Yemistes Domates me Htapodi kai Rizi

Description
Stuffed tomatoes with octopus and rice. This recipe comes from the village of Plomari in Lesvos island. Plomari is famous for its ouzo. The recipe serves 4 persons.

Ingredients

 * 8 medium size tomatoes
 * 1 kg octopus, cut in very small pieces
 * 1 onion, finely chopped
 * 4 potatoes, cut in small pieces
 * 1 tea cup rice
 * 2 spoons tomato paste
 * 3 chestnuts, cut in small pieces
 * some pine nuts
 * pinch of cinnamon
 * olive oil
 * salt
 * pepper

Directions

 * 1) Slice-off the top of the tomatoes.
 * 2) Use a spoon to remove their inside part. Try to leave the empty tomatoes as thin as possible but be careful not to score their skin. Save the inside part of the tomatoes. It will be used for the stuffing.
 * 3) Add salt and pepper to taste in the inner part of the empty tomatoes and place the tomatoes in a baking pan.
 * 4) Surround them with the potatoes.

Stuffing

 * 1) Heat olive oil in a large pan and sauté the onions with the octopus pieces.
 * 2) Add the tomato you have preserved, tomato paste, chestnuts, pine nuts, cinnamon, rice and salt and pepper for taste.
 * 3) Stir well and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
 * 4) Remove from heat and start stuffing the tomatoes with a small spoon. Do not over-stuff because the rice will gain more space during baking and the stuffing might overflow.
 * 5) Add plenty of olive oil into the baking pan and bake in 200°C for 1 hour without adding any water during baking.