Since we began growing our own tomatoes several years ago, we rarely ever buy tomatoes at the grocery store or market. We’re pretty much snowed under with tomatoes right now, and I’ve worked feverishly the last few days to preserve and cook with them. This year we are growing little grape tomatoes, Mr. Stripey and Cherokee Purple (heirloom beef tomatoes), Early Girl, plus our three favorite paste tomatoes (Amish Paste, San Marzano, and Roma VF). The birds and chipmunks have put up a good fight for the shiny ripe specimens, but we’ve done pretty well with the harvest so far.
One tomato that we plan to add to our garden next year is the Campari tomato, or a close hybrid that’s available to the public. You’ve probably seen them in the grocery stores and at Costco for the last couple years. They are about the size of a golf ball and usually come with the stems still attached. I bought a package a few weeks ago because we wanted to stuff some bite-size tomatoes for an appetizer, but all of our tomatoes were either much too large or too small. I spotted the box at Costco and decided to give them a try, and I have to say we fell in serious like with these gems. They are sweet and juicy, and stood up on their own with the goat cheese and herb stuffing.
Right now we plan to save some seeds and plant them indoors in February to see if they will sprout. I’m crossing my fingers for some Campari tomatoes in our garden next summer!
Recipe Notes
Make sure all the juice and core is removed from each tomato, so the goat cheese mixture will stick together and not turn runny. You can make them a couple hours ahead and refrigerate until ready to serve, just cover the tray tightly with plastic wrap.
Campari Tomatoes Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Herbs
Equipment
- melon baller
- medium mixing bowl
- hand mixer
Ingredients
- 20 campari tomatoes
- 1 pound crumbled goat cheese
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Preparation
- Slice the top off each tomato, and use a small melon baller to remove the seeds and core.
- Using the hand mixer, whip the goat cheese with the basil and parsley. Spoon dollops into each tomato. Serve immediately.
My husband came home from a grocery trip with these because they looked so beautiful. He said, "I'm sure you can work some kitchen magic and make them amazing". So I started reading some food blogs for inspiration for "kitchen magic". I ended up using a mixture of 8 oz. goat cheese and 12 oz. cream cheese. In addition to the basil and parsley, I added minced shallot and a little roasted garlic. Then to make my husband truly happy I added some soft bacon bits and shredded parmesan.
We used the leftover cheese mixture on some focaccia crackers and spread some on one decadent sandwich.