Gemista (greek stuffed peppers and tomatoes)
Serves 2
Gemista is vegetarian greek food at it’s finest and is definitely one of my favourites! I eat this dish throughout the year, in summer I stuff peppers and tomatoes and eat them under the shade of a tree hidden from the hot summer sun. In winter I stuff onions and variations of squash, sat by the warm of an evening fire. After trying this recipe there won’t be a day when you don’t want to stuff vegetables with tomato rice!
Ingredients:
2 bell peppers
2 large tomatoes
1 white onion
2 medium potatoes
200g of short or medium grain rice
200g of tomato passata
1 lemon
1 small handful of parsley
1 tsp dried dill
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp of cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp of salt
3 cloves of garlic
100ml of olive oil
300ml of vegetable stock
Method
Preheat oven to 170oC
Step 1: Combine ingredients
Weigh 200g of rice and 200g of passata with 100ml of olive oil. Give it a mix then add 1 tsp of dried oregano, *1/2 tsp of cinnamon, 1 tsp of dried dill and 1 1/2 tsp of salt. Grate in your 3 cloves of peeled garlic and 1 peeled white onion. Finely chop your small handful of fresh parsley and add it to the rice stuffing.
*If you are making this recipe in winter, try upping the measurement of cinnamon to give you that warm hug in the winter months.
Step 2: Stuff vegetables
Carefully cut off the top of the peppers and tomatoes, leaving enough flesh so they can act as lids then hollow them out. Stuff your vegetables with the rice mixture, until 3/4 full. Place them upright (with their lids on) into a baking tray that is just big enough, to prevent them from falling over. You want them to be tightly packed so that they evenly cook.
Step 3: Bake
Peel and cut 2 medium potatoes into quarters then place them surrounding your stuffed vegetables . Then pour in 300ml of vegetable stock so that it surrounds the stuffed peppers and tomatoes. Cover with a lid/foil and bake for 40 minutes, then remove the lid/foil and turn up the heat to 200oC and bake for another 30-40 minutes, or until the rice is soft, you can check this by swishing a grain between your fingers to see if there is any opaque whiteness left inside.
Once cooked let sit for 10 minutes before serving, when ready plate up with thick greek yogurt.