Skip to main content

Tomatoes Stuffed with Roast Peppers, Tuna, Capers, and Olives

This version of the Tunisian meshweya (page 85) can be served hot or cold. I prefer it cold.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    serves 6

Ingredients

4 red bell peppers
Salt
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup flaked canned tuna
2 tablespoons capers
1/4 cup chopped black olives
Peel of 1/2 preserved lemon (page 459), chopped
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
6 large tomatoes

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    For the filling, roast and peel the peppers (see page 84), remove the seeds, and cut into strips about 3/4 inch wide. Mix with the rest of the ingredients except the tomatoes.

    Step 2

    Cut a small circle around the stalk of each tomato and cut out a cap. Remove the pulp and seeds with a pointed teaspoon. Fill with the roast-pepper mixture and replace the caps. Arrange in a shallow baking dish and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 20–30 minutes, or until the tomatoes are a little soft, keeping watch so that they do not fall apart.

  2. Variation:

    Step 3

    In Tunisia they may add 1 or 2 garlic cloves, 1 minced hot chili pepper, and 1 teaspoon of tabil (page 48).

Cover of Claudia Roden's The New Book of Middle Easter Food, featuring a blue filigree bowl filled with Meyer lemons and sprigs of mint.
Reprinted with permission from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food, copyright © 2000 by Claudia Roden, published by Knopf. Buy the full book on Amazon or Bookshop.
Read More
Turn humble onions into this thrifty yet luxe pasta dinner.
Keep this easy frittata recipe on hand for quick breakfasts, impressive brunches, and fridge clean-out meals.
This one-pot dinner cooks chicken thighs directly on top of a bed of flavorful cilantro rice studded with black beans for a complete dinner.
Put that half-full tub to use with recipes that go beyond the Italian American classics.
Like Sri Lankan cashew curry and vegan stuffed shells.
Glossy, intensely chocolaty, and spiked with coffee and sour cream, this Bundt is the ultimate all-purpose dessert.
Filberts, goobers, scaly bark nuts: Explore the world beyond almonds in this guide.
Use this simple vinaigrette to dress a plate of greens, some steamed potatoes, or anything else that strikes your fancy.