Back home we call this claypot jumble dish guvece. It’s made with smoked sausage and cheese, and pretty much whatever you find in the fridge that can add to the flavours. This easy authentic Balkan dish is great for a quick meal and is filling and delicious.

HISTORY OF GUVECE?

If you have read my post about the Turkish Vegan Guvec, you probably know that the name guvec is used for the traditional Balkan cooking claypots, as well as the dishes we make in these pots which are similar to a casserole. The Guvec cooking trend in the Balkans started with the Ottomans. All nations in the region use these casserole dishes and have developed their own traditional Guvec recipes. Cooking in guvec claypot is easy and extremely versatile. You can make vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian and meat dishes in them. When making a meal in a guvec dish, very little liquids are added, the pot is covered tightly with a lid and the ingredients cook in their own juices inside.

Guvece is a small guvec claypot that is enough to serve one person. There are variety of easy and wonderful recipes that can be prepared in these mini casserole pots.

Guvec recipes on my blog:

• Turkish Lamb Guvec
• Turkish Vegan Guvec

HOW TO MAKE MY EASY CLAYPOT JUMBLE – GUVECE?

📋 INGREDIENTS IN MY CLAYPOT JUMBLE DISH

The main ingredients in this dish are the smoked sausage and the yellow cheese. The rest of the ingredients can very. The easiest way to describe the dish is just think of your favourite pizza toppings and add them to the clay pot dish. Isn’t that fun! These are the ingredients I use:

Sausage: You can use any smoked sausage of your choice. I make the dish most often with thick German frankfurters, but any large frankfurters will work in this recipe. You can also use chorizo. Slice the sausage into bite-sized chunks. This is a rustic dish and all the ingredients are cut into large pieces.

Yellow Cheese: I find using mild cheddar in this recipe works best because mild cheese has a higher percentage of fat and melts nicely in the dish. You can substitute the yellow cheese with feta or mozzarella if you prefer.

Onion: You can use shallots, red, yellow or white onion. If you like garlic, add one halved clove to each pot.

Gherkins, olives & Capers: These pickles add a wonderful tangy savour and a beautiful crunchiness to the dish.

Tomatoes: I use good quality canned Italian plum tomatoes and add some of the liquid from the can mixed with a little bit of water to make a nice sauce with the dish.

Spice: If you have read my posts, you won’t be surprised that I use savoury spice in this recipe. However, if savoury is not available, you can use mixed herbs or oregano instead.

Chilli: Add a few slices of mild red chilli to your guvece (clay pot). They have wonderful sweetness and piquant flavour.

📖 STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

As already explained, the dish is prepared in individual small claypots. You can use petite cast iron or ceramic pots with lids, if you don’t have mini claypots.

Alternatively, make the dish in a large clay or cast iron pot and serve it in individual plates. It’s essential the dish to be cooked covered with a lid.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/392°F. Reduce the temperature slightly for fan-assisted oven.

Step 1: Gather your ingredients

Peel and cut the onions into quarters. Cut the sausage and the gherkins into bite-size slices. Cut the cheese and the butter into cubes.

You can slice the olives and the garlic in halves, if you like, or add them whole to the claypots.

Step 2: ADD EVERYTHING TO THE CLAY POT

Place the onions on the bottom and arrange a variety of ingredients on top. Make sure the ingredients are distributed evenly in the dish. Break the canned plum tomato and stir them in the claypots to coat all the ingredients in them. Dilute some of the tomato juice from the can with a little water and pour it over the ingredients. They will create a flavoursome sauce in the dish.

Place one medium-size cube of butter in each mini claypot and sprinkle the dry spices on top. Do not add salt to the dish, you don’t need it. The cheese and the pickles are already salty. Cover the pots with the lids.

STEP 3: COOK THE CLAYPOT JUMBLE IN THE OVEN

If you have added too much liquid and the lids on your pots are light, some of the sauce may bubble out of the dish during the cooking. To prevent mess in the oven, place the ready-to-cook clay pots on an oven tray. You can cover the tray with foil to avoid washing it later.

Place the Claypot Jumble in the middle of the hot oven and cook for 20 minutes.

WHEN TO ADD THE EGG/S?

When the guveces are nearly cooked, take them out of the oven and break one egg in each pot . If you are cooking the guvec in a large dish, add more eggs. I use one egg per portion when I am making the dish. Do not cover the pots when you return them to the oven. Cook the eggs to your liking. I leave mine for 10 minutes. Take the claypots out of the oven and let them cool for 5-10 minutes than serve.

🍲 SERVE MY DELICIOUS JuMBLE DISH

Serve the individual mini casseroles with a side plate, a spoon and a fork. Add a couple of spoonfuls of the dish in your side plate because it will be very hot coming out of the oven. Enjoy your meal with fresh bread and salad on the side.