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Sheikh el Mahshi Banadoura

This is to be served hot.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    serves 4-8

Ingredients

8 medium tomatoes
1 onion, chopped
3 tablespoons sunflower oil
1/2 pound lean ground lamb or beef
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon currants or raisins
2 tablespoons pine nuts or coarsely chopped walnuts
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
3 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Cut a circle around the stalk end of the tomatoes and cut out a cap from each. Remove the pulp and seeds with a pointed teaspoon.

    Step 2

    Fry the onion in oil till golden. Add the meat, salt, and pepper. Turn the meat over and squash it with a fork until it changes color. Stir in the currants or raisins and the pine nuts or walnuts, and add cinnamon, allspice, and parsley.

    Step 3

    Fill the tomatoes with this and cover with their tops. Put them close to each other in a baking dish and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for about 30 minutes, or until the tomatoes are soft, being careful that they do not fall apart.

  2. Variation

    Step 4

    Dilute 2 tablespoons tomato paste in about 2/3 cup water. Season with salt and pepper, and add 4 tablespoons oil and the chopped tomato pulp. Pour over the stuffed tomatoes before baking.

Cover of Claudia Roden's The New Book of Middle Easter Food, featuring a blue filigree bowl filled with Meyer lemons and sprigs of mint.
Reprinted with permission from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food, copyright © 2000 by Claudia Roden, published by Knopf. Buy the full book on Amazon or Bookshop.
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