Cyprus Passion

Gemista, “stuffed vegetables” is one of the most delicious dishes of the Cypriot cuzine which gives you the opportunity to utilize any extra tomatoes, peppers or any vegetable you may have in your fridge and can be stuffed! Many households choose the veggy version of the dish but in our version we use minced meat to stuff our veg.

Ingredients:

  • Peppers, any color you like (6 pieces)

  • Large tomatoes for stuffing (6 pieces)

  • Minced pork meat (400-500gr.)

  • About 1/2 cup glazed rice or Carolina rice (70gr.)

  • 2 cups of coffee chopped parsley

  • 1 cup of onion, coarsely chopped (150gr.)

  • 1/2 cup of olive oil (100gr.)

  • 1/2 cup of lemon juice

  • 1 cup of tomato juice

  • Salt and Pepper

  • 1 cube of vegetable stock

  • 2 tablespoons of dried mint

  • 2-3 potatoes (optional)

  • 1 cup of water

Wash and cut open the vegetables from their top side (keep the little vegetable hat as they will be used later on to top the stuffed veg J). Use a spoon to take out their inside of the tomatoes and keep it for the minced meat mixture. 

Place the peppers and tomatoes in a baking tray.

In a bowl, add all the ingredients: the ground meat, the chopped onion, parsley, salt, pepper, the olive oil, the rice, lemon juice, tomato juice, the vegetable stock, dried mint and the inside of the tomatoes. Mix the ingredinets really well. Fill in the peppers and tomatoes. Fill them a little more than ¾ of the empty veg because the rice will expand while cooking.

Add some potatoes pilled and chopped in slices if you want, between the vegetables.

Place the veg hats over your vegetable. Over the vegetables pour the water, some extra tomato juice about ½ a cup, salt, olive oil and bake at 1800C (preheated oven, fan) for about an hour and a half.

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