I have to say that as a family we are guilty of not eating enough vegetables. My daughter eats a fair amount, although fruit goes down much better. She loves fruit, which makes my life easier too, as it means there is less cooking and prepping involved; peel the banana/pear and we are done! This, in turn, means that I don't make that much of an effort to cook vegetables for us either.
There are some days though, when I really feel like eating veg. Not just a salad, but a 'meal' of vegetables. That's when my Greek roots really come in handy. Greek food is mostly known for its meat (lamb to be precise), but vegetarian food is just as popular in the daily diet, if not more so. Greek seasonal vegetable dishes are a fantastic and untapped resource for vegetarians worldwide.
In the comments of my 'Lahanorizo' post, Cathy asked me about Briam. This recipe is a summer dish, as it uses vegetables such as courgettes and aubergines. At home it was always served with a load of bread and big chunks of feta cheese. Obviously a fresh salad on the side is also recommended if you want to get it as Greek as you can!
Serves 4
1/2 kilo of potatoes, peeled and cut in 2.5cm thick chunks or cubes
1/2 kilo of courgettes in 2.5cm chunks
1 or 2 aubergines, in 2.5cm chunks
1 or 2 green peppers, cut into squares
1 large onion, in chunks
500ml of passata, tinned chopped tomatoes or fresh chopped tomatoes
100ml of olive oil
2-3 tbs fresh parsley, chopped
Cut all the vegetables and add them to a large baking dish. Pour the olive oil and tomatoes over the vegetables and add the parsley. Mix it all in the baking dish, along with some salt and pepper. Bake in a preheated oven at 150 C (fan oven) for 1.5 hours. Do not cover the dish, but check it and mix it every 20 minutes and add some water if it dries out. Kali orexi!
There are some days though, when I really feel like eating veg. Not just a salad, but a 'meal' of vegetables. That's when my Greek roots really come in handy. Greek food is mostly known for its meat (lamb to be precise), but vegetarian food is just as popular in the daily diet, if not more so. Greek seasonal vegetable dishes are a fantastic and untapped resource for vegetarians worldwide.
In the comments of my 'Lahanorizo' post, Cathy asked me about Briam. This recipe is a summer dish, as it uses vegetables such as courgettes and aubergines. At home it was always served with a load of bread and big chunks of feta cheese. Obviously a fresh salad on the side is also recommended if you want to get it as Greek as you can!
Serves 4
1/2 kilo of potatoes, peeled and cut in 2.5cm thick chunks or cubes
1/2 kilo of courgettes in 2.5cm chunks
1 or 2 aubergines, in 2.5cm chunks
1 or 2 green peppers, cut into squares
1 large onion, in chunks
500ml of passata, tinned chopped tomatoes or fresh chopped tomatoes
100ml of olive oil
2-3 tbs fresh parsley, chopped
Cut all the vegetables and add them to a large baking dish. Pour the olive oil and tomatoes over the vegetables and add the parsley. Mix it all in the baking dish, along with some salt and pepper. Bake in a preheated oven at 150 C (fan oven) for 1.5 hours. Do not cover the dish, but check it and mix it every 20 minutes and add some water if it dries out. Kali orexi!
