Posted by Donna Grant
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indirect cooking , Side Dish , Tomato , Vegetables
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Our wood fired stuffed tomato filled with tuna salad and melted cheese is ‘over the top’ in taste!
Wood fired-stuffed tomato–With tomatoes readily available most any time of the year, I’ve got a great recipe for a stuffed tomato that is healthy on the body and waistline. But before stuffing these tomatoes, I’m going to introduce them to smoke on my gas grill equipped with wood chunks in cherry and maple, for an added depth of flavor that works so well with acidic tomato.
Get to the farmer’s market, grocery store or your own garden, and pick out some large tomatoes. Then meet me at the grill kitchen for this great recipe.
No Time at All Prep Then Grill for Stuffed Tomato
#smokerbox
For this recipe, you want to be sure you pick or purchase firm tomatoes so they can hold up to the heat when being wood fired. I’ve selected (6) tomatoes of about equal size to ensure that these will be ready at the same time.
Pre-heat your grill and include a smoker box of wood chunks – mine holds (3) double filet chunks sourced from SmokinLicious®– using a two-zone grilling set up. Place the smoker box on the side of the grill that is lit. While the grill is heating up and the chunks have a chance to start smoldering, return to the kitchen and cut the top off each tomato. Using the knife blade, scrap the membranes and seeds free. Then using a spoon, scoop out the inside of the tomato. I like to save the inside for adding to sauces or even a rice dish. Once all tomatoes are clean, place on a tray with equal spacing and add the tray to the unlit side of the grill. You should see the wood chunks smoking steadily at this point.
Tasting Notes: There is no rule regarding the type of wood you should use for the smoking. Just be sure it is only hardwood and not a completely dried out piece of wood or you’ll find it will burn up almost immediately. Remember, you want smoke not flames from the wood.
Bringing Health to Stuffed Tomato
With the tomatoes cleaned and de-seeded, they now will tenderize on the gas grill equipped with the smoker box of wood chunks. I prefer to use wood chunks in my smoker box to produce a more steady and longer duration of smoke vapor. While the tomatoes are grilling, I begin on the tuna pesto filling.
Taking three cans of all white albacore tuna, I drain these and place the tuna in a bowl. To that I add ¼ cup thawed peas, ¼ cup medium grated Swiss cheese, 1/3 cup pesto, and fresh ground pepper. Mix all this together until it just binds. If needed, add additional pesto. Now, we’re ready to stuff the tomatoes so back to the grill.
After the tomatoes show some curling in of the cut top and the inside begins to dry a bit, it’s time to remove the tomatoes from the grill and stuff them with our tuna pesto mixture. I like to mound these tomatoes high with filling and then add two thin slices of Swiss cheese to the tops. Back on the grill using the unlit side, grill lid down, to allow the cheese to melt fully. Now you’re ready to serve.
Today, mine our served up with a curry-ginger chicken drumstick. A simple recipe using a simple grilling technique that lets you enjoy the benefits of fresh tomato. Just think of all the other stuffing recipes you can use with these wood-fired tomato beauties!
Tasting Notes: I’ve used pesto in this recipe but you certainly can make a traditional tuna salad using mayonnaise, onions, pickle, etc. Essentially, whatever you like with your tuna. And of course, you can design other fillings other than tuna.
What’s your favorite stuffed tomato recipe? Leave us a comment to opine and subscribe to get all our postings on tips, techniques and recipes. Bringing innovation to wood fired cooking with recipes, techniques and the science behind the fire, smoke, and flavor. That’s SmokinLicious®.
SmokinLicious® products used in this recipe:
Wood Chunks- Double Filet
For more reading related to wood fired veggies like our stuffed tomato, check out these blogs:For more reading related to wood fired veggies like our stuffed tomato, check out these blogs:
-SUCCULENT WOOD FIRED STUFFED TOMATO WITH HERB RICE
-GIVING AN EDGE TO SMOKY COCKTAIL SAUCE
-COAL FIRE CAULIFLOWER RICE WITH TOMATO
-SEASONAL SMOKEY BAKED APPLES WITH SWEET STUFFING
Dr. Smoke- “Sure, we wood fire a lot of foods but this one is special- a stuffed tomato with Tuna salad!”
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