The Greek version of ratatouille is called briam and it’s delicious, full of hearty veggies and extra virgin olive oil goodness. Pair it with good feta cheese and crusty bread to dip in the sauce!
Briam is the kind of food you can’t keep you hands off. Whenever I make it I find myself being in the kitchen more often, sneaking out a potato or dipping a piece of bread to that glorious olive oil sauce. I treat it as a snack, or load it up in a lunch bowl with crumbled feta and a piece of bread. I don’t bother to heat it up because it tastes great at room temperature. It is a lovely dish with the aroma of Greece and endless summers.
The veggies are the stars and they truly shine. Their flavors mingle together perfectly and create a delicious dish. You can serve it as a side dish or be like me and all the greeks I know and have it as a main dish with bread to dip and good feta on the side.
Ingredients
- 1 onion halved and sliced
- 1 eggplant cut in 1/3 inch slices
- 1 zucchini cut in 1/3 inch slices
- 1 yellow squash cut in 1/3 inch slices
- 5-6 medium potatoes sliced in 1/6 inch slices
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 28 oz tomatoes crushed
- 3-4 garlic cloves smashed
- 1 cup olive oil extra virgin
- fresh thyme leaves
- Greek oregano
- 1 tbs honey
- sea salt
- freshly ground pepper
- 1 cup broth – can be chicken or veggie
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F
- Arrange the eggplant slices in a baking sheet, sprinkle some olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 15 min. Remove from oven and add the eggplant to a large baking pan. You can also prepare them using the method used for the potatoes and the squash/zucchini slices (See step 4).
- Season the potatoes, the zucchini and the squash with salt and pepper,
- Add a couple of tbsp of olive oil in a sauté pan. In medium heat sauté the potato slices, 4-5 at a time for about 2-3 minutes each side. Remove from pan and add potatoes to the baking pan. Repeat until all potatoes are done. Repeat same process for the zucchini and squash slices. Add everything to the baking pan.
- Add 2 tbsp olive oil to the sauté pan. Sauté the onion slices and the garlic for 1-2 minutes. Add the cherry tomatoes and the thyme leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Mix everything together gently. Sauté for another 2-3 minutes. Add tomatoes and onions to the baking pan.
- Gently mix everything together. Add the crushed tomatoes, the broth and the honey. Add 1/3 cup of olive oil. Mix everything together and bake for 2 hours. Half way, mix everything gently together again.
- Serve with feta cheese and crusty warm bread.
- Briam is even better the next day. Enjoy!
Nutrition
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