Garden Xmas Bites

Vine-ripened cherry tomatoes

Christmas is upon us…where did the year go? I will be cooking for Phil and Graeme on ABC North Coast Good Gardening this Saturday and since it is silly season I have come up with party bites for Christmas, fresh from the garden.

Here is one of those recipes, Stuffed Vine-Ripened Cherry Tomato Bites, I will also make Radish topped with Rare Roast beef and Ginger Mango Chutney and a Cucumber with Herb Pesto, Prawn Bite, stay tuned for the recipes. Enjoy.

Stuffed Vine-Ripened Cherry Tomato Bites

20 cherry tomatoes

1/2 cup cooked brown rice

2 tablespoons craisins, chopped

2 tablespoons pecans, toasted and chopped

3 green onions, finely sliced

50gms Greek feta, finely diced

1 tablespoon flat leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped

1 tablespoon basil leaves, finely chopped

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper

Cut the top from each tomato. Reserve the tops. Remove the flesh from the tomatoes. Reserve the flesh. Place the tomatoes, cut-side down, on a plate lined with paper towel. Strain the reserved flesh through a fine sieve into a bowl.

Combine the rice, craisins, pecans, green onions, feta, parsley, basil, cumin, vinegar and reserved tomato juice in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Divide the rice mixture among the tomato shells and serve.

Nb. You can fill the tomato shells with cream cheese mixed with basil or boccocini (baby mozarella) with basil and sprinkled with a squeeze of lemon juice.