Karen Wright: Deliciously healthy slow roasted vegetables prepared Greek way
When the event was over, I was asked if I wanted to take any of it home.
Well, of course, I did!
All of it was top quality heritage produce.
I had tomatoes of every colour, shape and size. Green and purple runner beans, a yellow courgette and a few young beetroots.
I was pondering how to use all these things in one dish...
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Hide AdI decided on briam, a Greek dish that is common in Greek homes but rarely found on a tourist menu.
Briam is simplicity itself to prepare and totally scrumptious.
Based on tomatoes and potatoes, it is a one-pot slow baked dish.
I used all the food I had, plus a large onion, potatoes and some garlic and herbs.
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Hide AdFirstly, I sliced all the tomatoes thickly. My tip with tomatoes is not to use them directly from the fridge as the cold blocks the flavour. In fact, I keep mine in a bowl on the kitchen worktop.
I sliced up the courgette into thick chunks and peeled and diced the beetroot.
Next, I chopped up a couple of baking potatoes into chunks (I didn’t peel them) and sliced up the onion.
All these ingredients I put into a large bowl and poured in a couple of glugs of rapeseed oil and tossed everything around.
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Hide AdThen I put everything into an ovenproof dish, seasoned with salt and pepper, scattered over some oregano and laid a few big cloves of garlic on the top.
I baked for about an hour and a half in a moderate oven.
I then increased the temperature to hot, splashed in some white wine and tomato puree and mixed it around. I continued to bake the briam until all the liquid was absorbed.
Once out of the oven, I crumbled feta cheese on top and served the dish with crusty bread.
A deliciously different vegetarian meal. Just omit the cheese for a vegan option.
For more tips and recipes visit my website at http://www.karenwrightbakes.co.uk