Gemista, Greek Baked Stuffed Vegetables
Gemista are the stuffed vegetables of a Greek summer, tomatoes and peppers filled with an herb-heavy rice and baked slowly until the whole tray smells of mint and cinnamon. The version without meat, sometimes called orphana, or orphaned, is the older and more common one, and it loses nothing worth keeping. Traditionally the vegetables sit in a shallow lake of olive oil that bastes the rice as it cooks; here the tomato pulp and a cup of water do that basting instead, with the covered bake trapping enough steam to cook the grains through. Raisins and a whisper of cinnamon against the savory tomato are what set the Greek version apart, and the potato wedges wedged around the pan are non-negotiable, since they soak up every drop of juice. Make it ahead; it is better an hour later, and better still the next day.
Ingredients
- 4 wholes Fresh tomatoes, large, ripe
- 2 wholes Bell peppers
- 3/4 cup long grain brown rice
- 1 whole Yellow onions, finely diced
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp Tomato paste
- 1/4 cup Raisins
- 1/4 cup Walnuts, chopped
- 1/3 cup Flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 3 tbsp Mint, chopped
- 3 tbsp Dill, chopped
- 1/4 tsp cassia cinnamon, ground
- 2 wholes Potatoes, cut into thick wedges
- 1 tbsp Lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp Black peppercorns, freshly ground
Method
- Heat the oven to 375 F (190 C). Slice the tops off the tomatoes and keep them as lids. Scoop the pulp into a bowl without tearing the shells, then chop the pulp and hold it. Slice the tops off the peppers, keep them as lids too, and pull out the cores and seeds.
- Sweat the onion in a pan with 3 tablespoons water until soft, about 8 minutes, then stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook 2 minutes until the paste darkens. Add the reserved tomato pulp, the raisins, walnuts, cinnamon, and the rice, and cook 5 minutes, stirring, until the mixture is loose and hot.
- Stir in the parsley, mint, dill, and black pepper. The rice will still be firm and that is correct; it finishes cooking inside the vegetables, drinking up the tomato juices as it goes, which is how the filling stays moist with no oil poured over it.
- Stand the tomato and pepper shells snugly in a baking dish and spoon in the filling, leaving a finger of room at the top since the rice swells. Set the lids back on. Tuck the potato wedges into the gaps between them, and pour 1 cup (240 ml) water into the base of the dish.
- Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 25 to 30 minutes more, until the rice is tender, the potatoes take a knife easily, and the tops of the vegetables have caught a little color. The covered stretch steams the rice through; the open stretch concentrates the juices and browns the edges the way the oil normally would.
- Let the dish rest 15 minutes, then squeeze the lemon over everything. Gemista is meant to be eaten warm or at room temperature, never straight from the oven, since it needs the time to settle and taste of its herbs.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 270 calories, 6 g protein, 7 g fiber, 55 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
