Pomodori con il Riso (Tomatoes Stuffed with Rice)

Preheat the oven to 350°F

Line a baking dish with dampened parchment paper, shaking off any excess water

Wash and dry the tomatoes

Slice off the top third of each tomato and set aside the caps

Scoop out the flesh inside each tomato with a spoon, being careful not to split the skins

Place the tomato pulp in a sieve to drain off the juice

Transfer the drained pulp (without juice) to a food processor with 2 tablespoons of olive oil

Add the garlic clove, basil leaves, and oregano to the food processor and season liberally with salt and freshly ground black pepper

Blend until smooth, then remove the mixture to a bowl

Add the rice to the tomato puree and mix well

Refrigerate for around 1 hour to allow the rice to soak up the flavor and soften

Stuff each tomato cavity with the rice filling mixture

Replace the tomato caps and arrange the filled tomatoes in the prepared baking dish

Drizzle the tomatoes with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil

Cover the baking dish tightly with foil

Bake in the preheated oven covered

Remove the foil and continue baking until the tomatoes are tender and jammy

Allow the tomatoes to cool slightly

Serve with grated Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top