Yemistá: Stuffed Tomatoes and Bell Peppers

A traditional Greek recipe that serves 4.

Yemistá is a traditional Greek recipe made of stuffed tomatoes, bell peppers and/or other vegetables (such as eggplants, zucchini, or onions) with potatoes that are baked in a tomato based sauce.

The yemistá stuffing is comprised of rice and meat (or chopped vegetables for a vegetarian version). I grew up eating yemistá with meat, either ground beef or pork, and find it’s more flavorful than when omitting meat.

I love this greek dish so much I learned how to make yemistá from my Yiayia (Grandma) Sofia. I even asked her to make it for my birthday. I have made improvements to my grandmas recipe through reviewing yemistá recipes online. Now, I’m so excited to share it with you.

Ingredients

For the Vegetables

• 5 small potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges

• 5 large tomatoes, beefsteak

• 3 bell peppers (I like to use different colored bell peppers - orange or yellow)

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil, for the baking pan and potatoes

For the Filling

• 1 lb. ground beef

• 1 medium or large red onion, finely chopped or grated

• 2 cloves of garlic, minced

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 cup Arborio rice or two tablespoons rice per stuffed vegetable

• 1 tablespoon tomato paste diluted in 1 cup water

• Tomato pulp from 5 abovementioned tomatoes, pureed in food processor

• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

• ¼ teaspoon allspice, ground

• 1 tablespoon salt, or to taste

• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

• 3 cups water (2 cups for pan + 1 cup for baking dish), plus more as needed

• 1/2 cup fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

• 1/2 cup fresh mint or dill, finely chopped

Directions

Prepare the Vegetables

1. Wash, peel and cut the the potatoes into wedges. Reserve them in the baking dish, toss them in olive oil with salt and pepper to taste.

2. Slice off the top stem ends of the tomatoes and bell peppers, but leave just enough of the tops attached. This serves as a hinge for each vegetable and will keep the tops matched to the bottoms.

3. Scoop out the bell pepper to remove the seeds and white parts and discard. Scoop out the tomato flesh of each tomato with a spoon, be careful not to pierce through the skin and place in a food processor.

4. Use the food processor to puree the tomato flesh until you have a chunky liquid. Process just until it combines and set aside.

5. Drizzle some olive oil in the bottom of a rectangular pan. Assemble the vegetables in the pan and use the potato wedges to keep the vegetables upright.

6. Lightly drizzle each vegetable interior with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Prepare the Stuffing

1. In a large saucepan, add ground beef, onion. Saute until all the pink from the meat has disappeared.

2. Add to the pan, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 cup rice and garlic. Saute for 3-4 minutes, until the rice turns light golden and the garlic is fragrant.

3. Dilute tomato paste in 1 cup water. Add that to the saucepan along with the tomato pulp puree, parsley, mint. Season with sugar, allspice, 1 tablespoon salt, and pepper.

4. Allow the sauce to simmer and reduce and thicken a bit (around 5 minutes) so that it is not too runny. But also make sure the sauce has enough liquid. It should not be dry.

5. Stir and remove from heat. The rest of the cooking will take place in the oven.

Stuffing the Vegetables

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

2. Stuff the tomatoes and bell peppers about 3/4 full. Top each stuffed vegetable with its "cap".

3. Pour any remaining stuffing over the potatoes to add even more flavor.

4. Add 1 cup of water to the baking pan. If the sauce of the stuffed vegetables looks dry, you may add very little water (1 tablespoon) to each to ensure it will cook well and not dry out.

5. Bake at 350 F for about 75-90 minutes. Add aluminum foil 10 minutes before the end of baking to prevent the peppers from burning.

These stuffed vegetables make the best leftovers because the flavors develop as the vegetables sit. Take pleasure in these flavorful and juicy Greek yemistá with a chunk of feta cheese and bread. Kali orexi!

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