We’ve just entered a somewhat bittersweet and nostalgic season. Last weekend we went to the mountains as we felt the need to be there again now that summer is finally over. Let’s not forget that we live in Greece and summer in Greece is intertwined with being near the sea. We’re extremely lucky to be able to have access to such different landscapes, both near the sea or the mountains. The first signs of autumn have appeared and trees have already worn their orange and yellow outfits. We stood in awe in front of all this beauty and felt so happy and grateful for the stunning miracle of nature but also a bit gloomy and sad, thinking that the light of day slowly decreases and the growing night falls earlier.

What a strange feeling.. I also felt this way when I walked into our veggie garden. I could see all our new plants growing fast, broccoli, cabbage and a bunch of other vegetables. At the same time, I could see our summer crop slowly coming to an end but still going strong! The weather up here helps late fruits and veggies last longer.

Thus, we still have wonderful, delicious tomatoes, peppers and zucchinis, a bit smaller but equally beautiful aubergines, I even found a few strawberries almost next to our already fully grown apple trees! It sounds so bizarre, being able to eat strawberries and apples at the same time!

I’m determined to not let our lovely fresh produce go to waste, so I try to come up with new ideas and recipes every day and I keep giving full baskets of super fresh fruits&veggies away to family and friends. They’re so tasteful and aromatic, as if they’ve absorbed as much sunlight and heat as possible and they deserve to be shared with our loved ones.  I know they won’t last long though, once warm summer days are over and chilly, crisp nights make their appearance, they will sadly die away.

Figuring out how to make good use of our summer basket -that came filled with wonderful, fresh veggies again- isn’t an easy task, so I thought I’d help by sharing with you a dish that I mostly make during summer. I wasn’t the one who came up with the recipe –and I have no idea who did, to be honest- but my mom has been making it ever since I can remember myself. At some point, I noticed that I hadn’t seen this dish at any other home but ours.

That’s when I learned from my mother that this dish originated in Serbia and it’s called Djuvec. It’s actually considered a very common dish in Serbia, so common that you could find a packaged version of this particular mix of veggies in supermarkets, ready to use in your Djuvec! As you can easily imagine, djuvec is a Turkish word, also known as youvetsi! In our case, a vegetarian youvetsi! I really love this mixture of different cultures and culinary habits, all these different bits and bobs that we can borrow from foreign cuisines and then add our very own personal touch, an element of uniqueness!

The greatest part of our dish today is the variety of different veggies you can add to it, creating a truly nutritious and healthy meal for your loved ones. It contains pretty much all summer vegetables; green beans, tomato, peppers, zucchinis, aubergines.. And on top of all that, the rice makes all the difference.

I just love how sweet the rice tastes after soaking up all the delicious juices and flavours from the vegetables. This dish also feels like the perfect Sunday meal, homemade and comforting, coming out of the oven steaming hot and appetising. I don’t really know why I love this kind of dishes so much but I do know how nurtured and loved they make me feel. After all, isn’t cooking for the ones you love a true act of care and affection? I would also easily categorise this recipe as an “olive oil braised” dish that can be just as enjoyable the next day, perhaps even more delicious. I like to combine it with yogurt and it’s just phenomenal!