Gemista. This means 'Stuffed' And this is exactly what they are. Filled with many different things and tasting .. freshness & deliciousness!
Stuffed Vegetables - Gemista, is a traditional Greek dish made with vegetables stuffed with a mixture of rice, herbs (some others put ground meat - I never do! When we make them without meat, some persons call them 'orphan gemista')
This dish has a long history in Greek cuisine and is a staple dish in many Greek households. Often served during special occasions and celebrations, this dish is known for its simplicity and hearty flavor.
The tradition of stuffing vegetables with rice goes back in time and each home has its own recipe. Today, gemista remains a popular dish in Greek cuisine and is enjoyed by people all over the world.
I enjoy eating gemista - EVERY TIME. I would not mind eating them every day! But, its preparation takes a lot of time, so it is not easy to cook them. It takes at least half a day to do the shopping, to prepare them (to take photos haha) and to cook them.
In this post, I will tell you MY WAY of preparing them, which is my mother's way and probably my grandmother's way. Please bear in mind that there are other variations where they use different spices, herbs, or even meat.
This is a pure, vegan and delicious (Trust Me) recipe!
What you ll need
Any vegetable that can be stuffed - feel free to include & try it out.
In this recipe and most of the times I use
- tomatoes
- bell peppers
- zucchini
- vine leaves
You could use potato, aubergine, other people stuff onions!?
For the mixture:
Rice
Finely chopped parsley (others use mint or dill - not me)
You will need carrots & onions (to grate)
Grated inside of tomato
Salt & pepper to the taste
Some extra tomato sauce for flavor
olive oil / water (at the end)
How to start!
| Wash | the | vegetables |
|---|---|---|
After that I usually put them in the baking dish so that I see how many I will need approximately
| Peel the | vegetables | keep the tomato seeds |
|---|---|---|
I use a knife and a spoon for that
Wash the rice and let it in the water for a short while, until our mixture is ready
Put all the vegetables in the baking dish :) and see how pretty they are and start preparing the mixture!
| Rice | herbs | spices |
|---|---|---|
For the mixture:
Chop the parsley
Grate the onion, the carrot, the tomato inside (you can add some potatoe too) or other greens if you like
Put the rice, the tomato juice, the salt and pepper, the oil and some water
You will love the smell ... I cannot describe it ...
Start stuffing the vegetables and then I have a surprise for you!
| uncovered | covered :) |
|---|---|
But then comes something special
The VINE LEAVES!
My favorites. Dolmadakia. Normally it is a totally different recipe, but I combine it with my GEMISTA and .. this is what needs to be done
You should have fresh (when it is spring) or preserved vine leaves
And simply stuff them with the good stuff :)
| dol | ma | da | kia |
|---|---|---|---|
You need to learn how to speak Greek .. dol-ma-da-kia .. say it out loud :)
Now, it is a good time to preheat the oven. I preheat it at 200 C until my dish is ready to be in the oven
That gives me time to put olive oil, water, salt and (today) to take some photographs!
Ready for the oven!
If I have some extra mixture, I enjoy making a small pan of dolmadakia and leave it in the fridge to cook 1-2 days afterwards :)
I cook my gemista for about 1 hour and a half at 200 or 210 C if I want them to become crispy. I serve them hot and eat them with chill yogurt. Others prefer it with a drizzle of fresh olive oil - it totally depends on your preferences!!
And this is how they look, just coming out of the oven!
I would make them extra crispy, but they would look too black in the photos!
Have you ever tasted gemista? Would you like to?
Let me know your thoughts and if you wish to see more Greek recipes prepared :)
Original text/recipe/photos by
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2/2/2023
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