BREAKING BREAD


Trigona pastry cones at Elenidis


Thomas’s Gemista This Greek classic will have guests fighting over the leftovers.


SERVES: 8 TAKES: 2 HRS


INGREDIENTS 6 beef tomatoes, tops sliced off 3 green peppers, tops sliced off and de-seeded


2 onions, chopped 2 garlic cloves, chopped 8 tbsp olive oil 2 tsp sugar 500g beef mince (optional) 300g risotto rice 2 tsp tomato paste 1 carrot, grated 1 courgette, grated bunches of parsley, dill and mint, chopped


5 potatoes, peeled and cubed I ask who usually cooks the family meal


during the week. “Me!” Thomas chuckles. “Alex doesn’t even cook cold water.” Right on cue, the bell rings. “Ehhhh,


yasaaaaas,” he sings, as Alexandra enters laden with shopping bags, Sofia shyly wrapped around her leg. She greets us brightly, giving me a hug and pouring us all red wine. The couple’s long-time friends


Elina Gkatzeli and her husband Evris Chrisovitsanos, who also work with Thomas, soon arrive with their two-year-old son Iasonas and a weighty box of galaktoboureko (filo pastry pie filled with cream, thickened with semolina). With everyone assembled, and glasses


all topped up, there are cheers of “yamas” as attention turns to the all-important gemista. Tomatoes and peppers are scooped out, and a stuffing of rice, tomato juice and grated courgette is soon bubbling on the hob. A comforting aroma fills the apartment as Thomas clangs about, searching for the gemista pan. Lefteris is peeling potatoes, which are used to add stability to the dish. “We’ll put them between the peppers and tomatoes and they’ll cook in all the juices,” he explains.


“Gemista is usually a competition between


families,” he adds, now waving a bunch of mint. Few dishes are as deeply rooted in Greek family cooking as gemista, which is traditionally eaten in backyards during summer, when tomatoes are at their sweetest. Children fight over the tomatoes, while adults favour the peppers. At the end of the meal, Thomas tells me, there’s usually a scramble to mop up the juice, which is even better than Greek salad leftovers — something I can’t quite imagine. A good-humoured discussion breaks out


about Thomas’s cooking. “He’s a very good cook,” says Elina. “He’s very precise. But sometimes that means it takes a long time.” Alexandra chips in, too. “He’s a perfectionist


like my mum. She would practise making something, like pies, so we’d then eat pies every day. Maybe I chose him because of that,” she laughs. There’s an unhurried bout of activity.


Thomas beckons me to the balcony, where he carefully rests the octopus on the barbecue and leaves me in charge. The tentacles curl and char, and a sweet, meaty aroma rises. Back indoors, roasted aubergines are split open and their creamy insides mashed with


METHOD Heat oven to 180C, fan 160C,


gas 4. Scoop out the insides of the tomatoes and transfer to a bowl, keeping the skins whole. Blend the insides to a juice. Sauté the onions and garlic


in a large pan with a little olive oil and the sugar; add the beef, if using. Stir in the rice and cook for 5 mins. Stir the blended tomatoes,


the tomato paste, carrot and courgette into the pan. Simmer for 5 mins, then remove from the heat. Season and add the herbs. Grease a large oven dish,


about 10cm deep, with olive oil, then pour in 600ml water. Stuff the tomatoes and peppers with the rice mix, then place their tops back on and set in the dish; fill the spaces with the potato. Drizzle with olive oil, cover with foil and roast for 90 mins.


NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.CO.UK/FOOD-TRAVEL


87


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132