I don’t feel like talking much about how stressed out I am at the moment, so let me talk about the positivity in my life (sorry if I seem like an I-specialist). This term, our art project at school is to create something around the theme of Recognising and Resisting injustice. The topic is based on the Holocaust and Resistance Art of South Africa made during Apartheid. These are two pretty serious and intense issues that I don’t feel I could justify, so I decided to go for something more positive and current, World Peace. You can call me naïve, but it’s completely okay to imagine a world of complete peace and harmony. I decided to create an embroidery (to show the bringing together of lost cultures) made using Shwe-shwe fabric (traditional African patterned fabric) and coloured thread. In the beginning I thought of using felt, but I couldn’t relate to the material. I’m going to create an image of women of all the cultures in the world. What I love most about the idea is that I get to embrace my African culture. I’ve been inspired by traditional African embroidery techniques and patterns. Here’s a test sample I made.
Then, my design project for the term is to create an environmental campaign for the beaches or oceans of the world. I chose the ocean because I found out that it’s basically a dumping sight for the earth’s waste. It’s sad because that’s basically destroyed the homes of our sea creatures. I looked specifically at the effects of this dumping on the coral reefs - these beautifully coloured corals have been reduced to lifeless grey nothingness thanks to us humans. But on that note, lets talk about some tomatoes now. So these got to be the most delicious stuffed tomatoes with their salty and smokey flavour from the addition of olives, parmesan, and paprika. They are stuffed with butter beans and various others, meaning they are totally gluten free and vegetarian. As they bake in the oven, the tomatoes soften slightly but form a crispy skin. The filling warms up and the flavours merge into one delicious stuffed tomato.
Baked Stuffed Tomatoes
Makes 8 stuffed tomatoes
Ingredients:
- 8 large tomatoes
- 2 tins butter beans, drained and rinsed
- Juice of half a lemon
- 100g pitted and chopped olives
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- ½ tsp ground paprika
- 3 tbs chopped parsley, plus extra for garnishing
- 2 tbs grated parmesan cheese
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
- Olive oil for drizzling
Method:
Slice the tops off the tomatoes and remove the pulp from the inside using a spoon. Place onto a baking dish.
In bowl, combine the remaining ingredients excluding the olive oil. Mix together well and slightly crush the butter beans. Taste the seasoning and add salt to your liking.
Stuff the tomatoes with the mixture. Cover with their tops. Drizzle with olive oil and place into the preheated oven. Leave to cook for about 20-25 minutes or until tender, but still slightly firm.
Remove from the oven and serve warm with a little more olive oil, lemon wedges, and parsley.
Originally Posted On Ben’s Kitchen Blog
Happy cooking!
–Ben
Instagram @benorkin + Blog + Pinterest
Snapchat: @benorks
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