Gemista; Greek-Style Stuffed Peppers with Potatoes

Gemista (pronounced yemista) is one of my favourite Greek vegetarian dishes. It normally consists of a large tomato and a pepper stuffed with a herby rice mixture and baked in the oven. However, it sometimes contains minced beef or pork, so be sure to check before ordering this dish in Greece!

My version is vegan, but it is traditionally served sprinkled with grated cheese.

Serves 4-8 depending on appetite. 

For the peppers

• 8 small-medium bell peppers
• 1 cup risotto rice
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 1 large clove of garlic, crushed
• ½ cup water/stock (plus more to top up)
• ½ cup chopped tomatoes
• 1 tsp sugar
• ½ tsp each of dried oregano and dill
• 2 tbsp each of chopped fresh parsley and mint
• a good pinch of cinnamon
• 2 tbsp olive oil 
• Salt and pepper to season

For the potatoes

• 10-12 small-medium potatoes, peeled and cut into haves or quarters, depending on size
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 clove of garlic, roughly chopped or crushed
• 1 lemon, cut into quarters
• ½ cup chopped tomatoes
• ½ cup water/stock
• ½ cup Kalamata or Halkidiki olives
• 3 tbsp olive oil

Pre-heat the oven to 180C/170C Fan/350F/Gas 4

First prepare the peppers, by slicing the tops off (reserve these) and de-seeding.
Place in a large, deep, heat-proof dish.
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in pan.
Sweat off the onions and garlic for a few minutes on a low heat.
Add the rice and cook for a further 2 minutes.
Add all of the remaining ingredients and stir well.
Simmer with the lid on for around 7-10 minutes, or until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is half cooked. 
Spoon the rice into the raw peppers (they should be about ½-¾ full).
Fill each pepper to just below the top with boiling water or vegetable stock and pop the 'lids' back on the peppers.

Prepare the potatoes and scatter randomly amongst the peppers.
Top the potatoes with the chopped tomatoes and other ingredients.  
Drizzle the peppers and potatoes with the remaining 3 tbsp of olive oil.

Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour. 
Check after an hour to see how tender the potatoes are; turn the potatoes carefully and if not tender, recover and bake for a further 15-20 minutes.
When the potatoes are soft, uncover and cook for a further 15-20 minutes, to colour up.

Serve with a seasonal salad.

Top tip: This recipe is easy to scale up  to serve a large crowd and can be prepared in advance and cooked when needed.

Not suitable for freezing.

I'm linking this post to Karen's latest Cooking with Herbs linky at Lavender & Lovage.