes



Ingredients:

8 large tomatoes
1 onion - finely chopped
1 garlic clove - finely chopped
1 zucchini - finely chopped
200 g Feta cheese - finely chopped
2 tablespoons oil
500 g Beef mince
125 ml vegetable stock
2 tablespoons crème fraiche
Nutmeg powder
Paprika powder
Salt and pepper
Oregano - chopped
Parsely - chopped
Chives - chopped



Method:

Pre-heat oven at 200° C
Slice the top of the tomato with a sharp knife. Using a spoon (or this nifty little gadget) scrape the insides out of the tomato. Place these in an ovenproof dish

Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the mince until nice and brown. Add the onions, garlic and zucchini and continue to saute for a few minutes. Pour in some of the stock and mix in the crème fraiche. Add the nutmeg, paprika, salt, pepper, oregano and parsley to the mixture. Take off the heat and now add the feta cheese.

Fill the mince into the tomatoes and place the lids back on top. Pour the rest of the stock into the ovenproof dish and bake for 15 minutes.

Serve with either light and fluffy mashed potaoes or wild rice and sprinkle with chives.


Verdict:
Greece here we come!! Such a perfect combination of ingredients that shout out Greece. The oregano passed on it's artomatic flavor to the entire dish really well. There is something about this herb that always takes me to the Mediterranean area. I just love that feeling. When you bite into something and BANG! you are beamed to dream location.

If I really had to, I would probably choose this as my very favorite herb and that is why I am sending this off to a Weekend Herb Blogging special at Kalyn's. However, my taste in herbs change from season to season, mood to mood and taste to taste so I can never really pin point THE ONE favorite herb. At the moment it's Oregano!!

I baked the tomatoes for 15 minutes but I would recommend checking after 10 minutes if they are done. As I wanted to lift the first tomato onto the plate for a picture it kind of collapsed on me. I just managed, with great care, to get this one on the plate and take a half way decent picture. The others were also OK to serve, but the next time I certainly will be checking a little earlier.

We had the tomatoes with mashed potatoes and I found this a great side with the stuffed tomatoes.

For my vegeterian readers, you can always substitute the meat with finely chopped mushrooms or even a combination of normal and wild rice. You can also use the mashed potatoes as a filler too.

Now, we are really beaming off to Greece. See you when we get back. A'dio!


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19 comments:

  1. I hope you have so much fun! It does sound wonderful. I've been to Greece once and loved it. Thanks for fitting this in before you left and your vote for oregano has been duly recorded!

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  2. Have fun dear girl and that's a beautiful recipe. Will have to think of a replacement for the meat, if I have to try it out, something like shredded cauliflower?

    I didn't see the comments link a while earlier- blogger having some probs i guess...

    Have a safe trip!

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  3. I can't get over how good this looks, Meeta! I've never been a stuffed tomato fan - but I've never seen one stuffed with these ingredients.. yum! Thank you, as always, for sharing.. I really want to try these!

    PS - Have a great time! I will miss you tremendously :D

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  4. Have a safe trip and a wonderful holiday!!

    Can't wait to hear all about it when you get back!!

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  5. Have a fantastic time in Greece, Meeta! Can't wait to hear about it.

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  6. Not green at all abt your vacation,everybody needs a break but I'm feeling blue bcos my tomato plants are breathing their last!

    Hey!! where is the sage in that recipe ,only Zucchini??!!Looks good!! :D:D

    I know you are going throw us another Greek thingie when you come back and I wil be here catch it!!:))

    Well!! Have fun!! OPA as they say!!!

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  7. That's really funny--I just put up stuffed tomatoes too (I didn't copy you, really!). Have a great holiday in Greece!

    --Sarah

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  8. Sounds like a lovely and healthy recipe! And oohh, Greece! How lucky can you be! I've been there once and I long to go back. Will have to wait for your detailed account when you get back. Enjoy! :)

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  9. WOW! The Greeks would be so proud of you. Thanks for this recipe.

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  10. Looks Yum! Feta, Tomato, herbs?? I'm there!!

    Opa! have fun in Greece.

    cheers!

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  11. Gorgeous tomatos! I hope you are having tons of fun in Greece.

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  12. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  13. Enjoy, Meeta!

    We'll be here when you get back!

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  14. This looks so great! I love the flavors of Greece!

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  15. Have a great trip! And thanks for the MMs reminder..

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  16. Have a great time thanks for posting this recipe first as you will have too much fun once you get there.

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  17. Thanks everyone. Glad that the recipe suited your fine tastebuds.
    You are all fantastic!

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  18. Looks like a great recipe. What proportions for the spices did you use?

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  19. IvanYes, it really was a great recipe. The spices I normally use from my feeling. I add a little, taste and then add more if required. I would recommend the same to you. Check how you like the taste, experiment and play with your food ;-) Let me know how it tasted!

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Thank you for visiting What's For Lunch, Honey? and taking time to browse through my recipes, listen to my ramblings and enjoy my photographs. I appreciate all your comments, feedback and input. I will answer your questions to my best knowledge and respond to your comments as soon as possible.

In the meantime I hope you enjoy your stay here and that I was able to make this an experience for your senses.

Hugs
Meeta