Greece - Food & Drinks - Main Dish: Ntomates Gemista.

Gemista is the Greek word for ‘stuffed’. So ‘Ntomates Gemista’ means ‘stuffed tomatoes’. When we say gemista, we not only take into account tomatoes but also other vegetables like peppers, aubergines, …

Gemista is a typical summer dish. It can be served straight away, ‘warm’, from the oven or ‘cool’ from the refrigerator. The latter is my favorite. I just LOVE Gemista that was prepared (and stored in the refrigerator) yesterday.

This dish gives a straight away ‘refreshing’ feeling. Moreover, it is a dish that is easy to prepare. It has only 3 main ingredients: tomatoes, onions, mint.

I believe gemista should always be served with Feta and oregano. The taste is just heavenly. I like it, in the afternoon,accompanied with some tsipouro.

Ingredients:

• - 10 Tomatoes.
  - 250 gr. Rice.
  - 250 gr. Onions.
  - 250 ml. Olive oil.
  - 250 ml. Water.
  - 150 ml. Tomato juice.
  - 4 – 5 twigs of fresh mint.
  - (black) pepper.
  - salt.

Preparation:

• - (1) Cut the tomatoes (in such a way that you take off, some kind of, lid) .
  - (2) Scoop the tomato fruit meat out of the tomatoes.
  - (3) Mash the tomato fruit meat.
  - (4) Heat up about 100 ml. of olive oil in a frying pan.
  - (5) Fruit the onions in this oil.
  - (6) Scoop the rice in this mixture.
  - (7) Bring on taste with salt and pepper.
  - (8) Add the tomato fruit meat.
  - (9) Boil all this for about 3 minutes.
  - (10) Take the frying pan from the fire and let it swell for about 5 minutes.
  - (11) Add and stir the fresh mint leaves through it.
  - (12) Fill the tomatoes, with this mixture, for about 2/3.
  - (13) P re-heat the oven to about 180 degrees Celsius.
  - (14) Oil an oven tray and put the ‘stuffed’ tomatoes in it.
  - (15) Add some olive oil.

  - (16) Add the 250 ml. Of water.
  - (17) Put the lids on the tomatoes.
  - (18) Bake the tomatoes for about 1 hour.
  - (19) Take of the lids of the tomatoes.
  - (20) Bake for another 10 minutes (to color the filling).

Enjoy!