Tomato ladybirds
Tomatoes filled with a tuna mayonnaise and rice mixture, in a fun ladybird shape that kids will love, served with a puree of fresh garden peas. A good way to encourage them to eat vegetables.
1 hour 50 min.
Easy
3 tomatoes
13 IngredientsLast modified on: February 21th 2011
For 3 tomatoes, you will need:
- 1
3 tomatoes - 2
fine (or table) salt - 3
½ cup peas - 4
1.5 tablespoon olive oil - 5
½ tablespoon lemon juice - 6
1 radishes - 7
1.5 tablespoon mayonnaise - 8
2 tablespoons tuna in oil - 9
3 tablespoons cooked rice - 10
½ bunch chives - 11
5 blacks olives - 12 salt
- 13
pepper
Change these quantities to make:
Change measures:
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 1 hour 40 min.
Cooking: 10 min.
All in all: 1 hour 50 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 30 min.
Stage 2 - 5 min.
Remove flesh inside tomatoes with a teaspoon or a pommes parisiennes spoon (easier), and keep all that you remove.
Stage 3 - 3 min.
Stage 4 - 5 min.
Dispcard tomato seeds, keeping the flesh and cut off pieces (minus hard green stalk end), chop roughly, salt and leave to stand in a strainer.
Stage 5 - 10 min.
Boil a pan of salted water, put in ½ cup peas and cook until soft (2 or 3 minutes usually).
Remove from pan, drain and put into cold water. Drain again when peas are cold, then dry.
Remove from pan, drain and put into cold water. Drain again when peas are cold, then dry.
Stage 6 - 5 min.
Blend peas, and if possible pass through a fine strainer to remove skins and get a very smooth puree.
Stage 7 - 5 min.
Mix 1.5 tablespoon olive oil and ½ tablespoon lemon juice.
Add 2 tbs of this mix to the pea puree, salt, pepper, and keep covered in the fridge.
Add 2 tbs of this mix to the pea puree, salt, pepper, and keep covered in the fridge.
Stage 8 - 10 min.
Prepare stuffing: cut 1 radishes into very small pieces, put in a bowl, add 1.5 tablespoon mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons tuna in oil, 3 tablespoons cooked rice, ½ bunch chives chopped, and the chopped tomato flesh. Mix well.
Stage 9 - 5 min.
Fill tomatoes with this mix.
Stage 10 - 5 min.
Place a tomato upside down on a serving plate, coat with remaining olive oil-lemon juice mix.
Stage 11 - 5 min.
With a very sharp knife, cut out tiny circles of olive, as thin as possible.
Stage 12 - 20 min.
Stick olive circles on tomato to get the ladybird effect. Tip: position them with the point of a knife.
Make the head with 1/2 olive and 2 blades of chives, then surround with pea puree.
Do this with all your tomatoes, and serve without delay.
Make the head with 1/2 olive and 2 blades of chives, then surround with pea puree.
Do this with all your tomatoes, and serve without delay.
Stage 13
For adults you could make a quicker version without olives.
Remarks
With this recipe you will become a god or goddess of cooking for your young children or grand-children. After this they will frequently ask you to make ladybird tomatoes again... To make it a real surprise, close the kitchen door if possible while you cook, and then see their eyes open wide when you put the plates on the table.
To cook rice, use the pilaf method or rice-cooker.
To cook rice, use the pilaf method or rice-cooker.
Keeping: Several days in the fridge, covered by a plastic film.
Source: Home made, from a photo seen in a women's magazine a long time ago.
Nutritional information
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 20 RDI=7 % | 40 RDI=4 % | 110 RDI=20 % | 1,050 RDI=50 % | 4,380 RDI: 50 % |
| Per 100 g | 3 RDI=1 % | 7 RDI=1 % | 20 RDI=3 % | 180 RDI=9 % | 770 RDI: 9 % |
| Per tomatoes | 6 RDI=2 % | 10 RDI=1 % | 40 RDI=6 % | 350 RDI=20 % | 1,460 RDI: 20 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 3 tomatoes : 3.60 €
- Per tomatoes : 1.20 €
Change currency: 
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
Peas
Like these other recipes: Baked Mont d'Or with diced mixed vegetables, Chinese Soup, Pea risotto "Mantecare", Salmon "en papillote" with small vegetables, Pea and avocado salad, ... See them all 19
Tuna in oil
Like these other recipes: Baby courgette salad, Salade Niçoise, Cucumber and salmon salad, Oriane's tuna rillettes , Cornouaillaise salad, ... See them all 23
Cooked rice
You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Baby broad beans and peas with rice and mascarpone , Tomatoes Provençal, Madras rice, Rice à l'italienne, Creamy rice with green asparagus and sorrel , ... See them all 26
Black olives
Like these other recipes: Greek salad, Tapenade, Two-olive ciabatta, Salade Niçoise, Pasta with cherry tomatoes, olives and feta cheese, ... See them all 7
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