Each mention of this stew brings me to my childhood, to my grandma's kitchen, watching her preparing this simple, but yet so tasteful and in some way unique dish, feeling its delightful and inviting aroma and listening for the sizzling... Ah... Such wonderful memories...
My grandma is gone for a long time yet, so it's on me now to prepare this dish. I've tried to cook it many many times until I did it (it's not so easy as it looked like, eventually :) ), but still, her version remains unmatched. I guess one of the reasons is that she used to cook this on wood-fired stove, which believe it or not, gives each meal such a distinctive flavor, and I use electric stove only... for now... :)
The choice of stove depends on you, but in order to prepare this main dish, you will certainly need the following ingredients:
|
|
- Peel and dice the potatoes. Chop onion and carrot. Preheat oven at 250°C.
- Heat oil and add onion. I never measure up the oil when frying, but in this case you'll need approximately 3 tablespoons. Cook the onions stirring occasionally until soft and tender. Add carrots and cook for an additional minute. Than add potatoes and cook stirring until potatoes get a thin crispy crust.
- Wash and drain rice and add it in the pan with potatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste, paprika and parsley, mix and add the boiling water right away. Water level should be about 1,5 cm above the vegetables. Bring it to a boil and put into oven on the lowest rack. Bake for 15 minutes.
If you don't feel like using the oven, you can simmer it over medium fire on the stove top until rice and potatoes are done and liquid has almost vaporized. You'll need to stir it often so that rice doesn't stick to the bottom.
- You can add 2 or 3 whole pickled peppers and/or pickled green tomatoes cut into quarters on the top of the vegetables before you put the pan into the oven. This will give the dish an extra freshness and a special savor. The taste will be unforgettable, believe me!
- It would be best to use round grain rice for this dish, as it absorbs more liquid and becomes more juicy. On the contrary, long grain rice is drier and won't taste so good in this combination, but it can do the job if necessary. I personally prefer round rice for stews, risottos and soups, while I use long grain rice for cold salads when I don't need it to be sticky.
Enjoy and bon appétit!