Yummy-sta!

Any dutiful Greek grandchild knows that it would be a travesty to not eat every single plate of food your little old Yiayia (that’s Greek for grandma) puts in front of you. She sometimes is the greatest enforcer of getting children to try new foods—because if you don’t you will be shrouded with a cloud of Greek Yiayia guilt storm. With this recipe, a Yiayia could magically get you to eat right out of a vegetable serving dish. Yemista (yeh-mee-stah) is the Greek word for stuffed vegetables filled with a rice mixture that sizzle in a savory hot tub of juiciness in the oven.  You can choose just about any vegetable you like that will stand up in the oven, I used tomatoes as well as peppers (tomatoes happen to be my childhood favorite). If you do use peppers try to find those that are short and fat so that they can stand up. You can also choose whatever kind of rice you like-regular white, rice pilaf, wild rice, etc. I used wild rice because my honey and I both love the flavor and texture! You could eat these as a side dish or have more than one as a meal in itself.
You could also certainly make this a vegetarian meal by omitting the meat, equally as delicious--you could even substitute with other sauteed veggies like zucchini or eggplant.

This recipe yields 4 stuffed vegetables:

4 assorted vegetables (I made 2 tomatoes and 2 peppers)

One half onion-diced

2 tsp dried mint

One box of your chosen rice

1 pound of ground turkey or chicken (awesomely lean and equally delicious and your honey will never know it’s not ground beef)

4 thin pads of butter

You will need a little tomato sauce—I make big batches of my own and freeze up little portions of it but you can use a good quality store-bought or a can of tomato puree

First, slice the very top off (but save it! You need it for later!) and hollow out the vegetables making sure to leave a pretty sizable layer on the inside to keep the rice mixture moist and to not puncture it all the way through. If you are hollowing a tomato, make sure to keep the pulp from the inside because it will be going into the rice. For the peppers, slice the top and make sure to remove all of the seeds and as much of the ribs as possible (ribs= white flesh along the crevices of the inner pepper).

Next, dice the onion into small pieces and add a little olive oil to the same pot you’ll be cooking the rice in. Set the pot on low heat and add the onions—you want to cook them low and slow, not going for a real caramelization here. However, you still want them to become soft and translucent.

While the onions slowly melt down take the pulp of your tomatoes and chop them into about the same dice as your onions and add them in with a dash of salt and pepper and a little sprinkle of dried mint.

Next, add in the meat and the rest of the dried mint, salt, and pepper with the tomatoes and onions until it is fully cooked through (the same way you would for tacos or Bolognese).  Then add in the rice, coating it with the meat and veggie mixture.

Note: it is important to purposely leave the rice a little undercooked because it is going to continue to cook in the oven.

Following the package directions, add about ¼ cup less water than the directions call for, cook the rice along with the meat, onions, and tomatoes.

In the meantime, in a small sauce pot, warm up about ¾ cup of sauce mixed with ½ cup of water so that it is not as thick.

Once the rice mixture has absorbed almost all of the water, taste the rice. You want it a bit undercooked but not totally crunchy—if you feel it is too crunchy add a little more water and let it cook until tender.

After the rice is finished, add about half a cup of the sauce and stir until combined. Sprinkle a little olive oil over the bottom of a baking dish that will hold all 4 of your veggie containers without touching each other.

Fill each veggie container to the top with rice mixture then top with a little sauce, a pad of butter (reeeeally thin, less than a tablespoon) and then place the top of the vegetable back on.

Once they are placed in the pan, drizzle a little olive oil on top to create a nice browning effect while they are in the oven. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes (half way through open the tops of each vegetable and add a little water) until the rice is just fully cooked and the vegetable is soft and browned from the oven.

Delish! My babe and I ate them with lamb chops (sort of a Greek inspired meal) and he raved about them! Time to go make them for your special someone!