Guest Author - Marianne Gibson

Ever so simple, yet attractive and wonderfully tasty, this dish makes you wonder why you didn’t think of it before. I’ve had this one from Siberia to Kiev, and it never fails. Make it an hour or so in advance, as the flavours need a little time to combine.

Serves 4 as a starter or side dish

4 medium tomatoes
200g hard cheese
2 tblsps mayonnaise
1 small clove of garlic (substitute chopped spring onions (scallions) if garlic’s not your thing)
Small handful fresh herbs such as dill or parsley (optional)
Salt and black pepper

There’s no need to track down a Russian cheese for the stuffing, it won’t reward you with either quality or flavour. I use a medium- to full-strength English cheddar for the stuffing, but any hard cheese of this ilk will be fine

Wash the tomatoes and cut off their tops, leaving the main body and a ‘lid’, which you will need later. Using a teaspoon, carefully scoop out the seeds, pulp and core from the main part of each tomato. Discard the innards. You now have just the outside flesh and skin, forming a natural pot or bowl.

Grate the cheese into a bowl, and stir in the mayonnaise so that every piece of cheese is covered. Play around with the quantities if necessary. Crush the garlic and stir this in, being careful to distribute it evenly. Chop and add half the fresh herbs, season with salt and pepper and stir.

Spoon the stuffing into each tomato, taking care to push it down well and not leave any air pockets, or your diners may feel rather cheated! Leave them in the fridge to mature a while, bringing them out half an hour before you want them, assuming you aren’t in the middle of a heat-wave. Just before you serve them up, put their hats on and garnish the plate with the rest of the herbs.

Variation
For a party situation, this recipe is often turned finger food friendly by slicing and topping the tomatoes instead of stuffing them. If you do it this way, sprinkle the garlic directly onto the tomato slices instead of mixing it into the cheese. This allows the garlic to enhance the flavour of the tomato.