Last night my kitchen was a MESS. One lazy night, followed by one late-home (and therefore cooking late) night meant the stove top was a mess, the dishwasher was full until overflowing and it seemed like every single pan and piece of cutlery had already been used.
However, I was home early, which meant I had time to cook and clean up, which made this recipe from Albion Cooks very attractive. While it does take about an hour to cook, it’s low maintenance. Ten minutes of chopping ingredients and then it cooked away in the oven, leaving me time to sort out the feral mess.
I wanted to make it from ingredients I already had in the cupboard and fridge, hence I’ve made quite a few changes – broccoli instead of cauliflower, chick peas instead of tofu, fresh herbs and so on. It’s a flexible recipe and a good example of how one idea can be changed and re-interpreted, according to what’s in the cupboard – from the original version by Gluten Free Goddess to Catherine’s version, through to mine.
While it won’t freeze very well, it will be be just as good the next day for lunch.
Greek style vegetable gratin
This recipe makes three portions, although you could stretch it out to four if you served it with some rice. I’ve been using Danish fetta a lot recently, I like its softer texture and mild flavour. Plus its lower in total and saturated fat than most other fettas. Serves 3 – 4.
- Small bunch of broccoli (c. 250g), cut into florets
- 3 small potatoes (c. 300g), cut into 1.5cm cubes
- 2 zucchinis, cut in half lengthways and then into 1.5cm slices
- 1 red onion, cut into 6 wedges
- 2 large ripe tomatoes, cut into 8 wedges
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 100g green beans, cut into 2.5cm lengths
- 300g cooked chickpeas, or 1 × 400g tin drained
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 100g olives
- 3 sprigs fresh oregano (or 1/2 tablespoon dried)
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
- 1/4 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup (35g) breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon (10g) parmesan
- 100g Danish fetta, crumbled
Preheat oven to 220°C.
Put the broccoli, potatoes, zucchini, onion and tomatoes onto a baking tray. Drizzle over the olive oil and roast the vegies in the oven for 30 minutes.
In the meantime place the beans, chickpeas, capers, olives, oregano, garlic and parsley into an ovenproof dish. When the vegetables are cooked add them to the pan and stir through. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs, parmesan and fetta over the top. Place in the oven and cook until the topping is browned and slightly crisp.
Nutrition information per serving (based on 4 servings):
Total kilojoules: 2,006kJ; Protein: 25g; Total Fat: 23g (mostly mono-unsaturated); Saturated fat: 3g; Carbohydrate: 43gg; Fibre: 14g; Sodium: 1,189mg (without adding any extra salt); Number of vegetable serves towards daily total : 4 serves; Additional nutrients: potassium, niacin, riboflavin, iron, folate, beta-carotene, lycopene and other antioxidants.
