Maschi (Stuffed Tomato with Chopped Beef)

Ingredients

• •2 pounds beef, chopped
• •1 teaspoon salt
• •1/2 teaspoon pepper
• •1 teaspoon garlic powder, or 2 cloves mashed
• •4 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, or 1 teaspoon dried dill in
• •2 tablespoons salad oil
• •1 cup cooked rice
• •8 large tomatoes
• •2 tablespoons butter
• •2 tablespoons oil
• •2 6-ounce cans tomato paste
• •2 6-ounce cans water
• •1/2 teaspoon salt
• •1 teaspoon cinnamon
• •1 teaspoon garlic powder
• •Raw tomatoes, sliced, for garnish
• •Green olives

Directions

1. 1In a 9-inch skillet, brown the chopped beef, salt, pepper, garlic powder, fresh dill in salad oil until the meat browns.
2. 2Add 1 cup cooked rice and blend.
3. 3Cut a slit halfway across the center in 8 large, very firm tomatoes.
4. 4Squeeze at the sides of the tomato to open the slit.
5. 5Scoop out all the flesh from the inside of the tomatoes with a spoon.
6. 6Refill the tomatoes with the beef mixture and close the tomato.
7. 7Melt butter with 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet.
8. 8Sautee the tomatoes carefully in the fat, rolling them gently until they become dark red on all sides.
9. 9Remove the tomatoes with the oil and place in a casserole or heavy saucepan.
10. 10Prepare a sauce to pour over the tomatoes by combining the following ingredients: tomato paste, thinned with an equal amount of water; salt; cinnamon; garlic powder.
11. 11Simmer the tomatoes gently over a low flame for 10 to 15 minutes until the sauce is cooked.
12. 12Remove each tomato carefully to a 15-inch round platter.
13. 13Surround the stuffed tomatoes, with raw tomatoes cut in thick slices.
14. 14Top each slice with green olives.