Rice with Provençal vegetables

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 200 g rice (red Camargue rice)
• 700 ml stock (vegetable stock)
• Salt
• 100 g onion(s)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 300 g eggplant(s)
• 300 g zucchini
• 100 g bell pepper(s), yellow
• 100 g red bell pepper(s)
• 300 g tomatoes
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper, freshly ground
• 200 ml stock (vegetable stock)
• 2 tbsp herbs (thyme, oregano, rosemary, basil, parsley), chopped, mixed
• 30 g cheese, grated

Instructions

Working time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 40 minutes

If using red Camargue rice, pour it into a sieve the night before and rinse with cold water, then cover and let stand overnight in a bowl of water. Drain the water the next day. Bring the vegetable stock to a boil with a little salt, add the rice, reduce the heat, and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Pour into a sieve and drain. Finely chop the onion and garlic. Remove the stems and blossom ends from the eggplant and zucchini and cut into 1.5 cm cubes. Trim the bell peppers and slice them. Blanch the tomatoes, peel them, deseed them, and cut them into pieces. Heat olive oil in a large pan and sauté the onion and garlic cubes until lightly browned. Add the eggplant, zucchini, and bell pepper and fry briefly. Season with salt and pepper, deglaze with the vegetable stock, and cook covered over low heat. After 5 minutes, add the tomatoes and braise for 3 minutes. Sprinkle with herbs and season to taste. Grease a baking dish with butter and pour in the drained rice. Spread the vegetables evenly over the rice layer and sprinkle with grated cheese. Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for about 20 minutes.