Courgette, zucchini, summer squash, golden zucchini..same same.  So why all the name calling?  No matter what you call them, they are still squash, picked while young and have thin skins.  So don’t mock them, their feelings are easily hurt…Oh, the sensitive courgette.

You’re at the Farmers Market and you have been taken aback by the cute zucchini arrangement, the gold ones, the dark green ones, the light green ones,  the stripped ones.  So you buy them.  All of them. Maybe too many of them.  What do you do with them?

I have the answer. A one pan meal, perfect for summer!  Briami.  It’s what I call a Greek zucchini bake.  All along the Mediterranean, you find variations of this dish: Italy’s caponata, and Spain’s Pistou, and zee French ratatouille!  But I love the Greek briami the best!  No bias AT ALL!!  It might also be the easiest version to make however if that tempts you.

Observe in 3 steps:

First, slice up your zucchini.  All of them!

Next, add herbs, garlic, onions, olive oil and tomatoes.  Mix them up and pop them into a 400F oven.

Finally, let it bake, brown, meld their flavors together for a little over an hour and eat!  With feta!

It’s Mediterranean nirvana. Not the band with teenage angst, although they were thin-skinned and sensitive like zucchini too, but nirvana the Buddhist concept of “heaven”.  

Nevermind.  (See what I did there?  I made a Nirvana song reference?  Ok ignore me.)

Aaaaaaanywaaaaaay, It’s good. And good for you.  So try it! 🙂
So how do we make Courgette Nirvana?

Greek Briami

serves 4

2 medium zucchini

2 medium summer squash

2 medium potatoes

1 medium red onion

12 cherry tomatoes

Mint

Olive oil,

Salt pepper

1/2 cup crushed tomato

1/2 cup water 

1/4 cup olive oil 

Pre-heat your oven to 400F.  Slice the zucchini, squash, potatoes and cherry tomatoes place in a baking pan or dish. Add the crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper, mint and olive oil and mix together in the same pan.  Add the water and bake for about 1-1.5 hours stirring half way to make sure thing brown evenly…and that’s it. Done! Presto! 
Enjoy with a piece of feta and assyrtiko wine.

-Kallie