Project Description

Vegetarian Gyuvech

Baked Vegetarian Stew 

This is a great dish for cleaning out your refrigerator. The final outcome will be slightly different depending on the combination of hard and soft vegetables used. In the hard vegetable category, green beans are a must; for soft vegetables, eggplant. Gyuvech inherits its name from the large clay lidded bowls called gyuvech in which it is traditionally baked.

• 1 small cabbage, chopped
• 1/2 lb. green beans, halved
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 6 potatoes, diced
• 2 to 3 carrots, sliced
• 1 red pepper, in strips, halved
• 1 green pepper, in strips, halved
• 1 eggplant, cubed
• 1 zucchini, cubed
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1 medium tomato
•   or 8-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes
• fresh parsley, chopped

Cut and chop all the vegetables in advance. The eggplant and zucchini should be cubed into bite-size pieces.

In a large skillet, place the hard vegetables: cabbage, green beans, onion, potatoes, and carrots. Sauté in their own juices until the vegetables soften and the cabbage becomes transparent. Transfer to a large lidded casserole dish or traditional Bulgarian clay gyuvech.

Add the peppers, eggplant, zucchini, and the other soft vegetables to the skillet with a little oil. Fry over a medium heat. As the oil is absorbed, add more little by little. When the eggplant starts changing color and reducing in size, transfer to the casserole dish or gyuvech. If using fresh tomatoes, add them at this time. Mix all the vegetables well.

Bake in an oven preheated to 375°F for about one hour, or until the potatoes are done. Add the canned tomatoes 10 minutes before the end. Serve with a side dish of fresh parsley. Serves 6.