Greek · Authentic-ish Greek
Gemista
268 kcal a serving, against 565 for the traditional version. That is 297 kcal off, or 53%, with 7.5g of protein. Serves 6. 90 minutes.
What the traditional version is
Hollowed-out tomatoes and red peppers, filled to the brim with white rice, herbs, and a staggering amount of olive oil. The vegetables are baked in a deep bath of even more oil until they collapse, creating a rich, heavily saturated dish that eats like a heavy stew.
What changed, and what each change costs
200g of olive oil down to 25g
Ladera dishes rely on a massive volume of oil to cook the rice and soften the veg. I use just enough to sweat the onions and dress the dish, relying on the natural tomato juices and a splash of water to steam the grains instead.
What it costs you. You miss that rich, unctuous mouthfeel. The bottom of the roasting pan yields a watery, intensely savoury tomato broth rather than a thick slick of flavoured oil.
50% of the long-grain white rice out, swapped for bulgur wheat
White rice is great for absorbing flavour but offers very little else. Bulgur carries far more protein and a nutty flavour that stands up brilliantly to the fresh herbs. Mixing the two gives you exactly the right texture.
What it costs you. Bulgur retains a firm, chewy bite, so the stuffing isn't as completely soft and yielding as a purely rice-based filling.
30g of pine nuts out, entirely
Pine nuts are delicious, but they're almost pure fat. The bulgur already provides the earthy background note and the firm texture that the pine nuts usually bring to the party, so dropping them is a very easy win.
What it costs you. You lose those occasional little bursts of buttery crunch hidden inside the soft filling.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 565 | 268 |
| Protein | 7.1g | 7.5g |
| Fat | 37.8g | 5.4g |
| Saturated fat | 5.1g | 0.8g |
| Carbohydrate | 53g | 51.5g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 1.3g | 2.8g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Greek prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. gluten.
The method is in the book
What you've got is a bake. A confit is a different dish and you know where to find it. That's the main difference you'll notice straight away. But the sheer volume of fresh herbs and the concentrated tomato flavour make this incredibly satisfying. The bulgur wheat brings a chewy texture that works brilliantly against the soft, yielding shells of the roasted vegetables.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Greek, along with 56 more. Buy the paperback