Greek
Gemista
Tomatoes and peppers baked until slumped and sweet around herbed rice, pine nuts, currants, and roasted potatoes.
6 servings · 45 minutes prep · 90 minutes cook
Ingredients
Main
- 6 large ripe tomatoes
- 4 bell peppers
- 1 1/4 cups short-grain rice, rinsed
- 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 large yellow onions, grated
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 medium zucchini, grated
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
- 1/3 cup chopped mint
- 1/4 cup chopped dill
- 1/3 cup pine nuts
- 1/3 cup currants
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/2 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into wedges
- 1/2 cup water
Directions
Prepare, Fill, and Bake
- Slice tops from the tomatoes and bell peppers and reserve them as lids. Scoop the tomato pulp into a bowl, puree it, and discard the pepper seeds.
- Heat 1/2 cup of the olive oil in a skillet. Cook the yellow onions until soft, 8 minutes. Add the garlic, zucchini, and rice and cook for 3 minutes.
- Add the tomato pulp, parsley, mint, dill, pine nuts, currants, 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, and the black pepper. Cook 5 minutes, then cool for 20 minutes.
- Heat the oven to {{temperature:375°F}}. Season the vegetable cavities with the remaining 1/2 tsp salt.
- Fill the tomatoes and peppers three-quarters full. Replace the lids and place them in a roasting pan with the potatoes.
- Drizzle with the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil and add the water.
- Bake until the vegetables are collapsed and the rice is tender, 80-90 minutes, basting with pan juices.
- Rest for 20 minutes before serving.
