It must have been an Ottolenghi recipe that made me curious enough to buy dried barberries. Amazon bill them as an alternative to cranberries but I think their flavour is more subtle; sharp but sweet. I had some left over rice and lots of herbs so it was a happy experiment to put things together to fill our largest tomatoes. I had intended to use small raisins (thinking of Claudia Roden’s recipe) but the packet of barberries was to hand and this was the moment to use it.

To fill four large or eight small tomatoes

3 tbsp risotto rice (or 4 tbsp cooked rice)
3 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
½ red or yellow pepper finely chopped
2 tbsp pine nuts
4 tbsp finely cut mixed herbs; mint, parsley, coriander or dill
2 tbsp dried barberries (or substitute small raisins or currants)
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground allspice
Juice of ½ lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Greek yogurt with crushed garlic to serve

Cut a circle round the stalk of each tomato to remove it and cut off the top to form a cap. Using a pointed teaspoon, carefully remove the core and seeds from each tomato. Put the discarded central parts of the tomatoes into a bowl.

Fry the onion and shallot in two tablespoons of the olive oil until soft. Add the chopped peppers. Season well. If using dried rice, add this and stir it around to coat it in the oil. Pour in 300ml of liquid – water plus any juice that can be squeezed from the discarded centres of the tomatoes – and cook for 15 minutes until the liquid has been absorbed but the rice is still a little underdone. If using cooked rice, just add this plus any salvaged tomato juice to the onion mixture and stir around.

Allow to cool for a few minutes before adding the pine nuts, barberries (or raisins or currants), cinnamon, allspice, herbs, lemon juice and the rest of the olive oil. Fill the tomatoes with the stuffing and replace their caps.

Arrange the tomatoes in a shallow baking dish and bake in a medium oven for 20-30 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft. Check them towards the end of cooking to make sure they are not collapsing.

Serve tepid or cold, accompanied by the Greek yoghurt flavoured with crushed garlic.