• Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Prepare the base:

• Peel, halve, and slice the onion.
• Halve the cherry tomatoes.
• Peel and slice the garlic.
• Pick the parsley leaves and set them to one side.
• Add the onion, tomatoes, garlic, parsley stems, cinnamon, fennel, Italian herbs, salt, pepper, and olive oil to the roasting dish and gently stir everything together.
• Put the dish in the oven and roast for 50 minutes

Prepare the topping vegetables:

• Trim the eggplant and zucchini and cut into ¼-inch rounds.
• Cut the medium tomatoes into ¼-inch­thick slices.
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Carry on cooking:

• Remove the dish from the oven and increase the temperature to 425° F.
• Add the stock cube, tomato paste, and boiling water to a pitcher and stir until the stock cube has dissolved.
• Sprinkle the rice evenly over the roasting dish.
• Gently pour in the stock to cover the rice.
• Arrange the eggplant, zucchini, and tomato slices attractively over the rice, working in rows or in a spiral from the outside to the middle, until the rice is completely covered.
• Season with salt and pepper, seal the dish tightly with foil, put it in the oven, and roast for 15 minutes.

Finish the dish:

• Take the dish out of the oven and carefully remove the foil {watch out for steam).
• Turn the broiler to max and put the dish underneath.
• Broil for 10-15 minutes, until the top has turned golden and lightly crispy.
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Serve:

• Garnish with the parsley leaves.
• Spoon into serving dishes and serve immediately with a simple green salad.