You can stuff any vegetable you like, from onions to zucchini, but peppers and tomatoes are the most popular because they have the best natural shapes, are attractive and flavorful, and, in the case of peppers, are already hollow. (Tomatoes are easily hollowed out, and their pulp can be used in the stuffing.)

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　4 to 6 firm ripe tomatoes, about 6 ounces each (see variation for peppers)

　　Salt and black pepper to taste

　　1 recipe stuffing (pages 448–449)

　　1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

　　Chopped fresh parsley or basil leaves for garnish

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Cut a 1/4-inch slice from the smooth end of each tomato (reserve these slices) and use a spoon to scoop out all of the insides, leaving a wall about 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle the inside of the tomatoes with salt and pepper. Discard the woody core and seeds and chop the pulp; mix it with the stuffing.

　　

Step 2

Stuff each tomato with one-quarter of the mixture and replace the top slices. Spread half the olive oil in a shallow roasting pan that will allow for a little room between the tomatoes, then place them in the pan. Sprinkle all with salt and pepper and put the roasting pan in the oven.

　　

Step 3

Roast the tomatoes for 30 to 40 minutes, until the tomato is shriveled and the stuffing is hot (pierce the stuffing to its center with a skewer and touch the skewer to your wrist or lip). Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature, drizzled with the remaining olive oil and garnished with the herb.

　　

Stuffed Roasted Peppers

Step 4

Cut the top off 4 to 6 red bell peppers; scoop out and discard the insides; rinse, then sprinkle inside and out with salt and pepper. Stuff the peppers and replace their caps. Stand them up (it’s okay if they support each other) in a roasting pan. Add 1/4 cup olive oil and about a cup of stock or water. Roast as in step 3.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.