Yemista me Kima - Stuffed Peppers, Tomatoes, or whatever else you'd like to stuff with Ground Beef

In Greek, the term "Yemista" refers to stuffing. Yiayia Kiki makes Yemista with Peppers, Tomatoes, Eggplant, Zucchini, or any  any other vegetable that allows for stuffing. The following is Yiayia Kiki's recipe for Yemista:

For the stuffing, you will need:

1 Pack of Ground Beef (approx 2.5 - 3 lbs.)

2 Cups of White Rice
2 Tbsp of Cooking Oil

1 Large Yellow Onion

1 Bunch of Chopped Parsley

1 Bunch of Chopped Dill

14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes

2 Cup of Water

Salt, Pepper, & Garlic Powder

Begin by chopping the Yellow Onion finely. In a large frying pan, add the cooking oil and saute the chopped onions on high flame. Once the onions have sauteed a bit, add the package of ground beef and crumble the beef into small pieces. Once the beef is browned, add the salt, pepper, and garlic powder (to your liking) and stir. Next add the chopped parsley and dill. Soon after, add 2 cups of rice, the can of diced tomatoes, and 2 cup of water and stir. Continue to stir. Once the rice rises, turn the flame off and let the stuffing sit.

The final look of the stuffing

While the stuffing is sitting and cooling off a bit, this is the time you begin to prepare your vegetables. In my case, we used green, red, and yellow peppers, 4 tomatoes, and 1 eggplant. For the peppers and tomatoes, wash them well. Cut a hole on the top of the pepper/tomato where the stem is and remove it. Remove the insides of the peppers/tomatoes and place them in a large baking pan. Once you have washed and prepared all of the peppers/tomatoes, sprinkle some salt inside of them for a bit more taste. Your peppers are now ready to stuff. With a small spoon, take the stuffing and place it in your vegetable. Make sure you get the stuffing deep inside those skinny peppers. Once you have stuffed them to the top, place them in the pan on their sides.

Add 2 parts of water and 1 part oil to the pan (enough water to cover a quarter of the peppers). Cover with Aluminum Foil and allow to cook at 375 degrees for approx. 60-90 minutes (until the peppers loose their color and have wrinkled to the point where you can easily stick a fork through the skin). Every half hour or so, check on the peppers by lifting the foil - if the water at the bottom of the tray is gone, add a bit more so the peppers don't dry out. If you'd like some dark coloring, take the foil off about 10 minutes before its done.

Allow to cool and serve at room temperature!

Kali Orexi!
- Sophia Eleni