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Gemista
Tomatoes and peppers stuffed with herby rice, baked with potatoes (γεμιστά)
Gemista is the dish of a Greek August, when tomatoes are cheap, sweet and bursting. Home cooks hollow out the tomatoes and peppers, stir the scooped-out pulp into rice with onions, mint and parsley, and bake everything in one big tray with wedges of potato tucked in between. The vegetables slump and blister, the rice soaks up the tomato juice and olive oil, and the potatoes go sticky at the edges. This vegetarian version is the one most families make in summer and during fasting periods. Serve warm or at room temperature with feta for those who eat dairy and plenty of bread to wipe the tray. Chef's tip: fill the vegetables only three-quarters full; the rice swells as it bakes, and overfilling is the common mistake that splits the tomatoes and leaves the rice hard.
- Total time
- 105 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the vegetables
For the filling
Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 375°F (350°F fan). Slice the tops off 4 large tomatoes and keep them as lids. Scoop out the pulp with a teaspoon into a bowl, leaving a 5 mm wall. Sprinkle the insides with ½ tsp sugar to balance any sharpness.
Step 2: Cut the tops off 4 green or red peppers, keep the lids and pull out the seeds.
Step 3: Blend or finely chop the tomato pulp. Warm half of ½ cup olive oil in a pan over a medium heat and cook 2 onions for 6 minutes until soft, then add 2 cloves garlic for 1 minute.
7 minStep 4: Stir in 7 oz medium-grain rice, 1 tbsp tomato paste and the tomato pulp. Simmer for 5 minutes, until the rice has drunk some of the juice but is still firm. Take off the heat and stir in ½ oz mint, ⅔ oz flat-leaf parsley, half the 2 tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper.
5 minStep 5: Stand the vegetables in a roasting tin and fill each three-quarters full with rice, spooning in some of the juices. Put the lids back on.
Step 6: Tuck 3 potatoes into the gaps, sprinkle with the rest of the salt and pour ¾ cup water into the tin. Drizzle the remaining oil over everything.
Step 7: Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil, baste with the tin juices and bake for 30–35 minutes more, until the tops are blistered and browned and a grain of rice from the middle is tender.
80 minStep 8: Rest for at least 20 minutes before serving; gemista is best warm rather than piping hot.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 480 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 70 g
- Fat
- 19 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does gemista take?
- About 105 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 75 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of large tomatoes?
- Tinned chopped tomatoes: a 400g tin for about 6 tomatoes (in cooked dishes, not salads).
- What can I use instead of green or red peppers?
- Any colour of bell pepper, same amount.
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