Djuvec Rice with Bell Peppers and Tomatoes Istrian Recipe

Djuvec (frequently spelled Ðuveč and pronounced Joo-vetch) is a one pot rice dish, and a bit of a hidden gem in the gastronomic world. It is very commonly found in South-Eastern Europe in countries like Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and other Balkan countries, and perhaps it is not very well known to the rest of the world.

This vegetarian and vegan friendly dish is one of my absolute favourites, it is incredibly simple and quick to make, healthy, and is really delicious. It is also a very practical dish. It can be prepared ahead of time, and it makes a fantastic addition to more familiar picnic foods and buffets at parties.

Djuvec is always a big hit with friends and family at the barbecue gatherings, as it is traditionally served at a room temperature as a side dish, and makes a great paring to pan fried or grilled vegetables, fish or different type of meats like Ćevapčići (small pieces of rolled grilled mince meat) and Ražnjići (grilled pork meat on skewers).

It can also be served hot or warm as a main mail, maybe with a side salad, as an alternative to a tasty, and perhaps, more frequently cooked, well known and much loved a classic Italian risotto.

It is often made during the summer, end of summer and early autumn with main ingredients being onions, red, orange or yellow bell peppers and tomatoes, and often peas, ajvar (sweet roasted red pepper spread) and powdered paprika is added to a basic recipe to create a very common variations of this dish.

I am sharing here my mum's super delicious one pot pepper and tomato rice dish that she used to make time and time again, just try it, I promise you, you will came back to this “off the beaten track recipe” that my family and my friends simply adore, and cannot get enough of it.

Recipe

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

3 Tbsp virgin olive oil or olive oil

1-2 onions (about 250g), peeled and finely chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
2 red bell peppers (about 400g), wash, dry, remove the seeds and white filaments and cut into small cubes (for this recipe you can also use yellow or orange bell peppers or a combination)
few vine tomatoes or other types of ripe and sweet tomatoes (about 300g) washed, quartered and roughly chopped
1 Tbsp tomato paste
300g long grain rice
600ml vegetable stock or instant vegetable stock powder
sea salt
black pepper
fresh flat leaf parsley for serving, roughly chopped, optional

Method

Place olive oil in a fairly large shallow cast iron casserole dish or frying pan, add finely chopped onions, crushed garlic, a generous pinch of sea salt and cook for about 10 minutes on a gentle heat until the onions become soft and translucent, stirring occasionally.

Add small cubes of bell peppers and stir in with the onions and garlic, cook further for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Transfer roughly chopped tomatoes to the pan, add tomato paste, mix and cook for 10 minutes or so or until the tomatoes are soft and cooked down, stirring occasionally.