Best Mums Yemista Greek Stuffed Vegetables With Rice Recipes

GEMISTA RECIPE (GREEK STUFFED TOMATOES AND PEPPERS WITH RICE)

Steps:

• Slice off the top of the tomatoes. Using a spoon remove the flesh of the tomatoes and keep it in a bowl. (The flesh of the tomatoes will be the base for the tomato sauce for the Gemista.) Slice off the top of the eggplants and remove the flesh, using a spoon. Cut the flesh of the eggplants in small cubes and set aside, as you will use them later for the filling of the Gemista. Slice off the top of the peppers and remove the seeds and white parts from the inside.
• Place the empty vegetables on a large baking tray. Try to leave the vegetables with as little flesh as possible, but be careful not to poke through their skin. Season the empty vegetables with a pinch of salt and sugar and add a little butter on the bottom of each one.
• In a blender add the flesh of the tomatoes, 5-6 tbsps olive oil, the tomato paste, sugar, season with salt and pepper and mix to combine. Set aside.
• . In a saucepan add some olive oil and sauté the onions, until translucent. Chop the zucchini in small cubes, add in the saucepan and sauté for one more minute. At the end add the flesh of the eggplants (chopped) and the chopped garlic and sauté, until softened. Add the rice and continue sautéing, unit it becomes transculent. Pour in 1 tin chopped tomatoes, 2 cups of water and season with salt and pepper. Let the filling come to a boil. After 5 minutes the stuffing is ready. It doesn't need to cook throughout as it will continue cooking in the oven. Remove the pan from the stove and stir in the fresh herbs and taste and season with some more salt and pepper if needed.
• If you prefer your gemista spiced up with some meat, try sizzling 250grams (8.8oz) of ground beef with the onions in the step above. Once the beef juices have been absorbed and the meat is done, chop the zucchini in small cubes, add in the saucepan and sauté for one more minute. At the end add the flesh of the eggplants (chopped) and the chopped garlic and sauté, until softened. Add the rice and continue sautéing, until it becomes transculent. Pour in 1 tin chopped tomatoes, 2 cups of water and season with salt and pepper. Let the filling come to a boil. After 5 minutes the stuffing is ready. Remove the pan from the stove and stir in the fresh herbs and taste and season with some more salt and pepper if needed.
• Peel and chop your potatoes in bite-sized chunks.
• . Spoon the filling inside the empty vegetables, filling them up by about 2/3rds of the way up. The filling will expand a bit when cooking! Add your potatoes, spreading them out in between the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Finally spoon the filling liquids from step 4 and your sauce from step 3 inside the vegetables until full and pour the remaining in the baking tray. Cover the vegetables with their lids and add 3 cups of water in your baking tray
• Cover the Gemista with aluminium foil and bake in preheated oven at 180C / 350F for 60-75 minutes. Halfway through cooking time, remove the aluminium foil and bake until nicely coloured.
• The Gemista are equally delicious, served either warm or even straight out of the fridge. Just pair them with some salty feta cheese and enjoy!

MUM'S YEMISTA (GREEK STUFFED VEGETABLES WITH RICE)

Steps:

• Cut off tops of tomatoes (retain them) and scoop out the pulp (retaining as well). Cut off tops of peppers and remove seeds (retain tops). Cut lengthwise the eggplants and with a spoon scoop out the pulp retaining as well. Cut the end of zucchini and also scoop out the pulp, retaining.
• Place the vegetables in a pan packed closely but not squashed.
• Take the pulp of all the vegetables and process it until pureed. Add in a bowl the rice,the vegetable puree, half of the olive oil, the garlic, the onion, the parsley, the spearmint, the salt and pepper. Mix using a spoon.
• Stuff all the vegetables and place the tops of tomatoes and peppers.
• Cut the potatoes to byte pieces and spread them between the vegetables.
• Sprinkle the breadcrumbs, salt again the vegetables and add the rest of olive oil. Combine 1 cup of water.
• Bake in a preheated oven at 375°F (180°C) for approx 1.5 hour.
• If you have leftover filling, add in the pan and put on the top some diced tomato. Its the best! I usually make more filling in order to have many plain rice!

