Heat the oil with the bay leaves in a large saucepan. Add the onion and green pepper and cook, stirring, over medium heat for about 15-20 minutes, until the vegetables are softened. Add the garlic, and stir for 30 seconds. Add the artichokes, fava beans, and peas. Bring the vegetable stock to a simmer in another pot. About 45 minutes to an hour before serving, preheat the oven to 350 °F.Add the rice, salt, pepper, and vegetable stock to the cooked vegetables. Put everything in a large oven-proof casserole. Place parchment paper on top of the mixture, cover the casserole tightly, and put into the oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes, and remove from oven. Allow to cool slightly, and serve with the optional grated Parmesan cheese.
If you are serving this for a Friday night Sabbath dinner, the timing should be as follows: prepare vegetables a few hours before candle-lighting. Have the vegetable broth at a simmer. Preheat the oven, and just before candle-lighting, set the sabbath mode on the oven at 350 °F., to turn off 40 minutes after candle-lighting (the extra 5 minutes is time enough to mix the rice, broth, etc. and put into the oven). Put the rice, vegetables, salt, pepper, and broth into the casserole with parchment paper as above; cover tightly, and place into the preheated oven. The rice is ready to remove from the oven any time after the oven turns off.