Vegetable Casserole Recipe - Serbian Djuvece

This recipe for Serbian vegetable casserole or djuvece uses summer's bounty -- zucchini, tomatoes, carrots, celery, potatoes, onions and green pepper. The dish is started on the stovetop and then mixed with rice and baked. It makes a great Lenten dish or vegetarian main course.

Garlic isn't traditional, but I like to add it. You will probably need 2 teaspoons of salt because the rice and veggies really need it (Or you may want to try soy sauce or better yet prepare some onion soup mix as your broth and add it where the recipe calls for it), but use at your discretion.

Makes 6 to 8 servings of Serbian Vegetable Casserole - Djuvece

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Total Time: 90 minutes

Ingredients:

•1/4 cup olive or canola oil or garlic infused oil
•2 large onions
•4 carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick
•3 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick (May substitute with cauliflower)
•2 medium zucchini, sliced 1/2-inch thick
•1 large diced green pepper
•3 ribs celery, sliced 1/4-inch thick
•1 bay leaf
•4 large, peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes or 1 (16-ounce) can stewed tomatoes
•1 cup rinsed and drained long-grain rice
•Salt and pepper
•1 Large Portobello Mushroom sliced (Optional)

Preparation:

1.Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a Dutch oven, saute onion in oil until translucent. Add carrots, potatoes, zucchini, green pepper, celery and bay leaf, and cook 15 minutes, stirring frequently.


2.Add tomatoes, rice and salt and pepper, and stir well. Add enough broth (Vegetable or onion soup) or water to barely cover the vegetables. Place lid on Dutch oven and bake 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove bay leaf and serve.

http://easteuropeanfood.about.com/od/serbianvegetables/r/djuvece.htm