Mediterranean minced meat and rice stew with zucchini

Ingredients for 5 servings:

• 300 g zucchini
• 2 onions
• 200 g carrot(s)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 150 g feta cheese
• 100 g date tomatoes for garnishing
• 60 g butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 150 g bacon cubes or ham cubes
• 500 g minced beef
• 1 tsp, heaped paprika powder
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 100 ml red wine
• 500 ml vegetable stock
• 500 ml tomatoes, pureed
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp mild ajvar
• 1 tsp, leveled chili flakes
• 2 tbsp, heaped herbs of Provence
• 300 g rice
• 100 ml water
• e.g. salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 15 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 55 minutes

Clean and dice the zucchini. Peel and dice the onions. Peel and coarsely grate the carrots (do not slice them). Peel and press the garlic or finely chop it. Dice the feta cheese and quarter or slice the cherry tomatoes. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large pot, add the garlic, onions, and grated carrots, and sauté for about 10 minutes over medium heat. Add the diced bacon or ham and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the minced meat and brown slightly, stirring constantly. Add the paprika and curry powder occasionally to brown it slightly. Deglaze with red wine and stock. Now add the zucchini. Add the passata, balsamic vinegar, ajvar, chili flakes, and Provençal herbs, and bring to a boil. Add the raw rice and simmer uncovered over low heat for at least 15 minutes. Stir constantly, as otherwise the rice will quickly stick to the bottom of the pan. If necessary, add a maximum of 100 ml of water while the rice is simmering in the sauce, as otherwise the rice may not be fully cooked. Season with pepper and salt if desired. Finally, stir the diced feta cheese into the dish over low heat and let it melt slightly. Garnish with the sliced ​​cherry tomatoes for an extra freshness. Notes: If you absolutely want to cook the rice separately, only use 300 ml of stock and no water for the dish. If you don’t want to grate or finely chop the carrots, but prefer to slice them, you unfortunately won’t get the kind of soft ritto that forms the flavor base at the beginning. For this reason, a lot of butter is used.