Gemista — stuffed tomatoes & peppers

Gemista is the taste of a Greek summer — tomatoes and peppers hollowed out, filled with herby rice and baked slowly until soft and sweet. It is a dish built on good olive oil, and it is even better the next day, at room temperature.

Ingredients

• 6 large firm tomatoes
• 4 bell peppers (mixed colours)
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 cup (about 200g) short- or medium-grain rice
• 2 potatoes, cut into wedges
• 1 small bunch parsley, chopped
• A few sprigs of mint and dill, chopped
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp sugar
• 150 ml Minoiko extra virgin olive oil, plus more to finish
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Slice the tops off the tomatoes and peppers and keep them as lids. Scoop out the tomato flesh into a bowl (do not throw it away) and hollow out the peppers.
2. Roughly chop or blend the tomato flesh. Season the insides of the vegetables lightly with salt and a pinch of sugar.
3. In a pan, soften the onions and garlic in half the olive oil. Add the rice and stir for 2 minutes, then add the chopped tomato flesh, tomato paste, herbs, salt and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes so the rice is half-cooked and full of flavour.
4. Loosely fill the tomatoes and peppers with the rice mixture — leave room, as the rice will swell — and put the lids back on. Arrange snugly in a baking dish with the potato wedges tucked in between.
5. Drizzle generously with the remaining olive oil, pour a cup of water into the base of the dish and season the potatoes.
6. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, until the rice is tender and the tops are lightly caramelised. Add a little more water during baking if it looks dry.
7. Rest for 15 minutes and finish with a fresh drizzle of olive oil before serving.

Tip

Gemista love olive oil — it carries the flavour of the herbs into the rice and keeps everything moist. Serve warm or at room temperature, with bread and feta.