🫑 🇬🇷 Yemista (Greek Stuffed Capsicums)
Out of all the stuffed vegetables, I love capsicum the most. They're the sweetest to me, and also happen to be the easiest to prepare 👏🏼 Everyone puts their own little magic into making these. Maybe you can too 😃
Ingredients
The vegetables for stuffing
- 8 medium capsicums
The filling
- 1/2 bunch spring onions, chopped
- 1 brown onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 cups long grain grain rice, washed
- 1/3 small red capsicum, chopped finely
- 1 can quality crushed tomato (400g), or fresh tomato crushed
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 bunch parsley, chopped
- 1/3 cup mint leaves, chopped
- 3-4 sprigs dill, chopped
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tsp salt, or to taste
- 1 tsp pepper, or to taste
- 3-4 small potatoes, cut into quarters
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 400g tomato, canned or fresh
- 3 cups hot water
Feta for serving
Method
- Wash all your herbs and vegetables💦
- Slice the tops off the capsicum, trim the underside of the tops and de seed them. Set aside.
- Arrange your vegetables in a large pan and season the inside of their cavities with salt and pepper.
- Sautée the onion and garlic for about 5 mins, and be careful not to burn.
- Add your rice and make sure it gets coated well with olive oil.
- Stir in tomato and 2 cups water
- turn of heat and add the sugar, herbs, oil, salt and pepper
- combine everything well by stirring
- Spoon the rice mixture loosely into the capsicums, leaving about 1/4 of the vegetable empty at the top to allow for the expansion of the rice. Put any left over rice at the bottom of the pan.
- Nuzzle your cut potatoes and any other vegetables. in between the capsicums to give them support.
- Drizzle the more extra virgin olive oil all over the vegetables
- Add 3 cups hot water mixed with 250ml of tomato pulp to the corner of the pan.
- Cook for a 1.5 hrs covered with foil at 190.
- Continue baking uncovered at 180C Maybe for for another 30 mins
- Be sure to add hot water to the pan.
- Don't forget you can add more vegetables to the pan!
- some people add grated carrot or zucchini in the mixture and/or include a small amount of ground cinnamon and allspice
- Serve with a big slice of feta and a green salad on the side
Enjoy!