Stuffed tomatoes

Made for August.

It may seem - it is - counter intuitive to turn on a hot oven on a hot day but for 40 minutes I grin and bear it. The result is worth it. If you are clever, make more than you need: These tomatoes are also very good cold, for a picnic or a cool supper, later in the week. Or a hungry neighbour, for that matter. Vegans, venture near: No animal was involved in this dinner.

This is fragrant, filling, quite addictive. 

4 large or 6-7 medium tomatoes
Salt
1 medium onion
3/4 cup of basmati rice
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup olive oil
5 allspice berries
8 black peppercorns
3/4 cup water
2 Tbsp chopped mint
4 Tbsp chopped dill
1 tsp brown sugar

Cut the tomato tops off to have a  lid. Scoop out the flesh with a spoon - chop it and reserve in a bowl. Salt the insides of the tomatoes. Chop the onion finely and saute in half the olive oil over medium-high heat till golden. Add the rice and stir till glistening. Add the chopped flesh of the tomatoes, the juice from their bowl and 3/4 of a cup of water to the rice with another - generous - pinch of salt, peppercorns and allspice.

Cover and cook slowly until liquid is absorbed (I bring the liquid to a boil and then turn the heat off, and wait about 12 minutes). Add the chopped dill and mint and mix well with a fork. Taste for salt and add a little more if necessary. Stuff the tomatoes. Place in a baking dish and pour the remaining olive oil over so that some of it goes into the tomatoes. Now lock and load them (put on their lids). Distribute any leftover rice mixture between the tomatoes in the dish. Sprinkle the sugar about. Cook in a 400' oven till the tops begin to brown.

Very nice additions/variations:

Per my friend Mr Christie: 2 tablespoons of currants (tiny raisins) and 2 tablespoons of pine nuts*. Toast the pine nuts with the rice and add the currants with the liquid to the rice. 

*I avoid Chinese nuts as I have an inexplicable reaction to them, known as pine nut mouth.

Or, per me: dried barberries instead of currants, and urfa biber ( a dark Turkish chile pepper) instead of black pepper.