NEW! Recipe Corner
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made them a pleasure as well as a
necessity. ~Voltaire.”
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The recipe for this edition was kindly donated by Christiana Vellianiti
.
Stuffed tomatoes and peppers
(In Greek, pronounced ‘Ghemista’, which means filled, stuffed)
Preparation time: 40 mins
Cooking time: 1 hour
Portions: 4
Ingredients:
• Tomatoes: 4 large matured
• Peppers: 4 large bell, green or red
• Minced meat: 750 gr. veal or beef
• Cinnamon: 1 cinnamon stick
• Onions: 2, chopped
• Mint: 1 tbs (tablespoon) mint
• Wine: 1/2 cup
• Parsley: 1/3 bunch, chopped
• Carolina rice: 9 tbs
• Olive oil: 1 1/2 cups
• Sugar: 1 tsp (teaspoon)
• Bread crumbs: 2 tbs, or some trimmed toast
• Grated cheese: 2 tbs
• Salt: 2 tsp
• Pepper: 1 tsp
Preparation:
-
Carefully, holding the tomato stem up cupped in your hand, trim a slice
off the top, creating a small lid (this will be used to cover the opening
at the end).
- Then carefully take out the flesh of the tomato with a teaspoon or knife,
as follows: put the knife in vertically 1.3 cm ( one half inch) from the
edge of the tomato, being careful not to pierce the skin. Turn it in a circular
motion to separate the flesh from the skin. Put the flesh from all the tomatoes
onto a plate. Shake the tomatoes above the plate to remove the excess juice.
When you have prepared all the tomatoes, add salt and place in the baking
dish with the opening face down.
- In a big pot, heat the oil and sauté the onions and parsley until golden
- Add the minced meat and 2 -3 tbs of water and stir with a spoon, until
brown
- Add the wine, flesh of the tomatoes and their juices, and some water
- Add cinnamon, mint, salt and pepper and let simmer until completely cooked
- Sauté the rice until transparent
- Add the rice to the cooked meat together with the cheese, bread crumbs,
and sugar
- Turn off the heat
- Use a spoon to stuff each tomato with the meat mixture; put on the lid
- Place the stuffed tomatoes in a baking tin and sprinkle them with olive
oil, salt and pepper
- Cover the tin with aluminum foil
- Bake in a medium oven for one hour
- Remove the foil and occasionally baste them with their juices
- Bake until all of the water is absorbed
Tips: Serve hot or cold as a starter or a main course with baked potatoes,
with feta cheese and freshly baked bread.
Christiana Vellianiti
Kali Oreksi!
(Have a good appetite!)