Sunday, February 10, 2013

Greek Briam (Roasted Vegetables, Greek Style)
The easiest vegetarian Greek dish you'll make!


Before I get to today's recipe, I just wanted to say that after only a few weeks of blogging I've been really humbled by the response I've received. It's so nice to know that people are reading and relating to my posts. It really motivates me to want to build this blog into something that not only provides me with a creative outlet, but inspires others to embrace Greek vegetarian cooking, or perhaps persuades those that are thinking of becoming vegetarians, to go all the way.

I know there are just a handful of you so far, but I want you all to know how much I love reading your comments and how happy it makes me that you are enjoying what you see here :)


And one more thing before I tell you about Greek Briam. Tony and I are very excited about a little job we will be doing together today. We will be volunteering at Edgar's Mission – a sanctuary for rescued farm animals. I will be writing a bit about our day in my next post, but for now, let's get making some Greek Briam!


This is a dish that is so easy you won't even realise you've made it. It's basically oven-roasted vegetables, Greek style. And it's simply the herbs, garlic and olive oil that gives these vegetables that classic, unmistakable Greek flavour.

If it's a warm day, open your doors and windows and let the aromas from the kitchen be shared with your neighbours, just like a Greek village at lunchtime!


Greek Briam (Roasted Vegetables, Greek Style)


Serves 4–6

Ingredients

  • 2 potatoes
  • 3 zucchinis (courgettes)
  • 2 eggplants
  • 2 green capsicums
  • 2 onions
  • 2 large ripe tomatoes
  • 5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
  • 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, roughly chopped
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 150 ml olive oil
  • 500 ml water
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 200g feta cheese

Instructions

  1. Slice all the vegetables into round pieces, about 1 centimetre thick.
  2. Place all the ingredients in a large oven dish and bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees celsius.
  3. After one hour, remove dish from the oven and use the back of a fork to press the vegetables down into the liquid.
  4. Turn oven up to 200 degrees celsius and return dish to the oven for another 30 minutes, until most of the water has evaporated and only the oil and some vegetable juices remain.

Allow everyone a generous helping of briam with loads of feta cheese crumbled over the top. The vegetables can be served warm or at room temperature and of course the flavours are even better the next day.

The vegetables and their juices also freeze really well, portioned into zip-lock freezer bags or air-tight freezer containers. Just pop a bag in the refrigerator the night before to defrost, then empty the vegetables into a baking dish, cover with foil and heat in the oven at 180 degrees for 20 minutes.

This post is linked with Veggie Mama's blog for Meatless Monday.


22 comments:

  1. I've been making this dish for years but had no idea what it was called... I should have guessed it was Greek 'cos of the feta. It's a great way to get rid of excess zucchini from the garden and it's handy to know it can be frozen (I've never tried that, but there aren't usually any left-overs in our house).

    Thanks for a great blog... looking forward to more Greek vego recipes.

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    1. Hi Helen and thanks for dropping by! Another vegetable gardener for me to envy! And I hear that zucchinis are growing in abundance everywhere at the moment. The feta definitely completes this dish though - that salty creaminess just works so well with the veggies.

      Hope to see you here again soon!

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    2. Heather, I'm sorry for calling you Helen!! Silly dyslexic brain of mine. Please, call me Jennifer whenever you like!!!

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  2. Oh gosh, I actually have tears in my eyes reading this recipe. I mentioned in a previous email that my favourite vegetarian meal, many years ago, was Greek roasted veges from a cafe in Chapel Street called Patra. (Perhaps that email prompted you to post this?). It seemed like it should be a simple thing to make, but I never worked out how to get it just right. I think this might be it. Boy, am I going to try this soon!! Thank you so much!

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    1. Isn't it wonderful finding an answer to something you've been wondering about for years? I do remember you mentioning the dish a while ago, but I had forgotten all about it when I was putting this post together. Must have been subconsciously sitting in the back of my mind!

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    2. And tonight's the night! I've got no commitments, and I've already bought the feta (from the deli in the arcade downstairs here... don't know why I didn't think of it before). I'll let you know how it goes!

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  3. This looks absolutely delicious, my family are going to love it. It looks so easy too, win win!
    xx

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    1. Thanks Mrs BC! It is a great family dish and works as a fairly substantial meal with some rice on the side, and of course a generous handful of fetta!

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  4. I love no hassle dishes like these. You can really never go wrong with roasting veggies, can you? :)

    It's surprising to me that your blog is so new! I'd hate for you to see what my photos and recipes looked like in my first few months. ;) Definitely nothing like this!

