The recipe for this yummy and easy casserole was shared with me by my Russian friend Tania. I changed a thing or two, keeping the basic idea still the same:  it’s the simplest vegetable casserole ever! Use the vegetables I put in the recipe, or take whatever you have left over in the fridge. Tania did not use tomatoes or potatoes, but she did use cauliflower in her recipe. She also used butter and parmesan cheese, mixed with pine nuts. You can use feta cheese, like I am suggesting, or try goat cheese or tofu, fried with Bragg’s.

Ingredients:

2 small zucchinis, sliced

6  medium tomatoes, chopped

1 medium eggplant, sliced very thinly

1 medium onion, sliced

4 grated carrots

4 medium potatoes,peeled and sliced

Feta cheese or goat feta, crumbled, 2 cups

Olive oil, 1/4 + 4 tbsp. for sauteeing onions+ 1 tsp. for oiling the baking dish

Basil leaves, diced, or dry basil, 4 tsp.

Sea salt, 2 tsp. for eggplant and more to taste

Garlic, 4 cloves

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Lightly oil a baking casserole dish.

Sautee the onion in 4 tbsp. of olive oil in a frying pan, until it becomes translucent, for about 3 minutes.  Put the potato slices in a pot with 1/4 cup of olive oil and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, cover the lid, lower the flame and let simmer for about 5 minutes. Cover the eggplant slices with sea salt ( put them on  a plate first) and let stand for about 2-3 minutes, until you see juice appearing on top of eggplant slices. Salt draws the bitterness out of the eggplant. Wash the egplant slices and put them on the bottom of the baking dish. Place the onions on top of the eggplant. Place the potato slices on top of the onions. Arrange tomatoes on top. Using garlic press, squeeze 2 garlic cloves on top of the tomatoes. Sprinkle with 1/2 the basil. Crumble 1/2 of the amount of feta cheese. Arrange zucchini slices on top of the cheese. Place  grated carrots on top of the zucchini. Top off with the remaining tomatoes, garlic and basil. Add paprika, if you wish. Sprinkle with  the remaining feta cheese. Bake for about 40 minutes.

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