Kitchen Klutz: These stuffed tomatoes turned out to be just 'killer'

**Check back Monday for this recipe!


By Michèle De Meglio

My fancy-pants job as a Brooklyn reporter often keeps me out on assignment or working at home late into the night. So what’s a gal to do when she can’t muster the energy to cook a homemade meal but wants something better than heated-in-the-microwave pita and hummus?

I know! Let’s try a yummy 10-minute snack.

According to the directions for a stuffed baked tomatoes recipe I peeled off the Internet, all I needed was a little bit of prep work and 10 minutes in the oven to achieve a delectable dish. Sounds simple enough.

I cut four tomatoes in half lengthwise. Since I didn’t have a melon baller, I used a teaspoon to scoop out the tomatoes’ insides and chopped those up on my seriously shredded cutting board. Combined that in a bowl with Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, chopped basil leaves (used frozen, didn’t have fresh), chopped green pepper, minced garlic, grated onion, thyme and a pinch of salt and pepper.

I tried not to overdo the stirring — as I disintegrated my PB & J pancake batter last month. Ugh!

Threw these bad boys on a baking sheet and off they went into the 400-degree oven for the promised 10 minutes.

Yeah, not quite.

When my oven timer beeped, I happily peered into the hotbox and sadly discovered that the cheese hadn’t melted. These things didn’t look cooked at all!

Another five or so minutes later, the cheese duo browned a bit so I grabbed my burnt oven mitt and carefully guided the shaky tray out of the sauna.

Verdict: The first tomato right out of the oven was great — gooey, flavorful and done in four bites. But the next tomato, well, the cheese cooled and reminded me of coagulated pizza left over from an office party that even my hungriest colleagues wouldn’t touch.

Give these tomatoes a try if you can gobble a whole tray in two minutes or less.

Have a recipe for the Kitchen Klutz? Want to share a tip? Send ’em to MDemeglio@CNGLocal.com.

Kitchen Klutz follows 20-something Michèle De Meglio as she burns casseroles and her fingers, all in hope of trading frozen dinners for home cooking.

(Published in the 6.11.09 issue of 24/Seven)