Tomatoes Stuffed with Barley Grits, Red Bell Peppers & Moroccan Oil Cured Black Olives, Wrapped in Samosa Pastry

This recipe is an adaptation of a recipe by Ilva from Lucullian Delights. Please click here for the original recipe.

Before you ask - yes, I'm still cooking with leftovers! I can't wait until tomorrow when I can go shopping again and buy new ingredients.

Ingredients

3-4 Tbsp Barley Grits (cooked)

4 Tomatoes (remove the seeds so that you have a shell you can fill)

1/2 Red Bell Pepper (slice into short thin pieces)

8 Oil Cured Black Olives (seed and cut into 2-3 pieces each)

Parsley (a handful of it chopped finely)

Fresh Basil Leaves (1-2 leaves per bundle)*

Onion (a small amount - finely chopped)

Parmesan Cheese (grated - and put a liberal amount into the barley grit mixture) *

Salt

Black Pepper

Chili Pepper

Step 1: Cook the barley grits in water. The ratio should be 1:3 (barley grits to water). Once it comes to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 7 minutes. Don't overcook because we want the barley grits to have a texture similar to couscous.

Step 2: Braise the red bell peppers in extra virgin olive oil until they are soft, crispy and a bit blackened, and then turn off the heat.

Step 3: Mix the cooked barley grits, black olives, tomato seeds & onion into it. Season with salt, black pepper and chili. Mix in the parsley after the mixture has cooled down sufficiently (so that the parsley doesn't cook).

Step 4: Stuff the hollow tomatoes with this mixture.

Step 5: Wrap the tomatoes in Samosa pastry. Click here for the recipe...or substitute with frozen phyllo pastry. If you follow Manjula's recipe for Samosas divide the dough into 4 parts and just roll them out into circles and wrap up the tomatoes.

Step 6: Deep fry the pastries and serve hot....but be careful to let them cool down a bit so you don't scald your tongue.

*Unavailable due to meager rations in my pantry - but you should put these in to make it taste better!

NOTE: I was afraid the bundles of pastry might explode. They didn't but please be careful should you try making them.