- Prep time
- 0:20
- Cook time
- 1:30
- Skill level
- Medium
- Serves
- 6-8 serves
Summer on a plate for Sweet Greek owner Kathy Tsaples means yemista!
This recipe was shared on ABC Radio Melbourne's Drive program with Raf Epstein, and is extracted from Kathy's first cookbook.
Kathy says: "Combine seasonal vegetables like tomatoes, capsicums, eggplant and zucchini and then stuff 'em with rice and herbs.
"The vegetables can either be prepared with rice and fresh herbs or with minced meat, rice and herbs. Either way, they are delicious and reflect summer."
To make the vegetarian version of Yemista, follow the same process, however, you will have to add a further 1/2 cup of rice.
Ingredients
Method
- 1.Preheat oven to 180°C.
- 2.Slice off the tops of the tomatoes, capsicums and zucchini and put them aside. Scoop out the pulp from the tomatoes and zucchini with a spoon, and keep these for later. Seed the capsicums without piercing the skin. Sprinkle the interior of the vegetable 'shells' with a little salt and set aside.
- 3.Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise and scoop out most of the flesh to form two shells.
- 4.Blanch the eggplant and the capsicums in boiling water for about 3 minutes and drain.
- 5.Arrange all the vegetables in a baking dish. Finely chop all the flesh that has been scooped out from the tomatoes, zucchini and eggplant. Heat half the olive oil in a pan over high heat. Add your meat and cook until brown. Add the onion and the garlic and all the flesh from your vegetables. Cook this mixture for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add your rice, cinnamon, allspice and oregano together with the tomato paste. Take off the heat and add all your fresh herbs and feta.
- 6.Spoon the mixture into the vegetable shells until they are three-quarters full and replace the tops on the tomatoes, capsicums and zucchini.
- 7.On a baking dish, arrange the stuffed vegetables and put potato wedges in between them. Sprinkle a little salt, pour in about 1 cup of water and then drizzle the remaining olive oil all over. Bake in a moderate oven for about 1.5 – 2 hours. Check halfway. If you find the tops are browning too quickly, cover loosely with aluminium foil.
- 8.Serve hot or at room temperature.
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