Gemista (stuffed peppers and tomatoes with beef and rice)

Slice the tops off the bell peppers deep enough that they stay whole, remove the seeds and set the peppers in a 9 by 13 inch baking pan.

Slice the tops off the tomatoes and scoop the pulp into a blender, leaving enough flesh for structure; set the tomatoes in the pan.

Sprinkle a little sugar inside the tomatoes to offset acidity and a tiny bit of salt inside the peppers.

Add the can of diced tomatoes to the blender with the pulp and blend until smooth.

Cook the finely chopped onion in a little olive oil in a pot until soft and golden; add the grated garlic and warm until fragrant.

Add the ground beef, break it up and cook over medium-high until the pink is pretty much gone; season with salt and pepper.

Add about two cups of the blended tomato, the arborio rice, more salt and pepper, a pinch of sugar and one to two cups of water.

Bring to a boil and cook about 6 or 7 minutes, so the rice is only partly cooked; take off the heat.

Stir in the chopped parsley, dried oregano, dried mint and dried dill.

Fill the vegetables to the top, leaving a little room for the rice to swell, and put the tops back on.

Tuck the potato wedges into the empty spaces; a little leftover filling can go in the gaps, where it turns crispy.

variation: put leftover potatoes in a loaf pan with olive oil, salt, pepper and oregano, top with leftover filling, cover with foil and bake alongside.

Whisk the remaining tomato sauce with olive oil, salt, pepper and a pinch of oregano; pour it over the potatoes and between the vegetables, not over them.

Lay crumpled parchment over the vegetables, cover tightly with foil and bake on the center rack at 400F for an hour.

Uncover, raise to 425F and bake about 45 minutes more until the tops char and the potatoes are fork tender.

Let cool a little so the liquid is absorbed before serving.