Yemista (Greek Stuffed Peppers)
October 23, 2020
: 4
: 20 min
: Easy
This recipe takes me back to my yiayia's kitchen, with the sweet smell of roasted peppers and dill wafting through the house. This dish is delicious hot or cold and is great with a chunk of fetta drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with some dried oregano.
Ingredients
- 4 medium-large red peppers
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 400g lamb mince
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1⁄4 teaspoon cumin
- 1⁄2 teaspoon oregano
- 1-2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 4-5 ripe tomatoes, chopped with juices (or 1 can chopped tomatoes)
- 50g long grain rice
- 1⁄2 cup water
- handful parsley, finely chopped
- handful dill, finely chopped
- handful, mint, finely chopped
Directions
- Step 1 Slice the tops off the peppers and reserve. De-seed the peppers and place on a deep baking tray with their lids.
- Step 2 Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in non-stick pan. Add the garlic and onion and cook until translucent.
- Step 3 Add the lamb, cinnamon, cumin, oregano and tomato paste and cook until the lamb is completely brown.
- Step 4 Add the chopped tomatoes, their juices, the rice and extra water. Bring to the boil and leave to simmer until reduced and the rice is tender (about 15 minutes). Take off the heat and stir through the parsley, dill and mint.
- Step 5 Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius (fan force).
- Step 6 Use a tablespoon to fill the peppers with the mixture and top with their lids. Add a little bit of water to the baking tray and lightly drizzle the peppers with some rapeseed oil. (If your tray is too large, scrunch up some baking paper and use it to secure the peppers so they stay upright.)
- Step 7 Cook for 30-35 minutes (or until the peppers start to char on top). Serve hot or cold.
Red peppers remind me of autumn’s blaze. As you turn your attention to the change of the seasons, take some time to get out into nature. Take a walk at the local park or spend some time racking the fallen leaves in the garden. Scheduling a pause in the day to be outside gives us an opportunity to notice our surroundings and creates distance from our inner chatter. See how many different leaf shapes and colours you can spot.
