Kaliope Delios, who, together with her husband, owns the tavern Castro in Avgonyma, Chios, makes delicious stuffed tomatoes. She uses plenty of wild fennel, together with fresh mint from her garden to flavor the simple rice stuffing. Since wild fennel is not readily available in the US, I substituted fennel bulb and dill, and the result was very good. Arborio rice is a good substitute for the common, medium grain Greek rice used in all sorts of stuffings. Prepare domates gemistes a day in advance and keep in the refrigerator. Let them come to room temperature before serving.
Fragrant and sweet, these stuffed tomatoes are delicious when accompanied by feta cheese and fresh crusty bread.
TO SERVE 6 (more…)
