RATATOUILLE

 

                                                

 

An old friend brought a wonderfully tasty briam for our bridge, lunch.  Briam is a popular Greek vegetable dish, similar to ratatouille, a dish from the south of France.  Being inspired by Dick’s recipe, I used leftover vegetables to prepare a roast vegetable salad.

 

2 onions, peeled and cut into sixths or eights 

2 carrots, scraped, and thickly sliced on a slant

2 red bell peppers, stalks removed, deseeded, and cut into bite-sized pieces

1 large aubergine, partly peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces

2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 large courgettes, scraped and sliced on a slant

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste         

¼ tsp Cayenne pepper

125 ml (½ cup) olive oil

 

2 large tomatoes, peeled deseeded and cubed

250 ml (1 cup) tomato juice

¼ cup basil leaves

 

Mix the first 10 ingredients well together, and place in a single layer in a baking dish, doubled- lined with parchment.  Roast in an oven preheated to 180 C (350 F) until the vegetables are cooked but still slightly crunchy.  

 

Then collect the vegetables at the centre of the tin, place the tomato cubes evenly on top, pour the tomato juice over, sprinkle with chopped basil and roast for 12-15 minutes more.  Spoon the briam or ratatouille in a serving dish or bowl and serve warm or cold with feta and warm, crusty bread.