Briam is a summer dish that is cooked all over Greece and there are several versions and varieties, depending on the region, the home and the cook’s imagination.

The basics of Briam are that it is a melange of vegetables, baked in the oven. The usual vegetables are eggplant, zucchini, peppers, tomato and often potatoes are included in the mix.

You want to use good extra-virgin olive oil for this dish and the vegetables should be in season. Don’t bother with this dish in the cold months.

Onions and garlic add flavour along with lots of fresh parsley and mint and some dried Greek oregano.

My twist to this dish is to add some hand-torn Halloumi cheese. It firms up, gains a nice golden colour and that squeaky cheese goes well with the soft vegetables.

Don’t forget the crusty bread!

Briam With Halloumi

(serves 4-6)

approx. 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 Japanese eggplant, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds (or equivalent in Italian eggplant)

3 zucchini, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds

1 red shepherd pepper sliced

1 green cubanelle pepper, sliced

2 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced in 1/2 inch rounds

2 medium ripe tomatoes, sliced

2 medium onions, peeled and sliced

3-4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

1/2 cup chopped fresh mint

1 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 tsp. dried Greek oregano

1 1/2 cup grated ripe tomato (you can use canned plum tomatoes, hand-crushed)

sea salt and fresh ground pepper

2 Tbsp. breadcrumbs

hand-torn Halloumi cheese to taste

pre-heated 425F oven

1. You will need a 9×11 deep baking vessel. Pour enough olive oil to just cover the bottom. Arrange an upright row of eggplant followed by a row of zucchini, a row of red and green peppers, row of potatoes and finally tomato slices.
2. Repeat step 1 until your baking vessel is filled with vegetables. Wedge your rounds of onions randomly in between vegetables.
3. Season with salt, pepper and top with garlic, chopped mint and parsley. Spoon over the the grated tomato, drizzle more olive oil on top and sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top.
4. Cover with foil, place in your pre-heated 425F oven for an 90 minutes. Uncover, place the Halloumi on top and place back in the oven (uncovered for another 20 minutes or until the cheese is golden.
5. Remove from the oven, allow to cool 10 minutes and serve with lots of crusty bread.