BRIAM (GREEK RATATOUILLE)

Briam is a rustic Greek oven baked vegetable medley. Think roasted potatoes, courgettes, eggplant, tomatoes and onions, generously doused in olive oil, garlic and herbs like oregano and parsley until everything becomes tender and slightly caramelised. It originates from rural Greece as a peasant dish celebrating seasonal produce and frugal simplicity, with regional variations (some add peppers, others include feta or a splash of tomato purée). In Greece people enjoy briam as a communal, family style dish served warm or at room temperature, often alongside crusty bread, olives and a chunk of feta, and it’s a staple at summer lunches, taverna tables and meze spreads where everyone scoops from the same pan, savouring its comforting, sun soaked flavours.

You don’t needs to the vertical layering, or even cut as thin strips, a lot of the time the vegetables and chopped into medium pieces before rolling through the sauce and baking for a simple vegetable tray bake. Even I get over the layering and end up just through the leftover layers into the middle of the pan.

BRIAM (GREEK RATATOUILLE)

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BRIAM (GREEK RATATOUILLE) 〰️

(GREEK VEGETABLE TRAY BAKE)

Time: 1 hour + 40 minutes
Serves: 4-5

700ml passata

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 table spoons dried oregano

1 table spoon cracked black pepper

1 red onion

1 red capsicum

1 eggplant

2 zucchini

3 small potatoes, washed

Olive oil

Salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius, fan forced.

In a large baking tray add in passata, minced garlic, oregano, black pepper 2 table spoons olive oil and salt to taste and mix together. Add about 100ml of water into the passata jar and shake and add the tomato water in as well.

Begin to chop the red onion, red capsicum, eggplant, zucchini and potatoes into roughly chopped cubes, it doesn’t have to be nice cut, but a good sized cube cut. Add all the vegetables into the pan and roll through the flavoured passata, covering everything. Wipe down the sides with paper towel and then place in over for 30 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius and then give everything a mix and lower temperature to 180 degrees Celsius and roast for another 60 minutes.

Once charred and cooked through, season with salt to taste and serve up with rice and through some spaghetti.