Greek-style Stuffed Vegetables

 I had a yen to make stuffed vegetables, Greek style, as we ate this past summer on the island of Crete. These have a completely different flavor profile from the Italian-style stuffed vegetables I usually make. The herbs used here -- mint, dill and parsley -- really scream Greek cooking and lend a complex taste to the dish. I never got the recipe that was used by our hostess in Crete, but my re-creation tastes pretty darn close to what we ate on that island. The biggest difference was the lack of an outdoor wood-fired oven, and the view of the Cretan countryside. Oh well, the memories will have to suffice.

I chose zucchini, peppers and tomatoes for this, just as we used in Greece. I was able to find smallish-sized peppers and I used plum tomatoes, but you can substitute regular tomatoes too (just don't use beefsteak tomatoes or any that are large.)

Cut out the insides of the peppers and discard. But keep the insides of the zucchini and tomatoes. They'll be part of the stuffing. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper. The zucchini always seems to need more seasoning than other vegetables.

  Chop the insides of the zucchini and tomatoes and place them and the garlic in a pan with some olive oil and saute until soft. Remove to a bowl, then add the herbs, crushed tomatoes, rice, water and a little more olive oil, plus salt and pepper. 

Using a teaspoon, stuff the vegetables, then place the lids back on the peppers and tomatoes. Drizzle with a little more olive oil, then cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake.

After about an hour or a little more, remove the aluminum foil and check to see that the vegetables are soft and that the rice is cooked. If not, place back into the oven for a little more time. This is great as a main course, or as a side dish with fish, chicken or another meat.

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Greek-style Stuffed Vegetables

(Use any combination of vegetables you like - this is what I used):

2 zucchini

3 tomatoes

8 small sweet peppers

1/4 cup minced onion

1 large clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt, pepper

1 teaspoon dill (I only had dried)

about 1/2 cup of fresh mint, minced

about 1/2 cup of fresh parsley, minced

1 cup white rice (If using brown rice, you'll have to increase the amount of crushed tomatoes and water)

1/2 cup crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup water

more salt and pepper and olive oil

Slice the tops off the tomatoes and the peppers but retain the tops. Cut out the seedy insides of the peppers and discard. Dig out the inside of the tomatoes but retain that part, chopping finely on a board. With the zucchini, slice into big chunks and hollow out the inside, chopping that part also.

Place the vegetables in an oven proof shallow casserole that's been smeared with a little olive oil. Season the inside of the cleaned out vegetables with salt and pepper.

Mince the onion and saute it in the olive oil, along with the interior of the zucchini that you minced. When it is wilted, add the garlic and saute for a few more minutes. You could also add some chopped mushrooms if you like. Place the sauteed onions, zucchini and garlic in a bowl and add the chopped interior of the tomatoes, plus the rice, the crushed tomatoes, the water, salt and pepper and the herbs. Stir everything together and stuff the vegetables, using a teaspoon. Drizzle with a little more olive oil.

Cover the casserole tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 375 degrees for 1 - 1/2 hours, checking after an hour. The vegetables should be cooked through and the rice should have plumped up nicely. There should be some liquid at the bottom of the casserole, which is to be expected and is delicious to pour over the vegetables when you plate them.