Tourlou / Greek ratatouille
This is without a doubt one of the most popular and simplest olive oil-based summer dishes with the easiest recipe; just mix and sauté all the fresh summer veggies you have at home and then transfer all the ingredients to a casserole that goes straight to the oven! That’s all. That's Tourlou, a slightly messier version of Briam. In Greece, Briam is also known as Tourlou (word that describes a variety of different things mixed together) precisely because this is a dish made with all sorts of vegetables mixed together.
If you don’t have all the vegetables included in this recipe or if you feel like adding something extra, it’s perfectly ok, there’s no right or wrong when it comes to this dish, after all this recipe is all about mixing all kinds of different veggies!
Juicy and delicious on its own, but also screaming for a bit of cheese and sopping the luscious sauce up with bread. A bunch of different herbs, like spearmint, basil or parsley will add an irresistible fresh scent to this vitamin-rich dish.
Probably not the most photogenic dish you’ve ever seen but that won’t really matter at all as soon as you taste it.
Tourlou is definitely on our summer menu at least once a week, partly thanks to all the fresh vegetables we pick from our veggie garden and partly because it’s just super easy to make –if we want to be completely honest. Who would say no to such a delicious zero-effort dish that is ready in no-time? I usually prefer to make a generous quantity that will last for a couple of days.
It’s no secret that olive oil-based dishes are always tastier the next day, especially when they’re cold. Everyone knows that. All the ingredients seem to have blended perfectly, releasing their scents and enhancing the flavour of the dish.
Don’t miss the chance to make all these amazing Mediterranean recipes now that summer vegetables are still super fresh and fragrant. Nothing feels more homelike and comforting than this kind of recipes, yet delicious and healthy at the same time. Ask your children to join you, pick the vegetables together and allow them to be part of the process of preparing this dish. Getting to know all about the value of vegetables and appreciate homemade food will be a precious lesson for them.
Ingredients
2 medium aubergines cut in medium sized pieces
6 medium zucchinis cut in about the same size as the aubergines
2 bell peppers (1 red, 1 yellow) cut in about the same size as the rest of the veggies
6-8 zucchini blossoms
2 medium potatoes, cut in about the same size as the rest of the veggies
1 medium onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
2-3 medium soft tomatoes, grated
½ bunch spearmint, chopped
½ bunch basil, chopped
½ bunch parsley, chopped
½ cup olive oil
Salt, pepper
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 190C. Wash and clean all the vegetables. Cut them in about the same size so that they’ll be cooked in the same time approximately.
2. In a deep pan heat the olive oil. Sauté the onion. Add the garlic and continue sautéing on low heat until they release their scent. Add all the vegetables gradually besides the tomato. Sauté the vegetables, season with salt and pepper and add the grated tomato. Add the herbs and cook for about 5-6 minutes.
3. Pour the ingredients into a casserole or a deep tray. If needed, you can add a bit of water but remember that the vegetables will release their juices too. Put the casserole in the oven for about 30-40 minutes. Serve with feta cheese or any white cheese you prefer. When cold, it goes really well with yogurt as well.
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