A very common Greek dish, our version of Ratatouille, can be prepared either on the stove (named Tourlou), or in the oven (known as Briam). This is a version of Tourlou, with a little touch of Asia. Many different vegetables and spices mingle here to give incredible depth of flavor, but try it anyway, even if missing a lot of them!
In a pan with a little oil, saute:
Onion, 1 medium pc, cut in small cubes
Leek, 1 medium pc, cut in thin rounds
Celery, 3 medium stalks, cut thinly
Garlic, 2 cloves, finely cut
Fennel Seeds, 1 tbs
until soft, adding the garlic and fennel seeds near the end. De-glaze with:
White wine, 2 tbsp
and add, the following ingredients which is best to have premixed in a bowl, and stir to coat everything well:
Tomato paste, 2 tbsp
Red curry paste, 1 tsp, plus more to your spice level
Cardamom powder, 1 tsp
Add:
Tomatoes, 2 pc, cut in the middle and grated
Sugar, 1 tsp
Add, the vegetables, which are cut to a thickness that will allow them to cook in the same time (for example carrot, which is harder, is cut thinly, whereas eggplant which cooks quicker should be cut thicker):
Potato, 1 big pc, cut in quarter moons of 3 cm thickness
Carrot, 1 big pc, cut in 1 cm half moons
Zucchini, 2 medium pc, cut in 3 cm rounds
Eggplant, 1 big pc, cut in roughly 4 * 4 cm pieces
Peppers, any color, 1, pc, cut in 2 cm thick strips
Cover and simmer, for 40 minutes, taking care not to let it dry out until the vegetables are cooked. Adjust seasoning, but adding salt, and a few drops of a mild vinegar if your way is towards acidic flavors. Turn heat off and for the final mingle add:
Oregano, dried, 1 tbsp
Parsley, 1/3 cup, thinly cut
Thyme, fresh 2 tbsp
I like to sprinkle some more olive oil on top before serving and I like to accompany this this with Greek yogurt or a mixture of yogurt with a soft cheese, like ricotta.