Briami / Oven roasted vegetables

Briami meaning "oven roasted vegetables", is a traditional Greek vegetarian dish. There are so many things to love about this dish - it's nutritious, colourful and incredibly delicious! A symphony of aromas play out in our kitchen, bringing a smile to all that experience it. We shared our Briami tonight with our neighbour Lilyana. Who might you share this dish with?  Our take on this recipe below, and we serve as a main dish. You can serve as a side, giving you more portions. Because the sauce is so beautifully rich and flavoursome, we have made sure to keep the remaining, to be used as a sauce back with lamb, chicken and fish. We wish we could install a button on our blog that you could press to release the aroma!

Rustic chopping begins

Finely sliced onions
(refer to previous post
chopping onions without tears)

finely chopped garlic

adding capsicum, zucchini, garlic, onion
to oven dish

Adding potato and tomatoes
 to oven dish

Eggplant,dried oregano
salt, pepper, lemon juice,
olive oil and hot water
added to dish

At this stage I remove dish from oven
after 30 mins of cooking time
 and add parsley and more
hot water, place into oven
for another 75minutes

Briami plated up, ready to serve!

Traditional Greek Briami "oven roasted vegetables"

serves 5 as main course

2 zucchini, cut into chunks

6 large potatoes, peeled and quartered into chunks

1 brown onion, finely sliced

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 red capsicums, cored, seeded and cut into chunks

1 eggplant thickly sliced

800g chopped canned tomatoes

150ml good quality extra virgin oil

250ml hot water

1/2 fresh lemon juice

1-2 tsp dried oregano

5 tbs chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

generous pinch of good quality salt and cracked black pepper

Preheat oven to 190 degrees

Wash all vegetables to dislodge any dirt/grit and then begin chopping

Thickly slice eggplant, season with salt and leave to rest for 15-30 mins on paper towel or in colander

(the salt will reduce any bitterness and can reduce the amount of oil they soak up during cooking)

Chop zucchini into chunks

Seed and core capsicums and cut into chunks

Finely slice onion (see previous post on chopping onions without tears)

Finely chop garlic

Add zucchini, capsicum, onion, garlic to deep oven dish

Peel and quarter potatoes into chunks and add to the oven dish

Wash eggplant to remove salt and pat dry with paper towel. Add to dish

Add canned tomatoes to dish covering vegetables

Mix well, then stir in 150ml olive oil, 150ml hot water and lemon juice

Add the dried oregano and season with salt and pepper

Check that mixture is spread evenly and your rustic dish is ready for the oven

Bake for 30 minutes at 190 degrees - ENJOY the incredible aromas!

Take out after 30 mins and stir in parsley and 100ml hot water

Return to oven and cook for another 75 minutes, increasing the temperature to 200 degrees for the final 15 minutes

Serve Briami in clay pot to complete your rustic dish (or any plate/bowl will do)

Reserve any leftover sauce and use with lamb, chicken or fish

Sprinkle with a little more parsley and serve

ENJOY! -X-

Rack of Lamb / Garlic and Rosemary potatoes

A dish we have cooked on many occasions, especially for friends. This recipe always gets a great response! The best part about this dish is in the preparation - the aromas of the garlic and rosemary make our heart sing! Turn on your favourite tunes, pour a glass of your favourite wine and have fun.

prepare lamb with rosemary and garlic, cover
 then refrigerate for 30 mins - 1 hr

Rosemary and Garlic potatoes par-boiled
and ready for oven

Rack of lamb ready to be served

Rack of Lamb with Rosemary and Garlic potatoes

serves 3

Rack of Lamb from your local butcher

5 cloves garlic

1 bunch finely chopped rosemary from your garden or market

salt, for seasoning (we used Himalayan Pink Rock salt)

cracked black pepper, for seasoning

4 large or 6 small potatoes, peeled and sliced 5mm or 1/2 cm and par-boil

1/2 lemon

6 tbs infused oil* or plain olive oil - 2tbs for lamb marinade and 4 tbs for potato dish (you may use less, just go with your own feel)

salad;

spinach leaves, washed

cherry tomatoes, washed and halved

marinated feta (you can buy from any deli or market)

To prepare the lamb;

Make a garlic paste using 2 cloves garlic (refer to our previous post Monday January 30th for step by step guide) and place into small bowl

Finely chop 2 tbs rosemary and add to bowl

Add generous pinch of cracked black pepper and salt (if you used salt to make your garlic paste then you will need only half the amount of salt)

Add two tbs of infused olive oil (refer to our previous post Monday February 6th for an easy step by step guide) or just plain olive oil, squeeze of lemon and mix together

Make small slits into lamb with knife

Massage mixture over the lamb and gently into the slits

Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for 30mins - 1hr

To prepare Rosemary and Garlic potatoes;

Start the peeled and sliced potatoes in cold water and bring to boil. Par-boil the potato slices and 2-3 garlic cloves (in their skin) for 10mins. Drain and refresh in cold water to stop cooking process. Make sure they are only partly cooked, otherwise they will turn to mush in the oven if over boiled.

Place potatoes in oven dish. Remove garlic from their skins and break up into small pieces over the potatoes. Season potatoes with salt. Take your infused olive oil* or plain olive oil and drizzle over potatoes then mix ready for the oven. Turn on oven and pre-heat to 200 degrees.

Take out lamb from refrigerator. You may want to wrap the ends/bones with foil so they don't burn. Place lamb into oven dish. Place both lamb and potatoes into oven for 20 - 30 mins. Keep the lamb medium-rare. Remove from oven, cover with foil and allow lamb to rest for a further ten minutes - this will allow the juices to be absorbed back into the meat.

Check your potatoes and remove or further roast while lamb resting. The idea is to have the potatoes slightly crisp and golden around the edges and moist in the centre.

To plate up place potatoes in centre of plate and place 2 pieces lamb on top.

Serve with salad

ENJOY -X-

Rosemary and Garlic infused oil

We missed our Thursday cooking tip last week, so here it is!

Rosemary and Garlic Infused Oil

This is easy peasy! 

Pour good quality olive oil into a sterilized jar (you will find this in our earlier posts)

Add garlic cloves and rosemary

Seal with tightly fitted lid

Leave for 2 weeks in a cool dry dark area

After 2 weeks your oil is ready to go. Twist open the lid and smell those incredible aromas!

Once opened store your oil the same way - cool dark dry area

ENJOY!

**you can make all types of oils using different herbs and spices and then add to your favourite dishes