Greek Stuffed Tomatoes With Rice Or Domates Yemistes Recipes

GREEK STUFFED TOMATOES AND PEPPERS (YEMISTA)

Steps:

• Cut off tops of tomatoes, leaving 1 corner still attached to create a lid. Scoop insides of tomatoes and transfer 'meat' to a large bowl; squeeze juices out of tomatoes. Cut off tops of green peppers and reserve for later use; scoop out seeds and membranes. Arrange tomatoes and bell peppers in a 11x17-inch baking dish.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat; cook and stir onion and garlic in the melted butter until softened, 5 to 10 minutes. Add ground chuck, soy sauce, seasoned salt, and black pepper to onion mixture; cook until ground chuck is browned and crumbly, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Mix squeezed tomato meat and water into browned chuck; bring to a simmer, about 15 minutes. Add rice and bring to a boil; remove skillet from heat. Spoon beef-rice mixture into tomatoes; place tops onto filled tomatoes and arrange them into the baking dish with lid sides down.
• Stuff bell peppers with beef-rice mixture and top with reserved lids; lay bell peppers sideways in the baking dish. Pour olive oil over stuffed tomatoes and bell peppers; season with salt and pepper.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Turn bell peppers and continue baking until bell peppers and tomatoes are softened, about 30 more minutes.

GREEK STUFFED TOMATOES WITH RICE OR DOMATES YEMISTES

Steps:

• Cut tops off tomatoes, and set aside. Scoop out pulp from tomatoes, chop and reserve. Saute onions in 1/2 cup of olive oil until golden. Add tomato pulp, parsley, garlic, dill, oregnao, rice, salt, and pepper. Stir to blend ingredients thoroughly. Add tomato paste and wine. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Arrange tomato shells in a casserole or roaster. Sprinkle lightly with sugar. Stuff tomatoes with rice mixture and cover with tomato tops. Pour 1 cup olive oil over the tomatoes and pour 1/2 cup water into pan. Sprinkle lightly with more oregano. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes, basting frequently. Serve hot or cold.
• **tip -- if you don't want to grate the onions, you could also mince them finely. I actually have a little gadget called a Salsa Master that is sort of like a hand held food processor. I just crank the handle until the onions are very very fine.

TOMATOES STUFFED WITH RICE: YEMISTES DOMATES ME RIZI

Steps:

• Cut the top off of the tomatoes and clean out all of the pulp leaving about a 1/2-inch thick skin. Reserve pulp.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a saute pan, heat the butter and add the chopped onion to the pan. Cook until the onions are golden brown, and add in the garlic. Add in the pulp from the tomatoes and stir in the rice. Add in 1/4 cup olive oil and a little water and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add more water if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the parsley, pine nuts, and mint.
• Fill the tomatoes and sprinkle the top with the grated Kasseri and a drizzle of the remaining olive oil. Place in a baking dish with a 1/2-inch of water in the bottom and bake for 1 hour.

YEMISTA (GREEK STUFFED TOMATOES AND PEPPERS)

Steps:

• Cut off tops of tomatoes (retain tops) and carefully scoop out flesh (retain this as well).
• Cut off tops of peppers (retain tops) and remove seeds and membrane.
• Place tomatoes and peppers in a pan large enough to hold them comfortably and give each veg a tiny dash of sugar with the tips of your fingertips (I really think this is important!).
• Take tomato flesh and process it until pureed.
• Add olive oil, rice, onion, garlic, mint, parsley, nuts, cheese, sultanas, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper (or season to taste).
• Stuff the vegetables evenly with this mixture.
• Replace tops of tomatoes and peppers.
• Combine 1 cup of water and 1/2 cup olive oil with a scant tablespoonful of tomato paste and a little salt and pepper and pour this around the veg.
• Bake in a preheated 375F oven (180C) for approx 1 3/4 hours (vegetables should pierce easily and be slightly blackened in parts).
• Turn off oven and leave in for another hour to'mellow' before serving.
• This is best served slightly warm or at room temperature.
• It is wonderful eaten along with little bites of feta cheese and a cool glass of white or rose.
• It will also have yummy juices begging to be mopped up with bits of crusty bread.
• In my version, I also take 3-4 medium-sized potatoes, cut them into big wedges, toss in a little olive oil with salt and pepper to taste, and'plant' in the spaces amidst the vegetables.
• That way you can have a couple of wedges of potato too.

GREEK STUFFED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Prepare the tomatoes. With a sharp paring knife, cut out the tops of the tomatoes as you would a jack-o'-lantern, leaving them intact so that you can replace them when you bake the tomatoes. Cut away the woody core, and reserve the tops. Using a small spoon, preferably a grapefruit spoon, scoop out the insides of the tomatoes. Place a strainer over a bowl, and rub the seed pods against the strainer. Discard the seeds. Finely chop the pulp. Add to the bowl with the juice. Salt the tomato shells, place them upside down on a rack set on a baking sheet, and let drain while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
• Toss the shredded zucchini with a generous amount of salt, and let drain in a colander for 10 minutes. Take up handfuls of zucchini and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Transfer to the bowl with the tomato pulp. Add the garlic, mint, parsley or dill, and rice or bulgur. Season generously with salt and pepper. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and let sit for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a baking dish large enough to accommodate all of the tomatoes. Fill the tomatoes almost to the top with the stuffing, and replace the caps. Place in the oiled baking dish. Drizzle on the remaining oil. Place in the oven, and bake 45 minutes to an hour until the tomatoes are almost collapsing. Remove from the heat, and allow to cool to room temperature or serve hot.