Recipe: Whoopsie’s ratatouille-stuffed heirloom tomatoes

Courtesy of Hudson Rouse This week we re sharing Whoopsie s recipe for ratatouille-stuffed heirloom tomatoes Whoopsie s founder Chef Hudson Rouse Rising Son Pure Quill Superette declared this recipe is based on a dish his mother used to make for the family She would stuff tomatoes with herbs and breadcrumbs and top them with leftover cheese from the Chef Boyardee pizza boxes Rouse noted adding that his family ate majority of meals at home but occasionally visited Wendy s on Sundays after church Back when he was a child Rouse and his brother hated eggplant one of their mother s favorite ingredients He combined the memories when growing this recipe and opted to stuff a tomato with an eggplant ratatouille Rouse eventually learned to love eggplant thanks to Tasty China s dry-fried eggplant He also learned how to cook it correctly The thing about eggplant is you have to cook it enough Rouse disclosed If it s not cooked properly it tastes like you re eating a dried sponge When in doubt the gooier the eggplant the better If it s not gooey you re not cooking it right Rouse noted Related stories The top five recipes Rough Draft readers raved about in Other recipes from the Rough Draft archives Meet the lovable mascots of six Atlanta restaurants This dish like Rouse s other recipes highlights local and seasonal produce Rouse recommends sourcing ingredients locally whenever accomplishable Rouse even sources his breadcrumbs locally using the end pieces of the multigrain bread from Alon s Bakery And fortunately the majority of the other ingredients for the dish are in peak season during the summer Beefsteak tomatoes also known as crimson cushion or red ponderosa have a plump appearance and yield thick slices like you d want in a tomato sandwich If you aren t able to find beefsteak tomatoes Rouse recommends the largest tomato you can find We re in peak tomato season so long as a tomato isn t traveling hundreds of miles to the table it should be fine he noted When dealing with the tomatoes Rouse uses a straight cut to remove the fruit s top and cores the interior with a spoon This way if you don t cut enough off the top the recipe will still work Save everything you can for the ratatouille stuffing later Ingredients large heirloom beefsteak tomatoes small zucchini finely diced small eggplant finely diced small bell pepper diced small onion diced cloves garlic minced tbsp olive oil Salt and pepper to taste A handful of any fresh herbs such as basil thyme parsley chives oregano and or dill Freshly grated hard cheese such as Pecorino or Parmesan Breadcrumbs for garnish Directions Preheat oven to F C Prepare the tomatoes Using a serrated knife or chef s knife slice off the top of each tomato and discard or save for another use Scoop out the insides with a spoon and set the hollowed tomatoes aside Optional chop and stir in specific of the tomato pulp for the filling Cook the filling In a skillet over medium heat heat the olive oil Saut the onion and garlic for to minutes or until soft Add eggplant zucchini and bell pepper Cook until tender about to minutes Season with salt pepper and a sparse pinches of chopped fresh herbs Fill the tomatoes Spoon the ratatouille mixture generously into each hollowed tomato Bake Arrange stuffed tomatoes in a baking dish Bake for to minutes or until the tomatoes are tender and the filling is hot Garnish and serve Top with loads of chopped fresh herbs a generous shower of grated cheese and breadcrumbs for garnish Serve warm The post Recipe Whoopsie s ratatouille-stuffed heirloom tomatoes appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta