Attica Gemista Orfana (Γεμιστά Ορφανά της Αττικής)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •round metal tapsi, 34cm
• •small spoon or melon baller for hollowing tomatoes
• •box grater for onions and extra tomato

Instructions

1. 1

   Hollow the vegetables

   Heat the oven to 190C, or 170C fan. Slice a lid from each tomato and pepper, keeping each lid with its own vegetable. Scoop the tomato flesh and juices into a bowl, leaving walls about 1cm thick so the shells hold their shape. Remove the pepper seeds and pale ribs. Chop or pulse the tomato pulp, then measure it. You want 700ml total; if you have less, grate the extra tomato into it. Set the empty tomatoes and peppers upright in a 34cm tapsi.

2. 2

   Start the filling

   Warm 90ml of the olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Add the grated onions and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until soft and sweet but not browned. Stir in the garlic for 30 seconds, then add the rice, 450ml of the tomato pulp, 8g of the salt, and the black pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring, until the rice has drunk some tomato but is still firm in the center. Take the pan off the heat and fold in the parsley, dill, and mint.

3. 3

   Fill them loosely

   Spoon the rice mixture into the tomatoes and peppers, filling each one only two-thirds full, then put the lids back on. This is the step that decides the dish. Rice swells as it bakes; pack it tight and the grains at the top stay hard while the vegetables split. Leave room, and the filling turns tender inside the tomato walls.

   If you have a spoonful or two of filling left, scatter it into the pan. Don't force it into the shells.
4. 4

   Dress the tray

   Toss the potato wedges with 30ml olive oil, the oregano, and 3g of the salt, then tuck them between the stuffed vegetables. Mix the remaining tomato pulp with the hot water, the last 60ml olive oil, the remaining salt, and the sugar if your tomatoes need it. Pour this around the vegetables, not straight into them, and spoon a little of the oily tomato liquid over the lids.

5. 5

   Bake until tender

   Cover the tapsi tightly with baking paper and foil. Bake for 45 minutes, then uncover, baste the tops with the pan juices, and bake for another 45 to 55 minutes. The tomatoes should slump, the pepper skins should wrinkle, the lids should be dark at the edges, and the potatoes should be tender in glossy tomato oil. If the pan dries before the rice is soft, add 100ml hot water at the edge of the tray.

6. 6

   Rest and serve

   Let the gemista rest for at least 30 minutes before serving. They are better warm than hot, and often better the next day at room temperature. Serve with bread for the pan juices. If you're keeping the fast, leave the feta off the table; the tray doesn't need an apology.

Chef Tips

• •Use tomatoes that feel heavy and smell green at the stem. If the tomato is pale, hard, and winter-sad, wait or cook beans today. The right method on a sad tomato still gives you a sad tray.
• •Green peppers are the Attica choice here because their slight bitterness balances the sweet tomato and rice. Red peppers make the tray sweeter, which is pleasant, but it changes the old balance.
• •Gemista need oil. Not a lake, not a diet spoonful. The olive oil carries the herbs, softens the rice, and turns the pan juices into the sauce you drag bread through.
• •They keep beautifully for 3 days in the refrigerator. Bring them to room temperature before serving, or warm them gently covered at 160C until the oil loosens again.

Advance Preparation

• •The vegetables can be hollowed and the filling cooked up to 12 hours ahead; keep them separate and chilled, then fill just before baking.
• •The whole tray can be baked 1 day ahead. Gemista settle overnight, and the rice tastes more of tomato and herbs by the next afternoon.
• •For meal prep, store portions with a spoonful of pan juices so the rice stays moist when reheated.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 530g)