Joe's Stuffed Tomatoes

[Urbanheirlooms]

Ok, this weekend we have a tomato festival. I have several tomato varieties that I plan on entering in the "tomato growing" category such as Matsu Express & Grandpa Whites along with smallest ripe tomato (Sungold) and best Roma type (Trenton's Tiger).

I didn't consider entering a cooking contest originally, but something came to mind based on another recipe that I make on certain family get togethers.

I make stuffed mushrooms from a recipe I found in a "Mayberry" recipe book from the "Andy Griffith Show". I have taken the original recipe and adapted it to accommodate cherry tomatoes instead of mushrooms as the base. My experiment to have an entry in this contest was truly delicious!

Here are the details:

Make the filling:

1 8 OZ package Cream Cheese
3/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup of unripe green tomatoes de-seeded and chopped finely

Let the cream cheese soften and add Parmesan cheese, garlic powder & chopped green tomatoes.
I used Chocolate Cherry tomatoes, Cseresznye Alaku, and Trenton's Tiger tomatoes. I cut them in halves vertical instead of horizontal and removed the seed base. Remove the seeds and gel let sit for 1/2 hour. Any remaining juice can be siphoned off with a paper towel.

Using a small spoon, fill the tomatoes with the filling. I recommend grilling to get a better "smokey flavor" , but can be baked in a oven @ 350 degrees for 15-25 minutes or until the cheese on the top begins to brown.

After baking, sprinkle with freshly chopped basil.

Let me know what you think and any additional ideals which will take this recipe to the next notch. I will post pictures of my process and report on my success if any in this weekends competition.