Best Yemista Stuffed Peppers Cypriot Style Recipes

YEMISTA GREEK STUFFED PEPPERS AND TOMATOES

Steps:

• Set the oven to 180° C.
• Wash tomatoes and peppers well. Cut about 1-2 cm off each pepper and tomato and set the tops aside. Make sure you don't cut the peppers too close to the base of the stalk as it may come loose and you want the tops left intact to keep the filling nice and moist.
• Using a sharp-edged spoon, scoop the inside of the tomatoes, leaving the outer walls intact. Save the scooped-out tomato flesh.
• Deseed the peppers, breaking the white membranes with your fingers or a small knife.
• Arrange the hollowed-out tomatoes and peppers snugly on a baking tray (or trays, I had to use two to fit them all in).
• Season the inside of each vegetable with a pinch of salt, sugar and pepper.
• Blend or finely dice the insides of the tomatoes to add them to the rice filling.
• Mix all of the filling ingredients together with the blended tomato flesh and olive oil.
• Spoon the filling into the vegetables, but be sure not to overfill - the mixture should be roughly level with the cut so that there is room for expansion under the tops. Give the mixture a good stir between filling each vegetable so that you distribute the liquid that drops to the bottom evenly between all vegetables. Put the tops back on.
• In a mixing jug, combine all of the ingredients for the sauce. Pour the sauce on the bottom of the tray, in amongst the stuffed vegetables.
• Put the baking tray (or trays) into an oven. After about 1 hour, protect the tops from burning by wrapping a piece of aluminium foil over them. Continue baking for another 30 minutes, until the rice is cooked through. If the rice is still a little hard at the end of the cooking time, leave the veggies in a warm (switched off) oven for another 30 minutes to finish off cooking.
• Traditionally, yemista is served at room temperature rather than warm, so allow it to cool down before eating. They're best enjoyed with a simple green salad (I use Romaine lettuce, spring onions and cucumber) and some crusty bread.

GREEK STUFFED TOMATOES AND PEPPERS (YEMISTA)

Steps:

• Cut off tops of tomatoes, leaving 1 corner still attached to create a lid. Scoop insides of tomatoes and transfer 'meat' to a large bowl; squeeze juices out of tomatoes. Cut off tops of green peppers and reserve for later use; scoop out seeds and membranes. Arrange tomatoes and bell peppers in a 11x17-inch baking dish.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat; cook and stir onion and garlic in the melted butter until softened, 5 to 10 minutes. Add ground chuck, soy sauce, seasoned salt, and black pepper to onion mixture; cook until ground chuck is browned and crumbly, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Mix squeezed tomato meat and water into browned chuck; bring to a simmer, about 15 minutes. Add rice and bring to a boil; remove skillet from heat. Spoon beef-rice mixture into tomatoes; place tops onto filled tomatoes and arrange them into the baking dish with lid sides down.
• Stuff bell peppers with beef-rice mixture and top with reserved lids; lay bell peppers sideways in the baking dish. Pour olive oil over stuffed tomatoes and bell peppers; season with salt and pepper.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Turn bell peppers and continue baking until bell peppers and tomatoes are softened, about 30 more minutes.

GEMISTA RECIPE (GREEK STUFFED TOMATOES AND PEPPERS WITH RICE)

Steps:

• Slice off the top of the tomatoes. Using a spoon remove the flesh of the tomatoes and keep it in a bowl. (The flesh of the tomatoes will be the base for the tomato sauce for the Gemista.) Slice off the top of the eggplants and remove the flesh, using a spoon. Cut the flesh of the eggplants in small cubes and set aside, as you will use them later for the filling of the Gemista. Slice off the top of the peppers and remove the seeds and white parts from the inside.
• Place the empty vegetables on a large baking tray. Try to leave the vegetables with as little flesh as possible, but be careful not to poke through their skin. Season the empty vegetables with a pinch of salt and sugar and add a little butter on the bottom of each one.
• In a blender add the flesh of the tomatoes, 5-6 tbsps olive oil, the tomato paste, sugar, season with salt and pepper and mix to combine. Set aside.
• . In a saucepan add some olive oil and sauté the onions, until translucent. Chop the zucchini in small cubes, add in the saucepan and sauté for one more minute. At the end add the flesh of the eggplants (chopped) and the chopped garlic and sauté, until softened. Add the rice and continue sautéing, unit it becomes transculent. Pour in 1 tin chopped tomatoes, 2 cups of water and season with salt and pepper. Let the filling come to a boil. After 5 minutes the stuffing is ready. It doesn't need to cook throughout as it will continue cooking in the oven. Remove the pan from the stove and stir in the fresh herbs and taste and season with some more salt and pepper if needed.
• If you prefer your gemista spiced up with some meat, try sizzling 250grams (8.8oz) of ground beef with the onions in the step above. Once the beef juices have been absorbed and the meat is done, chop the zucchini in small cubes, add in the saucepan and sauté for one more minute. At the end add the flesh of the eggplants (chopped) and the chopped garlic and sauté, until softened. Add the rice and continue sautéing, until it becomes transculent. Pour in 1 tin chopped tomatoes, 2 cups of water and season with salt and pepper. Let the filling come to a boil. After 5 minutes the stuffing is ready. Remove the pan from the stove and stir in the fresh herbs and taste and season with some more salt and pepper if needed.
• Peel and chop your potatoes in bite-sized chunks.
• . Spoon the filling inside the empty vegetables, filling them up by about 2/3rds of the way up. The filling will expand a bit when cooking! Add your potatoes, spreading them out in between the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Finally spoon the filling liquids from step 4 and your sauce from step 3 inside the vegetables until full and pour the remaining in the baking tray. Cover the vegetables with their lids and add 3 cups of water in your baking tray
• Cover the Gemista with aluminium foil and bake in preheated oven at 180C / 350F for 60-75 minutes. Halfway through cooking time, remove the aluminium foil and bake until nicely coloured.
• The Gemista are equally delicious, served either warm or even straight out of the fridge. Just pair them with some salty feta cheese and enjoy!

