Gemista, aka stuffed vegetables, is a beloved Greek dish. It is known for its vibrant colors, delicious flavors, and healthy ingredients. Gemista, which translates to “stuffed vegetables,” consists of roasted or grilled vegetables. These are usually tomatoes and peppers. They are filled with a flavorful rice and herb mixture. This dish is a staple of Greek cuisine and is enjoyed by locals and tourists alike.

It is believed that the dish was first created in Greece during the Ottoman Empire. During this time, Greek cuisine was heavily influenced by Turkish cooking. Many of the dishes that are popular in Greece today have their roots in Ottoman cuisine. One of these dishes is gemista, which is thought to have evolved from a Turkish dish called dolma.

Dolma, which means “stuffed,” consists of vegetables that are filled with a mixture of rice, herbs, and sometimes meat. The dish is still popular in Turkey today. Greek cooks likely adapted it to suit their own tastes and ingredients.

Gemista quickly became a staple of Greek cuisine, especially during the summer months when fresh vegetables are abundant. The dish is typically made with tomatoes, peppers, or zucchini that are hollowed out. They are filled with a mixture of rice, onions, herbs, and sometimes ground meat. The vegetables are then roasted or grilled until they are tender and the filling is cooked through.

I am featuring the rice version today, which is perfect in the warm summer months. when growing up, I had it with ground beef added to the rice mixture about half the time. I liked the non meat version more.

GEMISTA

• 6 ripe tomatoes
• 6 bell peppers
• 1½ cup olive oil
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp pine nuts
• 3/4 Cup long grain rice
• 3/4 cup parsley
• 2 Tbsp black raisins
• 1-2 Tbsp dried breadcrumbs (optional)
• 3 potatoes
• salt
• pepper freshly ground

Preheat oven to 400 fahrenheit.

Slice the tops off the tomatoes and the peppers. Scrape the flesh of the tomatoes out with a teaspoon and save it. I like to chop it so there are no huge chunks. Remove the seeds of the peppers.

Heat 1 cup of the oil on medium heat and sauté the onions for 6 minutes or so. Add the pine nuts and cook for 2 more minutes. Then add the scraped out insides of the tomatoes, rice, parsley, raisins, and salt and pepper. Cook for about 3 minutes until the liquid begins to be absorbed by the rice.

Stuff the tomatoes and peppers with the rice mixture. The rice will expand when cooked, so only fill about 2/3 to the top. Cover with the sliced-off tops of the vegetables. You can choose to sprinkle with some dried breadcrumbs on them at this point.

Cut the potatoes into lengthwise wedges and fill the gaps in the pan. If there is any extra filling, add that to the gaps also. Cover all of this with the remaining olive oil. Also, put a bit of water in the pan to keep the potatoes from sticking.

Roast for 1 hour. Sometimes, if there are a lot of potatoes, I cover with foil for the first half hour. When the potatoes are really packed in the pan, I also cover with foil for the first half hour. This helps to cook the spuds through. Keep an eye on it so the pepper skins do not brown too much. If they do start charring, tent with foil.

This really is a celebration of summer. OPA!