Stuffed tomatoes and peppers the most popular vegetable dish served in Greece, frequently stuffed with herbs and rice wthout meat.
Its perfectly suited to being meat-free because the flavours of the wonderful vegetables and aromatic herbs really shine through. There are hundreds of gemista recipes in Greece – almost every family has their own version.
Stuffed tomatoes and peppers recipe that I am showing you is without meat, only herbs and rice. If you would like to add meat then see my notes below the recipe. Both ways are delicious and flavorful. You can consider the following recipe as Vegan. Also look at the post “Stuffed zucchini wth meat and rice in Avgolemono sauce“.
At most greek tavernas you can select your own stuffed vegetable.
stuffed tomatoes and peppers
Choose your tomato wisely. The tomato that may seem over-ripe is okay to use, it will cook nicely. The pepper used in this traditional style is green pepper, but you may find the yellow or red pepper tasty, too! Potatoes in the pan are a real treat because they absorb a lot of the extra moisture and have great flavor. Here’s a secret: puncture the bottom and sides of the tomatoes and peppers with a fork, 3 -4 tiimes. During baking they will more readily retain the moisture needed for the rice to cook.
This is a perfect family style meal, served with a side dish of Feta cheese (with a dash of olive oil and oregano) or yogurt and a healthy salad of your choice.
Don’t worry about leftovers! These tomatoes and peppers with rice are very tasty the next day.
Stuffed tomatoes and peppers (Gemista, Vegan)
Equipment
- 1 Food Processor
Ingredients
- 6 tomatoes
- 6 peppers
- 3 potatoes (optional)
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- 11/4 cup long grain rice
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves chopped garlic
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tbsp basil or mint (dry)
- 3 tbsp black raisins
- 2 tbsp pine nuts
- 1/4 cup water
- tomato juice (if necessary)
- salt and granulated sugar
- freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Set the oven temperature to 180 celsius, about 360 farenheit, standard oven. No air to avoid drying them out.
- Wash and pat dry tomatoes and peppers.
- Slice off the tops, save for later to cover after stuffing.
- Clean out insides of peppers, discard.
- Clean out insides of tomatoes, Save the pulp for later.
- If you choose to use potatoes, wash and peel them. Cut into wedges.
- Fit the peppers and the tomatoes upright in a lightly oiled pan. If using potatoes, add 1/4 cup of water into the pan as well.
- Apply a sprinkle of salt over the vegetables.
- Apply a sprinkle of sugar ONLY on the tomatoes.
- If you choose to use potatoes, wedge the pieces in between the vegetables.
- Soften the raisins by placing them into a small bowl of warm water. Set aside.
- Take the pulp of the tomatoes and puree to make a sauce. Set aside.
- Chop the onion, garlic and parsley. Place each in separate bowls.
- Place a medium sized sautee pan on the stove, medium high heat.
- Put 4 to 5 tablespoons olive oil in pan.
- Add the onion and sautee well.
- Add the garlic and sautee for another minute or two.
- Place the rice into the sautee pan and mix, for a total of about three minutes.
- Drain the water from the raisins and add the raisins and pine nuts into the sautee pan.
- Add the 1/4 cup of water and the tomatoe sauce to the mix. Cook for about 7 minutes, bringing mixture to a boil.
- Take sautee pan off the heat and add the parsley, salt and pepper to taste and the basil OR mint if you choose.
- Let the mixture cool a bit, about 10 minutes before stuffing the vegetables.
- Fill each vegetable with about 2/3 of the rice mixture.
- If there is any remaining rice mixture, place into the bottom of the pan.
- Pour about 2 -3 tablespoons of tomato juice over each vegetable and cover them with their vegetable top.
- Brush each vegetable with a healthy helping of olive oil.
- Cover pan with alumiinum foil and place into oven.
- Cooking time about one hour to one hour and a half, depending on the oven and the vegetables.
