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April 04, 2012

Cherry tomatoes with pesto stuffing







Ain't these cherry tomatoes looking juicy and fresh , refreshing.While in States, I came across this cherry tomatoes. While these were quite easily available there but in India,they are not so. I wish I could get those here also. Allured by the red color when I bought I had no idea what to do,with these ,except from using in salads. Later as I googled ,came across some recipes which I modified accordingly  to suite our Indian taste.
These stuffed cherry tomatoes are nice and east to make and are good for snacks or as starters as well. Moreover ,since the stuffing is mainly of nuts like almonds ,these are nutritious too.


Ingredients:

for the pesto:
1/2 cups coarsely chopped toasted nuts (almonds,walnuts,peanuts,cashews)[I mainly used almonds.and cashews,and it turned out nice.]
1/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese.
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil.
1 tbsp fresh lime juice.
1/4 tsp paprika powder.
1 clove of garlic very finely chopped.
a pinch of oregano.
1/2 cup fresh loosely packed basil leaves(optional).
salt to taste.
To complete:12 cherry tomatoes.
pinch of paprika (garnish).
To make pesto:
Toast the nuts on a dry skillet over medium heat till they are brown ,3-4 mins,then coarsely chop them.
mix all the pesto ingredients in a bowl.Taste and adjust the seasoning.
To serve:
Cut the tomatoes at the top where the stalks remain attached,horizontally.
Using a small melon baller or a spoon,scoop out the inside pulp, seeds of the tomato.Store it for further use in other dishes.
Gently fill in each tomato shell with about 1 teaspoon of the pesto mixture.Use the tomato top as the tiny lid.Sprinkle lightly with paprika just before serving.
Arrange the stuffed tomatoes on a plate and garnish with basil leaves.Serve chilled or at room temperature. Best when served chilled.

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