Armenian-Style Tomatoes

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you make Armenian-style tomatoes? Gather all the ingredients from the list. Choose tomatoes of roughly the same size — ripe, with thick skins. Use any herbs you like; basil, oregano, parsley, dill, and cilantro all work beautifully in this recipe.

2. Step 2:

   

   First, make the brine. By the time you pour it over the tomatoes, it needs to be at room temperature, so make it ahead so it has time to cool. Pour the water into a pot and add the salt and bay leaves. If your tomatoes aren't very sweet, I sometimes add 1 tsp of sugar for a more balanced flavor in the finished appetizer. Once it boils, simmer the brine for two or three minutes, then take the pot off the heat.

3. Step 3:

   

   Remove the stems from the tomatoes. Wash and dry the tomatoes and the hot pepper. Peel the garlic. Rinse the herbs and garlic cloves in cold water.

4. Step 4:

   

   Finely chop the dill, parsley, basil, and cilantro. Press the garlic through a garlic press and roughly chop the chili pepper. Mix everything together well.

5. Step 5:

   

   Cut a deep cross into the top of each tomato, stopping short of the bottom.

6. Step 6:

   

   Stuff the tomatoes with the fragrant herb-and-garlic filling.

7. Step 7:

   

   Pack the tomatoes into a suitably sized container or pot. If you like, tuck another 2–3 bay leaves between them.

8. Step 8:

   

   Pour the cooled brine over them so it covers all the tomatoes completely. Cover and leave at room temperature for three days. To keep the tomatoes from floating up and to keep them submerged in the brine, I first set a small saucer on top of them and then put the lid on.

9. Step 9:

   

   After three days, the wonderfully fragrant tomatoes are ready!

10. Step 10:

    

    Serve them as an appetizer.

11. Step 11:

    

    Armenian-style tomatoes go wonderfully with meat dishes, grilled kebabs, potatoes, and much more.

12. Step 12:

    

    For longer storage, you can move the container of tomatoes to the refrigerator.