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    1. Thank you so much Kiersten! But you know, I've basically got not much else to do with my time. I lost my job last year and am now a struggling freelancer with the blog as my main creative outlet. I love doing this, especially the photography – setting up the shots in my little makeshift studio is so much fun – but I realise I'm also at risk of burning out too quickly. I just have to hope this burst of enthusiasm doesn't have the opposite effect of the incredibly amazing journey with blogging that you've experienced. In a few months I could be just another flash in the pan. I'm not planning on that though!

      Your blog is fantastic Kiersten. It's a constant inspiration for me :)

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    2. Ah, fantastic, another recipe blog. Thanks Kiersten. Looks great. I can foresee another use for the iPad - as a recipe book in the kitchen.

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  5. this is unbelievable. just last night, i was thinking about briam! when my husband and i went to greece on our honeymoon close to 3 years ago, it was sometimes difficult for me to find food to eat(i'm vegan and gluten-free). for some of our vacation, we were on a cruise of the greek islands. every night for dinner, the kitchen prepared for me gf bread and steamed vegetables, as nothing they offered on the menu i could eat. EXCEPT! one night they served briam and i could eat it! they said it was an old greek peasant meal and i thought it was the most delicious thing i ever ate. my husband let me eat his, too. three years later, and after numerous times of googling "briam" i could never find a recipe worth trying. and, i still day dream about it(like last night). THANK YOU!! i will be making this soon ;)

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    1. That's a wonderful story Caitlin and I'm thrilled that you found my post after thinking about briam! The Greek peasant aromas from this page must have beckoned you over here! I hope you have a chance to try this recipe. There's a lot of oil and a lot of garlic, but that's what give this dish that Greek village flavour.

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  6. I saw your recent upload on Flickr and followed it all the way here.
    This dish looks very delicious and the break down of the process to make it sounds easy enough.
    I will have to give this a try soon. I love roasted vegetables and the thought (and taste) of adding feta cheese to it is making my mouth water from just reading your blog entry!

    Thanks for the information!

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    1. Thanks for dropping by Chad-Ivan! That's great you came here via Flickr. I hope you get a chance to make Briam. The feta really enhances this dish. I might have to make another batch now just thinking about it!!

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  7. Came here after some blog-hopping (Veggie Belly & Edible Garden), and I must say I am glad I came over here...
    I have been introduced to Greek food from what little I ate at a Mediterranean restaurant here and have loved it... And like you said, I am working at Vegetarianizing whatever do-able recipes I come across... Am gonna be a regular visitor here! Love your blog! :)

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    1. Welcome Preethi! I'm glad you came by too! As you can see, my blog is very new but I'd love to see it grow into something everyone can enjoy and be inspired by. Hope to see you here again soon!

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  8. Oh, this dish brings back memories, and makes me so homesick. Although I am Dutch, I lived in Athens for 8 years, and was in love from the moment I stepped on Greek soil!
    I never found it hard to find vegetarian food, by the way, quite the contrary, as long as you eat in small, local restaurants.
    I am so happy to have found your blog, via Souvlaki for the Soul. And, although I wish you well in finding an interesting job soon, I hope you'll also be able to keep up this blog!
    Ina.

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    1. Hello Ina, I'm so glad you found my blog! I'm a big fan of Souvlaki for the Soul :)

      Since I started this blog I have actually been doing quite a bit of freelance graphic design work which has been great but it does take up a lot of my time and to be honest, all I really want to do is write on the blog!!!

      I'm glad the Briam has brought back memories of your time in Athens. Yes, I agree, the smaller restaurants in Greece have many healthy vegetarian dishes - I especially love the long list of vegetarian meze they often have on their menus.

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  9. This brings me back home growing up in Athens the smells of everything when my mom would put it together before it hit the oven!!! Serve with crusty Greek bread to dip in the sauce and feta and kalamata olives omg!!! I'm making tonite I gotta have it!!

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    1. Hi Kostas, great to see a fellow Greeksman here! We cook briam a lot at home here in Australia but somehow it's never quite the same as cooking it in Greece :) And the smells in the kitchen – I'm definitely looking forward to those authentic cooking smells when we go back to Greece in a few months. We stay at an old family house with relatives in Limnos where we have a traditional furno – imagine briam cooking in that!!

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  10. Hi Lisa, I am so happy to have found your website! I love visiting the Greek islands and adore the food. My son loved briam on a recent trip to Skiathos, so finding your recipe for this and a huge collection of other recipes has been fabulous. I will (over time) be trying them all! Thank you so much. Charlotte.

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