GREEK GEMISTA - STUFFED TOMATOES & PEPPERS

Steps:

• Remove all tomato stems.Using a sharp slice off the bottom side of the tomatoes, cut about 1/8 of an inch or even less if you can. Save the little cap on the side.
• Very carefully scoop out the flesh, making sure you do not rip the tomato skin. Place the tomato flesh in a separate bowl and set it aside. Sprinkle each tomato with a little sugar and sea salt and turn them upside down to release their juices while you clean the peppers.
• Using again the sharp knife slice the bottom of the bell peppers, cut about 1/4 inch this time. Save the little pepper cap on the side.
• Very carefully remove the bell pepper flesh, rinse each underwater if you have to remove any seeds; make sure it's all clean, and no seeds are left inside.
• As you finish scooping up and cleaning each vegetable place it in your large baking pan, open side up. Cover each tomato and pepper with their little caps.

YEMISTA - STUFFED PEPPERS CYPRIOT STYLE

Steps:

• cook the rice following your normal method.
• In a large pan soften the onions in the olive oil until a good colour is achieved.
• Add the mince and cook until coloured.
• Add the spices (mint, oregano, salt, pepper, cinnamon and garlic) stir in well and cook for a minute.
• add the veg stock and again stir in well.
• add the hot water making sure you get all the stuck bits from the bottom of the pan.
• Cook down on a medium heat until the mix is almost dry again.
• Add the cooked rice and stir well.
• Add the freshly chopped parsley and stir in.
• Cook until dry (so no puddles of liquid are there, but is still moist).
• Cut the peppers in half through the middle (ie through the stalk) and remove seeds and internal bits.
• Fill each half with the mix.
• Cover with the grated cheese.
• Roast in the oven until soft - takes about 30-40 minutes at 200°C.
• Serve hot by themselves as a starter, with chips and salad for a main course or even work well on a plate as part of a buffet.

YEMISTA (GREEK STUFFED TOMATOES AND PEPPERS)

Steps:

• Cut off tops of tomatoes (retain tops) and carefully scoop out flesh (retain this as well).
• Cut off tops of peppers (retain tops) and remove seeds and membrane.
• Place tomatoes and peppers in a pan large enough to hold them comfortably and give each veg a tiny dash of sugar with the tips of your fingertips (I really think this is important!).
• Take tomato flesh and process it until pureed.
• Add olive oil, rice, onion, garlic, mint, parsley, nuts, cheese, sultanas, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper (or season to taste).
• Stuff the vegetables evenly with this mixture.
• Replace tops of tomatoes and peppers.
• Combine 1 cup of water and 1/2 cup olive oil with a scant tablespoonful of tomato paste and a little salt and pepper and pour this around the veg.
• Bake in a preheated 375F oven (180C) for approx 1 3/4 hours (vegetables should pierce easily and be slightly blackened in parts).
• Turn off oven and leave in for another hour to'mellow' before serving.
• This is best served slightly warm or at room temperature.
• It is wonderful eaten along with little bites of feta cheese and a cool glass of white or rose.
• It will also have yummy juices begging to be mopped up with bits of crusty bread.
• In my version, I also take 3-4 medium-sized potatoes, cut them into big wedges, toss in a little olive oil with salt and pepper to taste, and'plant' in the spaces amidst the vegetables.
• That way you can have a couple of wedges of potato too.