4 Cheese & Zucchini Stuffed Green Tomatoes

The weather has been unusually cool here for August in New York and that means we have tons of tomatoes on the vine that are not ripening, I have about 100 green tomatoes on my plants. My parent's have two whole rows of tomatoes that are big and beautiful...and green. I love fried green tomatoes they are super tangy and my mother is from the south so she grew up eating them every summer and cooking them for us in return. The drawback is that they require a lot of work and I really do not like frying things, it just takes a huge amount of oil and I get impatient. I decided that green tomatoes do not have to be lumped into one recipe category, they are a delicious and deserve to be used for other things. They are firm so they stand up to any cooking process well, but they are still tender enough to not require a lot of cooking. This tangy fruit/vegetable goes so well with the creamy and sharp filling, that is full of pungent herbs and sweet zucchini. It was a culinary revelation and I plan on stuffing them from here on out! They go perfectly with grilled meats, fried eggs or as an appetizer, we ate them along side a juicy burger...ahhhhmazing!

This recipe makes 10 stuffed tomatoes, the size of apples.

Ingredients

10 Apple size, organic, green tomatoes

5 oz Pasture raised, soft goat cheese, room temp., I used Nettle Meadow garlic and olive oil.

1/4 Cup parmesan cheese, grated.

1/4 Cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated, I used Cabot.*

1/4 Cup mozzarella, shredded, I used Cabot.*

3 Tbsp pasture raised butter, I used Cabot.*

2 Cloves organic garlic, minced or grated.

1 Small organic spring onion or large shallot, finely diced.

1 Small organic zucchini, chopped.

1 Sprig fresh, organic oregano, leaves only, chopped.

1 Sprig fresh, organic thyme, leaves only, chopped.

Handful fresh, organic chives, about 4 Tbsp, diced.

1/2 Cup homemade seasoned bread crumbs, get my recipe here.

Sea salt & fresh ground black pepper, to taste.

Extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle over top before serving.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cut around the stem of the tomatoes with a pairing knife and pull out the stem, with a spoon hollow out the inside of the tomato making a space large enough to stuff in a good amount, mine were about 1.5 inches.

In a bowl mix together the goat cheese, parm, mozzerella and cheddar, set aside.

Heat a saute pan over medium high heat and add in the butter, when it has melted add in the onions, garlic and zucchini, some salt and pepper. Saute till the zucchini is browned on all sides and tender, about 7 minutes. Add in the oregano, thyme, chives and bread crumbs, cook for another two minutes to coat everything and slightly brown the bread crumbs. Remove from the heat.

Add the bread crumb and vegetable mixture to the cheese mixture and mix well. Taste for seasoning and salt and pepper as needed. Salt and pepper the inside of the green tomatoes. Stuff the mixture into the tomatoes, overflowing them a bit.

Place them in a deep baking dish and fill with water 1/4 the way up the tomatoes, just above their bottoms.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the tomatoes are slightly browned and the filling is bubbling, pierce them with a knife to check for tenderness.

Drizzle with a bit of extra virgin olive oil over each one and serve hot or room temp.  Enjoy!

*I use Cabot products because they are local to me here in New York and 100% of their profits go back to the farmers who provide their milk.