Greka Foods Gemista (Stuffed Vegetables) #Recipe

Vanessa Owen
22nd March 2020

A Greek traditional dish...Gemista (stuffed vegetables with arborio rice, lots of parsley and tomato). Yummy vegetarian Greek goodness!

Slice off the bottom side of the tomatoes with a sharp knife, cutting about ½ – 1 mm from the edge. This way they can hold more of the filling.

Carefully scoop out the flesh, making sure you do not rip the outer shell. Put the flesh in a separate bowl and set aside until needed.

Place the tomato shells in the baking dish, stem side down, arranging them nicely in the dish. Mash the tomato flesh in the bowl with your hands and set aside until needed.

Slice the tops off of the bell peppers, cutting about ½ – 1 mm under the stem. Remove any flesh and seeds and arrange them nicely in the baking dish among the tomatoes. Peel the potatoes and cut length-ways in quarters. Place the potatoes in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper and a pinch of oregano. Keep aside for later.

For the filling

Place a pan over medium heat and add 4 tablespoons olive oil.

Finely chop the onion, add to the frying pan and sauté. Thinly slice the garlic and add it to the pan. Add a generous amount of salt and freshly ground pepper, since you will be adding the rice also and it needs a good amount of seasoning.

Add the rice and sauté for 3-4 minutes, until it turns a light golden colour. Add the Greka tomato sauce with Mediterranean Herbs and stir. Add 100 ml of water and the reserved tomato flesh. Let it simmer for 5 minutes. Stir and remove from heat. The rest of the cooking will take place in the oven.

Finely chop the parsley and add it to the pan. Stir so everything is well combined.

To assemble

Drizzle the tomatoes and peppers with a generous amount of olive oil, both inside and out, and season with salt and pepper.Using a spoon  add the rice filling in the tomatoes and peppers. Add the potatoes to the dish and drizzle a generous amount of olive oil, over the vegetables.

Cover with aluminium foil and bake for 1 hour at 180 degrees. After an hour check the rice, if it feels hard – cover the dish again with the foil and cook for a further 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes, remove and discard the foil and bake for another 30 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated and the stuffed vegetables are cooked and are crispy on top.

Recipe Info

Serving Suggestions

Serve with feta and crusty bread.

Ingredients

3 beef tomatoes
3 green bell peppers
200g arborio rice
1 large onion
2 cloves of garlic
Salt and pepper
1 jar of Greka Tomato Sauce with Mediterranean herbs
Small bunch of parsley
Olive oil
3 large potatoes
Oregano

Equipment

Baking dish
Foil
Pan