Where to eat Gemista

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180C. Slice the tops off the tomatoes and peppers, keeping them as lids. Scoop out the tomato flesh into a bowl; deseed the peppers. Halve the aubergines lengthways and scoop out flesh leaving a 1cm shell.
2. Chop the tomato and aubergine flesh and reserve. Sprinkle the inside of each vegetable shell with salt and sugar; arrange shells upright in a baking dish.
3. Heat 4 tbsp olive oil in a deep pan. Cook the onion gently for 8 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.
4. Stir in the tomato paste and cook 2 minutes. Add the chopped tomato and aubergine flesh, the pine nuts and raisins. Simmer 8 minutes.
5. Add the rice, half the parsley, the mint, dill, oregano, 1 tsp salt and a generous grind of pepper. Stir for 2 minutes; the rice should be coated and just warmed.
6. Spoon the filling into each vegetable shell, leaving 1cm at the top (the rice swells). Replace the lids.
7. Tuck the potato wedges around and between the vegetables. Drizzle generously with the remaining olive oil and pour the hot water into the base of the dish.
8. Cover with foil and bake 60 minutes. Uncover, bake another 25 to 30 minutes until vegetables are blistered and the rice is tender.
9. Scatter with remaining parsley. Eat warm or room temperature; gemista is better the next day.