Thursday, September 8, 2016

Gemista Greek Stuffed Tomatoes and Peppers

It's the right time of year for stuffed tomatoes and peppers. I'm not lucky with growing peppers so I have to buy them, but the garden is giving me lots of big juicy tomatoes.

You'll need: 

5 large tomatoes, reserve pulp
3 green peppers
2 tbsps olive oil
1 medium onion, grated
1 small carrot, grated
1 lb ground trio (beef, veal & pork)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1  1/4 cup brown rice
3/4 cup water
Salt and pepper
Pinch of sugar
Some fresh chopped parsley
Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
Some sliced black olives (optional)
1  1/2 cups tomato purée (or tomato sauce)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup water
1/4 (another) cup water 
6 - 7 small potatoes, quartered

Cut the tops off the peppers and tomatoes keeping their hats. Scoop out the tomato pulp and purée in a food processor. Set aside.

Heat 2 tbsps olive oil in a large saucepan. Add grated onion and cook 2-3 minutes then add grated carrot and cook another couple minutes.

Add ground meat (you can choose to use only beef but I prefer the trio). Cook meat just until no longer pink. Add the puréed tomato pulp. Add the rice, 3/4 cup water, sugar, salt and pepper, parsley, lemon zest and juice, and if using, black olives. Bring to  boil then reduce heat and simmer 10-15 minutes.

Fill veggies about 3/4 full (I may have overfilled mine, oops) and set them topped with their hats in a large baking pan. You may still have more filling depending on the size of the tomatoes and peppers you are using. If so just hollow out more veggies to stuff or you can simply eat the rice and meat as is.

Place the potato halves between the tomatoes and peppers.
Mix 1  1/2 cups tomato purée, 1/4 cup olive oil and 1/2 cup water and pour around the tomatoes and peppers and over the potatoes. Pour an additional 1/4 cup water between veggies.

Bake in a 400 F oven for 1 - 1  1/4 hours basting occasionally.
When basting if pan is getting dry, add a little more water.



Only one baking dish used and dinner is served!
Add some feta to the plate, which I forgot when taking this pic : (

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