GREEK STUFFED VEGETABLES WITH RICE (GEMISTA/YEMISTA)

Steps:

• Wash and dry the vegetables well.
• Core them, scooping out their flesh and transferring it to a bowl.To core the peppers, tomatoes, and onions (peel or leave unpeeled), first slice off the top and then use a spoon to scoop out the middles (ensuring you don't pierce the veggie "walls"). For the zucchini, slice them in half lengthwise and then use a spoon to scoop out the flesh, leaving a thin "wall."
• For the eggplant, I recommend pre-baking it (without coring). Slice the eggplant in two, score lightly down the middle of each half, and then bake for about 15 minutes at 400ºF/200ºC.You can also optionally fry the zucchini and onions before stuffing them to tenderize and "brown" them slightly. However, I skip this "extra step" to save time and still love the results.
• Once all the vegetables are prepared, oil them (inside and out) and lay them on a large baking tray.
• Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat and finely dice the onions (if you're making stuffed onions, you can use the scooped-out flesh without needing any extras). At the same time, mince the herbs, and rinse the rice (until the water runs almost clear).
• Add the chopped onions to the pan and cook, stirring often, until translucent (3-4 minutes). Then add all the remaining vegetable pulp (roughly chopped), the tomato paste, and salt, mixing well.
• Add the rinsed rice and water, mix well, and then cover and cook until around 90% cooked (follow the package instructions, minus about 4 minutes). Just before it's ready, add in the minced herbs and dried mint and stir to combine.
• Stuff the vegetables with the rice mixture, making sure not to overfill, as the rice will still slightly expand when baking in the oven. Once filled, add all the "lids" to the vegetables.
• Bake for between 30-35 minutes at 400ºF/200ºC, or until the vegetables are tender with a cooked rice filling.The open-faced veggies (zucchini and eggplant) can "dry out" slightly while baking. To avoid this, you can bake the stuffed vegetables covered in tin foil (the entire pan) for the first 20 minutes before removing it for the last ten minutes.Optionally, you can broil the vegetables at the beginning (before stuffing) or at the end of the baking process for more of a char on the veggies.
• Remove the Greek stuffed vegetables from the oven and serve optionally topped with extra herbs, cheese (like feta or vegan feta), tzatziki, or a dollop of yogurt (dairy or dairy-free), and some lemon wedges. I also recommend further drizzling with high-quality extra-virgin olive oil before serving.
• Make ahead: you can core and stuff the vegetables up to a day in advance and store them, tightly wrapped, in the refrigerator until you're ready to bake them. You can also freeze the rice-stuffed vegetables pre-baking (be aware that certain vegetables - particularly tomatoes - are more likely to "collapse" when thawed and baked. They won't look great but will taste amazing, still) for between 2-3 months. Store: once baked, allow the stuffed vegetables to cool and then store in an airtight container for up to four days.Reheat: you can reheat the baked stuffed vegetables either in the microwave or in the oven, in a large baking pan filled with around a cup of water at 400ºF/200ºC, until thoroughly warmed.

YEMISTA (GREEK STUFFED TOMATOES AND PEPPERS)

Steps:

• Cut off tops of tomatoes (retain tops) and carefully scoop out flesh (retain this as well).
• Cut off tops of peppers (retain tops) and remove seeds and membrane.
• Place tomatoes and peppers in a pan large enough to hold them comfortably and give each veg a tiny dash of sugar with the tips of your fingertips (I really think this is important!).
• Take tomato flesh and process it until pureed.
• Add olive oil, rice, onion, garlic, mint, parsley, nuts, cheese, sultanas, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper (or season to taste).
• Stuff the vegetables evenly with this mixture.
• Replace tops of tomatoes and peppers.
• Combine 1 cup of water and 1/2 cup olive oil with a scant tablespoonful of tomato paste and a little salt and pepper and pour this around the veg.
• Bake in a preheated 375F oven (180C) for approx 1 3/4 hours (vegetables should pierce easily and be slightly blackened in parts).
• Turn off oven and leave in for another hour to'mellow' before serving.
• This is best served slightly warm or at room temperature.
• It is wonderful eaten along with little bites of feta cheese and a cool glass of white or rose.
• It will also have yummy juices begging to be mopped up with bits of crusty bread.
• In my version, I also take 3-4 medium-sized potatoes, cut them into big wedges, toss in a little olive oil with salt and pepper to taste, and'plant' in the spaces amidst the vegetables.
• That way you can have a couple of wedges of potato too.