Ghiveci is the Moldovan vegetable stew made at the end of summer, when the vegetables at the market are the sweetest and cheapest. Aubergines, sweet peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots and onions are stewed together in a deep dish or cauldron. It is a simple dish, but if you make it properly the vegetables come out soft, fragrant and do not collapse into mush.

Where the flavour comes from

Ghiveci rests on three things: fresh vegetables, the order in which you add them and time. Aubergines and peppers give sweetness and softness, tomatoes give tang and juice, potatoes give substance, and onion and carrot give the base sweetness. Garlic goes in at the end so that it does not turn bitter.

The vegetables must be cut large. Small pieces overcook and lose their shape. A good ghiveci is one where you can see each vegetable, but all of them are soaked in the same sauce.

How to prepare the aubergines

Aubergines can be bitter, especially large, overripe ones. Cut them into cubes, salt them and leave for twenty minutes: they release a dark juice. Squeeze them and pat dry. This not only removes the bitterness but also helps the aubergines not to soak up too much oil.

Choose aubergines that are smooth, firm, without spots and with a green stalk. Soft, wrinkled ones are past their best. Here is what the catalogues have now in vegetables:

In the catalogues now: vegetables

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The order of the vegetables

Vegetables do not cook at the same speed, so they go in one after another. First the onion and carrot, then the aubergines and peppers, and the potatoes and tomatoes at the end. That way the potatoes do not turn to mush and the aubergines have time to soften.

If the dish is small, the vegetables can be layered: potatoes on the bottom, aubergines and peppers on top, tomatoes last. The tomatoes then give their juice downward and everything is soaked through.

For ghiveci pick firm potatoes, not floury ones: they hold their shape. Compare prices on our page about potatoes.

In the oven or on the hob

Classic ghiveci is stewed in the oven, in a clay dish or a cast-iron cauldron. A covered dish makes steam and the oven heats evenly. It can be done on the hob too, but the vegetables need stirring more often.

The temperature is about 180 degrees. For the first thirty minutes stew under a lid or foil, then uncover so that the extra juice evaporates and the vegetables brown.

How to save money on ghiveci

This is one of the best-value dishes of the year: in season, all the vegetables for it are cheap. Take what is on offer now and change the recipe: no aubergines, use more peppers and potatoes; no sweet peppers, add cabbage. Small and slightly crooked vegetables at the market and in the shop are often cheaper, and for a stew they are just as good. Fresh herbs can be replaced with dried ones, and garlic added to taste. Six portions use about two kilograms of vegetables, so stock up in advance.

What to serve with it

Ghiveci is eaten hot as a main dish: with bread, mămăligă, cheese or a piece of roast meat. It goes well with sour cream. Cold ghiveci is an excellent starter: spread it on dark bread.

The dish is even better on the second day: the vegetables soak up the sauce.

What to put next to it

Ghiveci goes well with simple things: a slice of country bread, pickled cucumbers, hot pepper, a glass of kefir or of dry white wine. At a festive table roast chicken or barbecue stands beside it: the vegetables balance the fatty meat. And if any ghiveci is left, in the morning you can warm it in a pan with an egg: it turns into a kind of Moldovan shakshuka.

Storage

In the fridge ghiveci keeps three or four days. It freezes well, but potatoes lose their texture after freezing. If you plan to freeze it, make it without potatoes.

Where it is cheaper: tomatoes

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