Let’s seek some inspiration from the beloved Greek tastes of previous summer holidays! Cook at home one of the most popular dishes of our kitchen, “Gemista” – Stuffed tomatoes & peppers with rice, following the step by step recipe by our executive Chef George Kampourakis. Taste at home a classic everybody’s favorite Greek dish that will surely transport you to the sunny days at the Apollo Blue Taverna.
Gemista” stuffed vegetables with rise
Nutritional info
A summer dish with high nutritional value. Tomato is rich in antioxidants, vitamin B6, magnesium, iron, zinc and folic acid. Pepper is an excellent source of vitamin C. Stuffed rice is a very good source of B vitamins, carbohydrates and fiber. This dish becomes even more valuable if it contains parsley, an excellent antioxidant, rich in vitamin C.
Ingredients are for 4 to 6 portions
Time of preparation is 20-25 minutes
Cooking time is 60 minutes
Ingredients
- 4 large green peppers
- 4 large tomatoes
- 1 small eggplant (100 gr)
- 1 small green pepper (50 gr)
- 80 gr dried onion
- ½ bunch of parsley
- ½ bunch of mint
- 100 gr olive oil
- 50gr Carolina rice
- 50gr parboiled rice
Execution
Step 1. Prepare vegetables
- Wash all the vegetables, cut 1 slice from each tomato (to remain united with the tomato we do not separate completely) and with a spoon empty the crumb, taking care to leave a little flesh in the skin so that they do not open after filling and baking . Lightly salt the tomatoes
- Keep the tomato crumb for the filling and grind it in the blender.
- Cut 1 slice from the top of each pepper and remove the seeds and their white part. Lightly salt the peppers
- Peel the eggplant from its outer skin and finely chop it into cubes, finely chop the small pepper
Step 2. Prepare the filling
- In a deep frying pan, heat 1/2 cup from the total olive oil and sauté the chopped onion for 2-3 ′. Add the eggplant crumb, the chopped pepper and sauté for 2-3 minutes, until they wither. Add the rice and stir.
- Add the ground tomato and 1 tbsp. water. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the filling from the heat. Sprinkle with the chopped herbs. The filling should be quite juicy when we fill the vegetables.
Step 3. Stuffing vegetables & cooking
- Fill each vegetable up to 3/4, because the rice will swell when cooked. Put the lids and place them in a deep pan, close to each other.
- In a bowl, whisk the remaining ground tomatoes with the remaining 1/2 cup of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and pour over the pan with a spoon.
- Bake them in a preheated oven at 180 ° C (356 Fahrenheit) the first half of an hour covered. Then, remove and continue baking, which takes a total of 1 hour. If you notice it getting dry, add a bit more water. To see if it is done, check the rice it should be soft and mushy
- Extra tip: Accompany stuffing vegetables with Greek feta cheese & white wine “Moschofilero” for an authentic Greek taste experience! Kali Orexi
