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Gemista Peppers – Greek Stuffed Peppers with Aromatic Rice

cake May 4, 2017

Gemista or yemista (which in Greek means ‘filled with’) is a traditional recipe for Greek stuffed vegetables that are baked until soft and nicely browned. The traditional Greek recipe for Gemista can be either vegetarian with a filling of rice and chopped vegetables, or may contain minced meat. Feel free to experiment with the stuffing, with different types of herbs and spices. photos coco zordan

A great recipe to incorporate your leftovers. I usually make this recipe when I have some leftovers of cooked rice or other grains, like barley or farro. In this post the recipe is with bell peppers but you can use also zucchini, eggplants and tomatoes. Not vegan? add some grated cheese or minced meat: )

The Recipe

Servings

4-8

Prep time

15 min.

Cooking time

60 min.

Ingredients

4 small bell peppers red, yellow or green
3 cups cooked rice
1 onion finely chopped
3 Tbs chopped basil and/or parsley (or mint and dill) plus oregano if you like
2 Tbs raisin
2 Tbs pinenuts
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup vegetable broth or salted water
salt and pepper
xv olive oil

Directions

Prepare the filling for the Gemista. In a saucepan add some olive oil and sweat the onions (with lid on) on low heat until translucent for about 10/15 minutes

While onion is cooking, clean peppers. Slice off the tops and remove the seeds and white parts from the inside. Chop basil and parsley

To the onion add the cooked rice, saute’ a couple of minutes. Remove from heat

Remove from heat and add tomato sauce, herbs

salt and pepper, pine nuts, raisin and a pinch of oregano

Assemble the Gemista. Season the empty vegetables with a pinch of salt. Spoon the filling inside and place the stuffed peppers on a greased oven pan, with their tops back on