My favorite thing to make!

Whenever anyone hears you're a chef they automatically ask you "what's your favorite thing to make?"  Read this post for the answer... (or just look at the above picture ;-)



Pomodori al Riso is a simple, rustic Italian dish that reminds me of my childhood summers in Rome.  Every August I would travel with my parents and my brother across the Atlantic to visit my father's family just outside of the city center.  The area where my family lived was more rural and a big contrast to the hustle and bustle of the actual city of Rome.  My one uncle had a little farm with chickens, and rabbits who were kept in coops and cages, respectively,  next to the growing herbs and vegetables that would eventually accompany them in the oven.  We had various fruit trees which included figs, apples and plums and I could make a semi-treacherous walk down to the "orto" (vegetable garden) which contained tomatoes, zucchinis, lettuce, eggplant, basil, parsley, squash, and other produce.

Every year my one Zia (Aunt) would make me the following dish.   I like to make it in the summer when tomatoes are in season, and I can have some friends over for dinner.  It's not a particularly fancy dish, but for me it's nostalgic and a little piece of "home".

Pomodori al Riso (with Roasted Potatoes)
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
4 large beefsteak tomatoes
olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 cups arborio rice
1 Tablespoon fresh flat-leafed parsley, minced
1 Tablespoon fresh basil, minced
4 cloves of garlic minced and divided (half is for the potatoes)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
3 russet potatoes peeled and cut into cubes
1 teaspoon of minced fresh rosemary

Instructions:
1) Preheat oven to 375 Fahrenheit.  Toss the diced potatoes with a drizzle of olive oil along with the rosemary, 1/2 the minced garlic and a large pinch of salt.  Grease a baking pan with olive oil and spread the potatoes out in an even layer.  Set aside.
2) Cut the tops off the tomatoes about 1/2 inch down and save the tops for later use.  Hollow out the tomatoes and mash up their insides and put in a bowl along with the minced parsley and basil and 1/2 of the minced garlic.  Rub the insides of the hollow tomatoes with a pinch of salt.
3)  Heat up a skillet over medium heat with a Tablespoon of olive oil.  Add the rice and toast until the center whites appear.
4) Add the white wine and stir until it evaporates.
5) Toss in the mixture of herbs and tomato insides and cook until heated and some of the liquid evaporates (about 3 minutes).  Mix in the parmesan cheese.  Taste and season accordingly.
6) Fill the hollowed out tomato shells with the rice mixture and top with the saved tomato tops.
7) Arrange the tomatoes on top of the potatoes and bake in the oven for 1 1/2 hours being sure to toss the potatoes halfway through cooking.  Turn the oven up to 400 Fahrenheit and cook for the final 5 minutes.  This allows the tomatoes to caramelize a bit.
8) Taste the rice to see if it's done cooking before removing from the oven. Serve hot and enjoy!