Maschi (african Stuffed Tomatoes)

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 2 lbs lean ground beef, cooked
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, mashed
• 4 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
• 1 cup cooked rice
• 12 ounces tomato paste
• 2 (6 ounce) cans water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 8 large firm tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons oil
• green olives

Recipe

• 1 combine filling ingredients in large bowl.
• 2 cut a slit in 8 large tomatoes (very firm), halfway across the center.
• 3 squeeze at the sides to open the slit.
• 4 scoop out all the flesh from inside of tomatoes with a spoon.
• 5 refill tomato with beef mixture and close the tomato.
• 6 melt 2 tbs. butter and
• 7 2 tbs. oil in a large skillet.
• 8 saute the tomatoes carefully in the fat, rolling them gently until they become dark red on all sides.
• 9 remove the tomatoes with the oil and place in a casserole or heavy saucepan.
• 10 prepare sauce as follows and pour over the tomatoes:
• 11 combine: 2 6-oz. cans tomato paste thinned with water add salt, cinnamon and garlic powder.
• 12 simmer the tomatoes gently over low flame for 10 to 15 minutes until sauce is cooked.
• 13 remove carefully to a 15-inch round platter.
• 14 top each with green olives
• 15 if there is more maschi filling left over after filling the tomatoes place it in a suitable pan and bake it alongside the tomatoes.