I vividly remember my trip to Greece in 1977. I went as a 14 year old and came back as a 15 year old with a renewed love for the Mediterranean. I was lucky to have the chance to spend 6 glorious weeks with my aunt Litsa, my uncle George and my cousins Mary and Ioanna. At the time, they lived in a lovely apartment in Piraeus, Greece, very close to the limani (pronounced lee-ma-nee), which means harbor in Greek.
In those days, the only way to get around town was either walking or using the bus — driving was just too expensive and only something we did for very far away places. If you have ever used the bus in Europe, you will agree that this is one mode of transportation that you use sparingly and will find yourself wondering if deodorant even exists in this part of the world.
We would catch the bus early in the morning to wherever it was that we were going, and spend the rest of the day walking around the towns and historic areas we visited, so it was not unusual for us to be absolutely starving when we came back home. The food was always homemade and plentiful, and Mama Eleni (my aunt Litsa’s mother), was a fabulous cook.
Most days Mama Eleni would make a few different dishes which we all shared homestyle. Almost always on the tables was a homemade pizza called Ladenia, which was usually topped with tomatoes, onions and fresh herbs and a grating of hard cheese that could be eaten warm or cold. We would also have stuffed vegetables or meat pie wrapped in filo dough called Kreatopita (pronounced Kreh-a-toh-pi-tah) or the more commonly enjoyed spinach (spanakopita) or cheese (tiropita) pie.
Most Greeks only eat a meal twice a day — one of which usually consists of a very light breakfast and then a full lunch around 2pm. All the stores in the Mediterranean usually close for a few hours during this time when people go home to have lunch and then take a nice nap. Stores re-open again around 4pm and remain open until late. The lives of people who live in Europe is never driven by work. They make time to enjoy their lives and their food, and run their businesses around that.
Unfortunately, the cost of living in Europe is very expensive, and I know that this has not changed. Electric/gas costs are very expensive, but people found a very creative way to still cook at home. Families make multiple pans of different types of foods and take them to the local baker who bakes them for just a few dollars. When you walk the streets in the summer, the fragrance of all of these wonderful dishes fill the air.
One of the most popular dishes is yemista (pronounced yeh-me-sta) because it is a delicious dish to enjoy both warm and cold. Most of the time, my dad would stuff tomatoes, peppers or zucchini. It makes a really tasty, inexpensive meal that feeds a lot of people.
There are a few ways you can make it. My dad would partially cook the rice and then fill this into the vegetables that would then finish cooking covered in tomato sauce in the oven. This takes a little longer to cook in the oven, about 2-3 hours until the rice has steamed all the way through. Others prefer to cook the meat and rice ahead of time, then fill the vegetables, cover them in sauce and then bake until the vegetables are tender. Either way you choose to make them, you will be hooked on this delicious meal. Enjoy this warm, room temperature or even cold right out of the refrigerator.
Tomato Sauce
1/3 cup olive oil
1 medium onion
4 medium garlic cloves
1 can crushed tomato
3 cups water
1/2 small can tomato paste
1 ½ Tablespoons dried oregano leaves
Salt & pepper to taste
2 dry bay leaves
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
Begin the sauce by adding the oil to a medium sized pot and heating well. Next add the onion and sweat until softened but not caramelized then add the garlic and cook together for a while. It may take on a little color but be careful not to let it burn. Then add the tomato paste and stir in well with the onion for a few minutes. Next add the crushed tomatoes, the oregano, salt and pepper and the bay leaves. Mix well, and add 2 cups of water. Taste again for S&P but do not add too much, because it may get too salty as the liquid reduces. Simmer the sauce on low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring every now and again to prevent anything from burning. Once the sauce has thickened a little and reduced slightly, remove from heat and add in the grated cheese. Remove 1 ½ cups and add this to the filling. Reserve the rest to pour over the peppers so that they can soften in the oven. You will add the last cup of water to the rest of this sauce to thin it out slightly. As it cooks in the oven, it will thicken slightly.
Meat & Rice Filling (enough for 9 medium to large peppers or tomatoes)
1 pound ground beef
1 large onion
2 garlic cloves, crushed
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoon fresh or dried parsley
1 tablespoon Greek oregano
1 teaspoon mint **Optional
S&P (start with 1 teaspoon of each and add more according to your taste)
1/4 cup uncooked white rice
1½ cups tomato sauce plus ½ cup hot water for partially cooked version or ½ of a small can of tomato paste with 3 cups hot water to cook rice completely with the meat and spices before stuffing vegetables
1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
NOTE: Before you begin, prepare the tomato sauce and prep the vegetables by removing the insides carefully. Trim the insides of the top and reserve them to add once they have been filled. Make sure the vegetables you choose have a flat bottom so that they sit properly in the baking dish.
When ready to make the filling, heat the oil in a medium sized pot and add the chopped onion. Sauté until it has softened then add the pressed garlic. Cook both gently together over moderate heat. Next, add the meat and cook through thoroughly. Add all of the herbs and the S&P and adjust as necessary. Lastly, add the rice and mix well. Add 1 ½ cups of prepared tomato sauce (below) plus the hot water and cook on very low heat to allow the liquid to evaporate. The rice will not be all the way cooked at this point, but will finish cooking inside the vegetables in the oven.
If you would like to completely cook your rice ahead of time, it will look like this…
If you are using the partially cooked version, take a large spoon and fill the cavity loosely to the top, do not pack the rice in too much — you have to allow room for the rice to steam inside the vegetable and provide it with some room to expand. If you are using the fully cooked version, you can add more filling and pack it in a little tighter before adding the vegetable top to each vegetable.
Place the filled vegetables into a large, well sprayed baking pan that has a layer of tomato sauce on the bottom. Place the side by side with a little room between each one. Pour the remaining tomato sauce on top of the vegetables and top with the grated parmesan cheese. Cover the entire tray with foil and bake for 2-3 hours at 325°F. If you are making a lot of these to share with guests, it’s a good idea to keep all the same type of vegetables in the same pan, because cooking times will vary between vegetables. That way, if the tomatoes are ready before the zucchini, you just remove the whole tray instead of overcooking the tomatoes while waiting for the others. I usually don’t worry about it too much if I am making it just for us at home, but it’s nice to have the vegetables remain whole and not fall apart during service when preparing this dish for guests.
Remove the tray from the oven occasionally to baste the vegetables with the tomato sauce. This is important to prevent the tops from drying out. The sauce will reduce and thicken as it bakes. At the 2 hour mark, remove the tray from the oven and remove the lid from 2 or 3 items to check and see if the rice is completely cooked. I usually check one on either side of the pan and also one in the middle. If it is ready, remove the foil and cook for an additional 30-45 minutes, until the tops take on a golden brown color. If the rice is still not cooked after 2 hours, then replace the foil and place it back into the oven for another hour. Repeat this at the 3 hour mark. If it still requires a little extra cooking, then check it again after 30 minutes- you don’t have much longer to go. If you used the completely cooked filling, then it should only take about 1 1/2 to 2 hours for the vegetables to cook. Place the filled vegetables in the greased pan with a layer of the tomato sauce at the bottom. Once all are in the pan, ladle on some more tomato sauce and bake with a foil cover for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. After this time, check the vegetables to make sure they are cooked, then remove the foil and bake for another 30 minutes for the tops to become golden brown. Remove from the oven and serve warm with some delicious crusty bread that you can enjoy to dip into that delicious sauce.
Leave a Reply