← Nouns Cooking · Greek

Ingredients

• 4 large beefsteak tomatoes
• 4 green or yellow peppers
• 3 Potato, peeled and cut into wedges
• 120 ml Olive oil
• 1 Onion, grated
• 2 cloves Garlic, chopped
• 200 g short-grain or risotto rice
• 1 tbsp Tomato purée (paste)
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 15 g Parsley, chopped
• 10 g Mint, chopped
• 40 g Pine nuts (optional)
• 40 g Raisins (optional)
• 250 ml Water
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 100 g feta, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Slice the tops off the tomatoes and peppers and keep them as lids. Scoop the tomato flesh into a bowl and blitz or chop it to a pulp; pull the seeds out of the peppers. Sprinkle the insides with a pinch of salt and sugar and set them in a deep roasting dish.
2. Heat half the oil in a pan over medium heat and cook the onion for 5 min. Add the garlic and rice and stir for 2 min until the grains look glossy.
3. Add the tomato pulp and tomato paste and simmer for 8–10 min, stirring, until the rice has soaked up most of the liquid but is still firm. Stir in the herbs, pine nuts and raisins and season well.
4. Heat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan, 375°F). Fill the vegetables about three-quarters full, since the rice swells, and put the lids on. Wedge the potatoes into the gaps, season them, then drizzle everything with the rest of the oil and pour the water into the dish.
5. Cover with foil and bake for 45 min. Uncover, baste with the juices and bake for another 40–45 min until the vegetables are blistered and slumped, the rice is tender and the potatoes are golden.
6. Rest for 15 min before serving. Gemista is best warm rather than hot, with feta and bread on the side.

Tips

• Use a starchy short-grain rice: it turns creamy, while long-grain rice stays dry.
• For a meaty version, brown 250 g beef mince with the onion.
• Skip the feta to keep it vegan and dairy-free.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

My Greek Dish Supergolden Bakes