~352 cal · 9g protein · 74g carbs · 3g fat (estimated, per serving)
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Baking dish of stuffed tomatoes and peppers with potatoes
🇬🇷 Crete
Gemista means "filled ones," and on Crete they belong to the ladera tradition — vegetables cooked in generous olive oil and eaten warm, not hot. It’s the dish grandmothers make in August when the garden produces faster than the family can eat.
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🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
Ingredients
Serves 4 —
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4 large ripe tomatoes
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4 bell peppers
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1 cup medium-grain rice
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1 yellow onion, grated
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3 cloves garlic, minced
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1/2 cup total fresh mint, parsley, and dill, chopped
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1/2 cup olive oil
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2 potatoes, cut in wedges
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1 tbsp tomato paste
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1/2 tsp sugar
Instructions
1
Slice lids off the tomatoes and peppers. Scoop the tomato flesh into a bowl and grate it smooth.
2
Mix the rice, onion, garlic, herbs, tomato pulp, tomato paste, sugar, half the oil, and plenty of salt.
3
Fill the vegetables two-thirds full — rice swells — and replace the lids. Nestle in a baking dish with the potato wedges in the gaps.
4
Pour the rest of the oil and 1/2 cup water over. Bake at 375°F for 70–80 minutes until scorched at the edges.
5
Rest at least 20 minutes. Like most ladera, gemista is best warm or even the next day.
Cretan ladera tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers — know your destination
📍
Crete. The island whose olive-oil diet made scientists pay attention.
🗺️
Greece. Olive oil civilization, from island tavernas to mountain villages.
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Europe. Village recipes guarded for generations.
The story behind this dish is up top — worth a read while the pot works.
👩🍳
Richard Moore & Kelsey Tucker
Recipes cooked, tested, and researched by the creators of Spin the Globe. How we build our recipes →
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