Name: Gemista
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 1 h 20 min
Total time: 1 h 55 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 6 large ripe tomatoes; 6 large bell peppers; 1 large onion, finely chopped; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 120 ml extra virgin olive oil, divided; 200 g long-grain rice; 35 g pine nuts or chopped walnuts, optional; 40 g currants or raisins, optional; Small handful fresh parsley, chopped; 2 tbsp fresh mint, chopped; 1 tbsp fresh dill, optional; 1 tsp dried oregano; Salt and black pepper; 2 tbsp tomato purée; 240 ml water; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 tsp sugar; Salt and black pepper

About Gemista

Gemista are one of Greece's great summer comfort foods: ripe tomatoes and peppers filled with herby rice and baked slowly in olive oil until soft, sweet and deeply savoury. This Corfu & Beyond version keeps the filling meat-free and lets the vegetables provide much of their own cooking liquid.

Ingredients

For the vegetables

6 large ripe tomatoes
6 large bell peppers
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
120 ml extra virgin olive oil, divided
200 g long-grain rice
35 g pine nuts or chopped walnuts, optional
40 g currants or raisins, optional
Small handful fresh parsley, chopped
2 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
1 tbsp fresh dill, optional
1 tsp dried oregano
Salt and black pepper

For the tomato cooking liquid

2 tbsp tomato purée
240 ml water
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sugar
Salt and black pepper

Method

Heat the oven to 180°C. Slice the tops from the tomatoes and peppers and keep them as lids.
Scoop out the tomato flesh, leaving sturdy shells, and remove the seeds from the peppers. Finely chop or blend the reserved tomato flesh.
Soften the onion in part of the olive oil, then add the garlic and rice. Cook for a couple of minutes.
Stir in the tomato flesh, herbs, optional nuts and currants, salt and pepper. Cook briefly so the rice begins to absorb the flavours but remains undercooked.
Stand the vegetables snugly in a baking dish and fill them about three-quarters full. Replace their lids.
Mix the tomato purée, water, remaining olive oil, sugar and seasoning and pour around the vegetables.
Cover loosely with foil and bake for about 50 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for 25 to 30 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and lightly browned and the rice is tender.
Rest for 15 minutes before serving so the filling settles and absorbs the remaining juices.

A closer look

Plan your visit

Recipe tips

Do not overfill the vegetables because the rice expands as it cooks.
Pack the vegetables fairly closely so they support one another while softening.
Gemista are excellent warm, at room temperature or chilled the next day.
For a vegan version, simply serve without feta.

What to serve with it

Serve with crusty bread, a simple Greek salad, olives and feta if desired. They also work well as part of a larger vegetarian meze spread.

The story behind the dish

Gemista means 'filled' or 'stuffed' and is a familiar home-cooked dish throughout Greece. Tomatoes and peppers are at their best in the warmer months, which is when this olive-oil-rich style of cooking really comes into its own. It is not uniquely Corfiot, but it is entirely at home on a Corfu table.

Where to try it in Corfu

Gemista appear most often in traditional tavernas and places serving home-style Greek cooked dishes, particularly in summer. Look for them among the day's cooked specials rather than expecting them on every permanent menu.