Greek Stuffed Vegetables - Gemista

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) with fan.

Wash and scrub the baby potatoes, leaving the skin on. Cut them into wedges. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Sauté in a hot pan for 4-5 minutes until golden. Spread in a baking dish.

Slice off the tops of 3 onions. Scoop out most of the inner layers, leaving 3-4 outer layers intact to create a shell. Finely chop the removed inner layers and set aside. Place the onion shells in the baking dish with the potatoes.

Slice off the bottom of the tomatoes. Carefully scoop out the flesh without ripping the shell. Mash the tomato flesh in a bowl and set aside. Place the tomato shells stem-side down in the baking dish.

Slice off the tops of the bell peppers, just under the stem. Remove any flesh and seeds. Trim a little off the bottom to help them stand. Arrange them in the baking dish among the other vegetables.

Heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan over high heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté. Thinly slice the garlic, zucchini, and carrot, and add them to the pan. Sauté until softened.

Add 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar and sauté until the vegetables caramelize nicely. Season generously with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Add the rice to the pan and sauté for 3-4 minutes until it turns light golden. This helps prevent the rice from becoming mushy.

Add the tomato paste and sauté. Pour in 400 ml of water and the bouillon cube. Let it simmer for 5 minutes. Stir, remove from heat, and add the reserved mashed tomato flesh. Finely chop the parsley, dill, and mint leaves and stir them into the mixture.

Drizzle the vegetables in the baking dish with a generous amount of olive oil, both inside and out. Season with salt and pepper.

Use a spoon to fill the prepared vegetables with the rice mixture, filling them about ¾ of the way full, as the rice will expand. Add any leftover filling over the potatoes.

Add 200 ml of water to the baking dish and drizzle with olive oil.

Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 60 minutes.

Remove the foil and bake for another 10-20 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the stuffed vegetables are cooked and golden.

To serve, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, add a few fresh mint leaves, and enjoy!