Gemista "Yemista"

“Yemista or Gemista”

“Yemista or Gemista”, refers to the colorful peppers and tomatoes stuffed with rice. This traditional Greek dish falls under the category of ''Ladera'', which means a Greek dish prepared with olive oil.

This dish can also be found with ground beef instead of rice.

Preparation time: 45 min

Preparation time: 100 min

Portions: 12 pieces (4-6 people)

Ingredients:

• 6 large and juicy tomatoes
• 6 colorful peppers
• 5-6 potatoes
• 2 medium onions, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 350 g Carolina rice
• a can of chopped tomatoes
• 400 ml of water
• 2 tablespoons of mint
• 1 tablespoon parsley
• 1 teaspoon tomato puree
• a pinch of cinnamon (optional)
• half a teaspoon of sugar
• half a teaspoon of sweet paprika
• salt and pepper
• 4 tablespoons Greek extra virgin olive oil

Preparation process:

This traditional Greek dish has only 8 steps to make, they are:

1. Preheat your oven to 180 C.
   
   
2. Thoroughly clean your vegetables.
   
   
3. Prepare the tomatoes: cut off the tops and remove the flesh with a spoon. Keep the meat in a bowl as this will be your base for the tomato sauce for your Gemista. Try to leave the tomatoes as thin as possible, so that there is only a little bit of the "meat". Just be careful not to poke a hole through the skin! Keep the top of the tomato on (“Kapakia” in Greek) to cover the rest of the tomato. Place them on a large baking sheet.
   
   
4. Prepare your peppers: Cut the tops of your peppers (½ - 1 cm from the center) and remove the seeds and the white inside. Keep the top of the pepper. Place them on a baking sheet.

5. Prepare your potatoes: Clean the skin and cut your potatoes into 4 equal slices. Place them in a bowl of water, just enough to cover them until we need them later.
   
   
6. Prepare the filling for your Gemista: add the olive oil to a pan and fry the onions for less than a minute. Add the garlic and sauté until soft. Add the rice, salt, pepper and continue to sauté until translucent (about 3-4 minutes). Pour the tomato sauce, tomato puree and the chopped tomatoes together with the sugar and add some water. Cook it for about 15 minutes and remove the pan from the plate as soon as the liquid is absorbed. Add here all the spices and a little extra salt if you feel it is necessary.
   
   
7. Assemble the Gemista: Fill the inside of the empty vegetables with a spoon, but only ¾ of each vegetable because the rice will expand as it cooks in the oven. Place the sliced ​​potatoes between the vegetables. Add some salt, pepper and possibly a little extra mint. Add a little extra virgin olive oil. Remember that this dish belongs to the "Ladera" category, which means it is made with olive oil! Place the cut tops of the vegetables on top of the vegetables and add 1-2 glasses of water. Add any extra filling to the dish to make the potatoes even more delicious!
   
   
8. Cover the Gemista with tin foil and bake at 180C for 100 minutes. Halfway through baking, remove the foil and continue baking until it gets a nice color.

Serve this delicious dish with a slice of feta '' Dodoni '' and your favorite '' Mythos '' beer!

Finally, share your comments and thoughts about this recipe, or any questions you might have.

Kali oreksi / Enjoy your meal!