Tomatoes Stuffed with Chick Peas

Back in 2008 when we were preparing to set out on our very first voyage from Singapore to Langkawi, we decided to follow the example of our role models Lin and Larry Pardey as well as Annie Hill, who claims in her Voyaging on a Small Income, that since they eat well not only while in the port but also while at sea, unlike other cruisers who are fed up by constant diet of canned goods, they are not tempted to stop in every port on the way, in order to just enjoy some nice meal. Therefore when we left Singapore, I decided that as our first proper meal underway, I would prepare a recipe from our “bean bible” aka The Bean Book by English vegetarian cook Rose Elliot, a cookbook masterpiece, that we actually picked up after reading Annie Hill’s book. Not accidentally, this very book later became our favorite present to fellow cruisers. Of course, we didn’t forget to add a useful dedication:  Lentils and beans give you fair winds!

Ingredients:

• 4 tomatoes
• 1 can of chick peas (or cook your own)
• 1 big onion finely chopped
• olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice, basil

Method:

1. Scoop up the tomatoes (keep the insides for a salad), sprinkle the tomatoes and the caps with salt, place upside down and let the juices run out.
2. Meanwhile add olive oil to a pan, fry the onion until soft but not brown. Place the chick peas on a plate and use fork to mash it a little. Add it to the onions, season with salt, pepper, basil and at the end add some lemon juice to your taste.
3. Fill up the tomatoes with the chick peas mixture and cap with the tomato tops. Place in a baking pan, drizzle with olive oil and bake at 180 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Spread the rest of the mixture (if there is any) around the tomatoes and bake that, too. It’s delicious.
4. Serve with just a vegetable salad, potatoes, etc. Can also be served as an appetizer or side dish.

Our first dinner underway