CHEDDAR-CHORIZO

BROCCOLI RICE
in Tomato Bowls
When you love cheddar-broccoli soup like I do, you will bring
its flavors to as many meals as possible. So you fill a juicy
tomato “bowl” with cheesy, broccoli-studded rice, bake to
bubbly perfection, and think you’ve got them nailed. But then
you become eight months pregnant and you realize hours
before your cookbook is about to print that this dish would be
oh, so much better with sausage. So you essentially STOP THE
PRESSES, and rework the recipe to include chorizo. Then, and
only then, is your cookbook complete.

SERVES 4
ACTIVE TIME / 25 MIN
TOTAL TIME / 50 MIN

4 extra-large firm-ripe beefsteak tomatoes (¾ pound each*)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
½ pound fresh chorizo sausage, casings removed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
1 cup grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese
½ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
1¾ cups cooked rice
1¼ cups broccoli florets, chopped into little bits
½ cup seasoned dried bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Position a rack in the center of the oven.

Cut off the top 1½ inches of the tomatoes, then using a paring
knife, cut away the flesh and seeds, leaving the outer layer of the
tomato all around to create a tomato bowl (keep the tomato insides
for another use—throwing them into tomato soup comes to mind).

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the
chorizo, season lightly with salt and pepper, and cook, breaking up
with a spoon, until the fat is rendered and the chorizo is golden, 6 to
7 minutes. Transfer the chorizo and the rendered fat into a bowl.
(You should have about 3 tablespoons of fat.) Return 1 tablespoon
of the fat to the skillet, add the flour, and cook, stirring, until it
turns dirty blond in color and smells a little nutty, 2 to 3 minutes.

Whisk in the milk, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, and
cook, whisking, until it thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cheddar,
parm, cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper and
whisk the sauce until smooth. Add the rice, broccoli, and cooked
chorizo and season with more salt, black pepper, and cayenne to
taste.

Season the insides of the tomatoes with salt and pepper, then spoon
¾ cup of the rice mixture into each tomato (don’t cram it in too
tight).

In a small bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon of the rendered chorizo

fat with the bread crumbs. Top each tomato with 2 tablespoons of
the bread crumb mixture. Arrange on a large rimmed baking sheet
and bake until the rice mixture is bubbling and the bread crumbs are
golden and toasty, 20 to 25 minutes (the tomatoes may burst or split
a little; don’t sweat it!).
If you can’t find tomatoes of this size, or if you have extra
filling, just use a couple more smaller tomatoes and bake for
a skootch less time.