Briam-Vegetable Casserole
Briam is a simple Greek vegetable casserole prepared according to traditional recipes based on potatoes, aubergines and zucchini with the addition of tomatoes, garlic and parsley, watered quite heavily with olive oil. This recipe has many modifications, which differ from each other in the ingredients added or the way it is prepared.
Ingredients for 4 – 5 servings:
5 potatoes (600 g)
1 eggplant, medium (400 g)
1 zucchini, medium (400 g)
1 onion, medium
salt and black pepper
olive oil
1 can chopped tomatoes
4 cloves of garlic
1/2 can of water
3/4 tsp cane sugar
a good pinch of salt
a good pinch of black pepper
2 – 3 tomatoes
1/4 – 1/3 cup olive oil
salt and black pepper
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 250 degrees, top down. Peel the potatoes and cut them into thin slices. Lightly grease a large casserole dish with olive oil, sprinkle with potatoes and sprinkle thoroughly with salt and pepper.
Cut the eggplant into half slices, cut the zucchini into half slices as well, cut the onion into half-moons and then cut them in half to make it shorter. Sprinkle everything over the potatoes, sprinkle with salt and stir lightly.
Add chopped tomatoes, garlic, sugar, salt and pepper to the blender jug. Fill a tomato tin halfway with water and add to the rest of the ingredients. Blend briefly, just enough to crush the garlic and tomatoes and pour over the vegetables.
Finally, cut the tomatoes into slices, place on top, pour olive oil over the whole thing and wrap them thoroughly in foil or cover tightly with a lid. Slide into a hot oven and bake for 45 – 60 minutes, covered.
After this time uncover, the sauce should be boiling and bubbling intensely, and the potatoes should be tender. If this is not the case, bake for another 5 – 15 minutes, covered.
Once the bubbling sauce effect is achieved, uncover the dish and bake for 15 – 30 minutes without the lid, until they are browned as in the photo and almost all the water has evaporated. You can see it in this video. Good for both hot and cold. Refrigerate for up to 5 days.