Yemista (greek Stuffed Tomatoes And Peppers)

Total Time: 2 hrs 45 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 1 hr 45 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 5 medium perfectly-ripe yummy tomatoes
• 5 medium green peppers
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 13 tablespoons rice (really just a 'heaping' tablespoon per vegetable to be stuffed)
• 1 large onion, chopped fine (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced very fine
• 1/4 cup fresh spearmint, minced (1 1/2 tblsps dried, crumbled)
• 1/2 cup parsley, minced
• 1/2 cup pine nuts or 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup hard mizithra cheese or 1/2 cup kefalograviera cheese or 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, cut into tiny cubes
• 1/2 cup sultana raisin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• salt and pepper

Recipe

• 1 cut off tops of tomatoes (retain tops) and carefully scoop out flesh (retain this as well).
• 2 cut off tops of peppers (retain tops) and remove seeds and membrane.
• 3 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!).
• 4 take tomato flesh and process it until pureed.
• 5 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).
• 6 stuff the vegetables evenly with this mixture.
• 7 replace tops of tomatoes and peppers.
• 8 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.
• 9 bake in a preheated 375f oven (180c) for approx 1 3/4 hours (vegetables should pierce easily and be slightly blackened in parts).
• 10 turn off oven and leave in for another hour to'mellow' before serving.
• 11 this is best served slightly warm or at room temperature.
• 12 it is wonderful eaten along with little bites of feta cheese and a cool glass of or rose.
• 13 it will also have yummy juices begging to be mopped up with bits of crusty bread.
• 14 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.
• 15 that way you can have a couple of wedges of potato too.