Greek Cypriot Stuffed Vegetables

A traditional and delicious Greek Cypriot dish!

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 1 30

Total Time 2

Servings

Calories 432kcal

Author Michelle Ordever

Ingredients

2 bell peppers red, green, orange, or yellow
2 zucchini (courgettes)
2 beefsteak tomatoes
2 small potatoes
1 medium onion

For the Stuffing

Olive oil
1 medium onion finely chopped
1.1 lbs ground pork and/or ground beef 5% fat
2 tsp dried mint
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp dried parsley or a handful of fresh flatleaf parsley, chopped
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt
½ cup dry white rice uncooked

For the Cooking Liquor

1 beef or vegetable stock cube
2 cups boiling hot water
1 Tbsp tomato paste (tomato puree)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C/Gas 6 and prepare the vegetables for stuffing as described in the next steps.
Bell Peppers: Slice off the “lid” and set it aside. Remove the seeds and membrane and discard them.
Beefsteak Tomatoes: Slice a “lid” and set it aside. Scoop out the flesh, roughly chop, and place into a small bowl.
Zucchini: Slice a tiny sliver from the bottom so the zucchini can sit without falling over. Slice a “lid” off lengthways. Scoop out the flesh with a teaspoon. Chop the flesh and add to the bowl of chopped tomatoes.
Potatoes: Peel and slice a sliver from the bottom so that they can sit without falling over. Slice off a “lid.” Using a knife and teaspoon, scoop out some of each potato to make a hollow for the stuffing to sit. Discard this inner potato, as it’s not needed.
Onions: Top and tail, then peel off the skin. Cut a slit from top to bottom a few layers in, and place in a bowl of boiling hot water for about a minute. Remove, and you can easily pull off the layers, keeping them intact.
Brush a large roasting dish with olive oil. Stand all the vegetables inside the dish and set it aside.
To make the stuffing, drizzle some olive oil into a frying pan. Add the chopped onion and sweat for 2-3 minutes. Then add the reserved tomato and zucchini flesh from the vegetable preparation above.
Add the ground meat and cook for 6-8 minutes until browned.
Remove pan from the heat. Add the dried mint, ground cinnamon, parsley, lemon juice, and salt. Mix well. Taste for seasoning—add more herbs and spices if you wish.
Stir in the dry white rice and mix well.
Distribute the filling among the various vegetables. For the onions, place some of the filling into one-half of the “shells” and wrap it around. (You could secure with a cocktail stick, but I never do.)
For the cooking liquor, crumble a stock cube into the hot water and stir in the tomato paste. Pour some of this mixture into each stuffed vegetable and pour the remaining liquid around them. Place the "lids" back onto each vegetable. Drizzle the top with some more olive oil
Cover the tray with aluminum foil, and place in the oven to cook for 1½ to 2 hours—remove the foil for the last 20-30 minutes of cooking time to brown.
Serve Greek Cypriot Stuffed Vegetables hot with a Greek salad and dips. This dish can also be served cold or room-temperature.

Notes

Like all Greek-Cypriot recipes that have been handed down to me, they are very much to personal taste. If you don’t like certain herbs and spices, you are welcome to leave them out – or change the ratio of them.

Nutrition