Discover Greece: Gemista
- Christel Weltzin
- Jun 18, 2020
- 5 min read
History
Gemista or yemista is a traditional Greek comfort dish but is also popular in East Mediterranean countries, like Turkey and Lebanon. This is traditionally a summer dish because this is when most of the main ingredients (tomatoes, bell peppers, eggplant, etc.) are perfectly ripe and taste their best. This dish is thought to have been introduced by refugees of Asia Minor after the Asia Minor Catastrophe in 1922. It was introduced originally as a vegan dish. Ever since then it seems like every Greek family holds their own special recipe and variation of Gemista.
What is Gemista?
Gemista means “filled with” or “stuffed” which serves as the perfect descriptor for this dish. Gemista is vegetables (such as tomatoes, bell peppers, onion, squash or eggplant) stuffed with rice, more vegetables, sometimes meat, and fresh herbs. The ingredients for the dish depend on what vegetables are in season and what part of the country it is prepared in. For example, minced meat (traditionally beef or pork) is added to this dish in the northern part of Greece. However, in the Mediterranean areas of Greece pine nuts and raisins are added instead.
About this Dish
Gemista is a truly flavorful meal. The vegetables give a fresh, rich, and sweet taste while the fresh herbs tie all the ingredients together and bring them to life. The ground clove and allspice add a unique taste that marries well with the rest of the dish. This recipe can be made vegetarian or vegan by using extra firm tofu or swapping out the meat for extra vegetables. Gemista traditionally uses a lot of olive oil to make the vegetables tender (while a ¼ cup may seem like a lot, it is much less compared to traditional recipes, but still tastes great and is healthy!)
Fun fact:
Depending on the ingredients used for the filling of Gemista, it is separated into two categories:
1. The “Orphans”: Vegetables stuffed with only rice and chopped herbs - a variation.
2. The “Married ones”: Vegetables stuffed with only meat or both meat and rice.
Feel free to get creative with this dish. For example, stuff some onion layers, hollow out a yellow squash and place your filling in that, fill a potato, etc. The options are endless!
Enjoy a taste of Greece!
Gemista
Notes:
-This recipe makes 4 stuffed vegetables which is 4 servings. This can easily be doubled!
-If you do not wish to use meat or tofu, I would recommend doubling the chopped vegetable amounts (eggplant, zucchini, and bell pepper)
-I highly recommend fresh herbs as they truly make the difference in taste (trust me, it is worth the splurge). If you cannot obtain them, dried herbs work fine. I would only use a tablespoon of each dried herb instead of a ¼ cup.
-This dish is time-consuming and a decent amount of prep, however, the outcome is completely worth it! Put on some music, grab a drink, and enjoy the cooking!
Ingredients
2 medium tomatoes
3 medium bell peppers
1/2 medium red onion diced (1 small onion would work too)
2 cloves of garlic
1 lb. ground meat (I used 99% lean turkey) or 12 oz extra firm tofu (can use more for more protein in the servings) - optional
1/2 small or medium eggplant
1 small zucchini or yellow squash
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 heaping tsp oregano
1 heaping tbsp tomato paste
4 heaping tbsp arborio rice (risotto or long-grain rice is also fine)
1/4 cup chopped dill (fresh)
1/4 cup chopped parsley (fresh)
1/4 cup chopped basil (fresh)
1/4 mint chopped (fresh)
1 large potato
1/2-1 cup water
Feta cheese for topping (optional)
1. The first step is to prep all the vegetables:
For the tomatoes and 2 of the bell peppers, they will be hollowed out. This is done by cutting off the tops (save the tops for later) and hollowing/cleaning out the middles. For the tomatoes, scoop out the flesh and keep it in a bowl for later. (To help scoop out the flesh more easily, try taking a knife and slicing along the inside around the flesh. Be careful not to puncture the skin of the tomato.)
Put the hollowed vegetables into a baking dish with their lids. Sprinkle them with a tiny bit of salt (not the 1/4 tsp and a sprinkle of sugar if desired.) Then flip them upside down and let them sit until needed.
Now, dice the onion, mince the garlic, dice or cube the eggplant, dice the zucchini or squash, and chop the remaining bell pepper. I also took this time to chop the herbs and cut the potato into large wedges.
For the tomato flesh, I broke it down by hand and squeezed it until it made a mash. This will be used as a sauce base for the filling.
Preheat the oven to 400-degree Fahrenheit for cooking the vegetables later in this recipe.
2. Now for the filling:
Sauté the onion and garlic in the 1/4 cup of olive oil for a few minutes until tender and translucent. Add the turkey or tofu and sauté until fully cooked. (Mash/separate up the turkey or tofu finely to avoid large chunks in the filling. I mashed the tofu by hand as I was adding it.)
Once the protein is cooked, add the ground cloves, oregano, allspice, salt, pepper, eggplant, bell pepper and zucchini/squash. Sauté this mixture for a few minutes.
Now add the mashed tomato flesh and 1 heaping tbsp tomato paste. Stir the filling and let this cook for a few more minutes. Turn the heat off and mix in all the fresh herbs - your filling is now ready!
3. Time to stuff the vegetables:
Take the hollowed vegetables and stuff them with the filling until they are 3/4 or all the way full. Do not pile the filling higher than the vegetable or it will become dry and hard. Top the vegetables with their lids and drizzle some olive oil over them if desired.
4. Baking the vegetables:
Add the potato wedges to your baking dish around the stuffed vegetables. If you are using a small square baking pan (6x6), add 1/2-3/4 cup water to the bottom of the dish (do not pour over the vegetables, just into the side). If you are using a rectangular baking dish (6x8), add about 3/4-1 cup of water.
Bake the vegetables for 1 hour (+/- 10 minutes) at 400-degree Fahrenheit. I would recommend covering the pan with foil for the first 30 minutes as this will allow the vegetables to become soft and rice to become tender.
Uncover the dish within the last 30-40 minutes of baking for good char and flavor on the vegetables.
5. Time to Enjoy! One stuffed vegetable and 2-3 potato wedges is a serving. I enjoyed this with some of the fresh herbs on top and some feta cheese!
Nutrition
Gemista is a nutritious meal. The vegetables help give an abundance of nutrients while keeping the calorie count down. There is a healthy amount of carbs, protein and fat that should help fill you up, but not weigh you down!
Meat (Turkey) Gemista
Vegetarian/Vegan Gemista
I hope you enjoy this post/recipe! Please feel free to leave any comments and to reach out. Thank you so much for reading! 😊
Comments