I came across these two dishes in The Olive and The Caper when looking for recipes that used fennel, which showed up in our CSA box this week.  The shrimp was incredibly easy to make and FAST — the tomatoes took a little more work (and a lot more time!) but were well worth it.  They went together perfectly.

Lisa says:

Whoa, looks fancy. Hey, I like these stuffed tomatoes — almost like dolma!

Chris says:

The author calls it “Tomatoes Stuffed with Ancient Ingredients”.

Lisa says:

What, like the old stuff in the pantry?

Chris says:

You’d think so! Not sure about the title, but whatever. It’s good. And I really, really, like the shrimp. It’s really tender and really picked up the flavor of the cooking broth — the wine, the salty olives.. yum! What are you doing with your bread?

Lisa says:

I’m going to make a sandwich… a little bit of yogurt — like a curly-lou — a titch of salt… a shrimp or two… and some bulgur. Mmmmm, soooo good!

Chris says:

You’re quite the chef!

Lisa says:

Soos!

Chris says:

This is actually pretty filling, I wouldn’t have thought so from the recipes themselves.

Lisa says:

Yeah, it is. I usually like the veggies better when the filling includes meat, but these are delicious.

Chris says:

Great success!

Shrimp with Fennel, Green Olives, Red Onion, and White Wine
2 lbs medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, shells reserved
2 cups dry white wine
1 cup water
1 tsp salt
1/2 medium red onion, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup fennel stalk, coarsely chopped
8 large green olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp minced fennel fronds

Put the shrimp shells, wine, water, and salt in a large pot and bring to a boil. Simmer until the shells turn pink, 2 minutes. Remove and discard the shells. Add the onion, chopped fennel, olives, and oil to the pot and return to a boil. Simmer until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes, then stir in the shrimp and simmer until they begin to turn pink, about 1 1/2 – 2 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish, sprinkle with the fennel fronds, and serve.

6 Servings

Fresh Tomatoes Stuffed with “Ancient Ingredients”
6-8 large summer-ripe tomatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 large rib celery, with leaves, finely chopped
1 large poblano pepper, sedded and finely chopped
1 cup medium-grind bulgar
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup cooked chickpeas
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 cup greek yogurt (thick)
6 sprigs cilantro and mint

Prepare the tomatoes by cutting 1/4″ off the top. Set the caps aside. Use a paring knife to cut the cores and pulp out of each tomato, leaving a 1/4″ shell. Discard the core. Finely chop the pulp and place it in a strainer over a bowl to collect the juice. Strain any juices that have accumulated in the shells into the bowl as well. (You’ll have the tomato caps, tomato shells, chopped tomato pulp, and tomato juice).
Heat the oil in a medium-size pan over medium heat. Add the onion and stir until it wilts, about 5 minutes. Add the celery, poblano pepper, and chopped tomato pulp. Stir over medium heat an additional 3 minutes.
Add in the bulgar, wine, chickpeas, and salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool, stirring occasionally, for at least 10, and up to 45, minutes.
Stuff each tomato shell with a heaping 1/2 cup of the bulgur mixture. Arrange the tomatoes in a large wide pot or baking dish so they are tightly packed in one layer. Place a cap on each tomato. Pour all the strained tomato juice into the pot (not over the tomatoes).
Bring the liquid to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the tomato shells soften, 10 minutes. Set the lid ajar, and continue simmering until the bulgur is fluffy and the shells are quite soft, 10 minutes more.
Remove from the heat and set aside for 15 minutes to cool.
To serve, lift the tomatoes onto a serving platter. Set the caps to the side of each tomato. Spoon 2 tbsp of yogurt over each tomato, and place a cilantro sprig on top. Serve warm, or at room temperature.

6 Servings