Gemista

Gemista (Greek Stuffed Vegetables)

Hollowed tomatoes, bell peppers and courgettes filled with rice, fresh herbs and a little potato, baked in generous olive oil until meltingly soft. A classic Greek summer dish, served warm or at room temperature with crusty bread and feta.

Prep

30 min

Cook

75 min

Total

105 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •4 whole large ripe tomatoes, firm enough to hold their shape when baked
• •4 whole bell peppers, mix of red and green; choose flat-bottomed ones so they sit upright
• •2 whole small courgettes (zucchini), around 18–20 cm long
• •150 g (¾ cup) medium-grain rice, rinse until water runs clear; do not pre-cook
• •1 large onion, finely chopped
• •2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• •2 potatoes (2 medium) potato, about 250 g / 9 oz total, peeled and cut into wedges
• •30 g (¼ cup) fresh parsley, finely chopped
• •15 g (2 tbsp) fresh mint or dill, finely chopped
• •1 tsp dried oregano
• •120 ml (½ cup) extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• •5 ml (1 tsp) tomato paste, optional, for deeper colour
• •1 g (small pinch) sugar, balances the acidity of the tomatoes
• •sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• •120 ml (½ cup) water or vegetable stock, for the baking tray

Steps

1. 1 Heat the oven to 180 °C / 350 °F (fan 160 °C). Cut the tops off the tomatoes, peppers and courgettes to form lids; reserve the lids. Scoop out the tomato flesh with a spoon (keep the juice too) and chop the flesh. Scoop out the courgette flesh with a teaspoon, leaving a 5 mm shell; chop the flesh. For the peppers, pull out the core and seeds and discard. Lightly salt the hollowed vegetables and turn them upside down on a tray to drain for 15 minutes.
2. 2 Make the filling: warm 60 ml / ¼ cup olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Soften the onion for 5 minutes, add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Stir in the chopped tomato and courgette flesh, tomato paste, sugar, oregano and a generous pinch of salt and pepper; simmer 5 minutes until pulpy.
3. 3 Add the rinsed rice, stir for 2 minutes so it glistens in the oil, then take off the heat. Mix in the parsley and mint or dill. The mixture should taste slightly under-seasoned — it will balance as it bakes.
4. 4 Pat the vegetables dry. Stuff each one three-quarters full (the rice expands substantially), pressing down gently. Replace the lids, leaning them slightly ajar so steam can escape.
5. 5 Arrange the stuffed vegetables snugly in a wide baking dish, tucking the potato wedges between them to keep everything upright. Drizzle the remaining olive oil generously over the tops and add the reserved tomato juice and the water or stock to the dish.
6. 6 Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake a further 25–30 minutes, until the vegetables are collapsed and caramelised at the edges, the rice is fully tender (taste a pepper — there should be no crunch), and the liquid in the dish has reduced to a glossy orange oil.
7. 7 Doneness check: rice should be soft through to the centre of each vegetable; the peppers and tomatoes should be wrinkled and very soft, and the potatoes golden on the outside and creamy inside. If the tops brown too quickly, tent loosely with foil.
8. 8 Rest at room temperature for at least 20 minutes before serving. Spoon the pan juices over each portion and serve warm or at room temperature with feta and crusty bread. Keeps covered in the fridge for up to 3 days; flavour is better the next day.