Romanian ghiveci with potatoes and rice

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons oil
• 250 g onion
• 500 g peppers
• 1000 ml water for blanching the tomatoes
• 1 kg tomatoes
• 45 g rice
• 750 ml water for cooking the rice
• 3 medium potatoes (450 g)
• 200 g spicy sausages (optional)
• 100 ml water for thinning (optional)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon hot or sweet paprika
• 15 g fresh parsley

Preparation

1. Peel the onion and peppers, wash them and cut them into julienne strips. Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the vegetables and cook covered over very low heat for 8 minutes, until softened. 2. Bring 1000 ml of water to a boil, blanch the tomatoes for 1 minute, then peel them and chop them, not too finely. 3. Cook the rice separately in 750 ml of water for 10 minutes, until it is still slightly firm. Drain it. 4. Add the chopped tomatoes, along with their juices, to the onion and peppers. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and simmer everything covered over low heat for 15 minutes. 5. Peel the potatoes, wash them and cut them into cubes about 1 cm across. Add them to the saucepan, along with the sliced sausages, if using. Cook for 5-6 minutes, until the potatoes are almost tender. 6. Add the drained rice and cook for another 2 minutes. If the mixture seems too thick, gradually pour in up to 100 ml of water. Season with another 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of hot or sweet paprika. Sprinkle over the chopped parsley before taking the saucepan off the heat.