Greek Baked Vegetables

I enjoyed the article in the NY Times food section this week that had several variations on ratatouille. I had already made a “layered” ratatouille a couple of weeks ago, with grilled eggplant and squash, more or less based on a Chez Panisse recipe, and a “Layered Vegetable Torte,” also from the Times, cooked in a spring-form pan and then unmolded was terrific too.

Last night, however, I tried one of the new recipes from the Times—a Greek Briam. I couldn’t resist altering it somewhat, and it turned out great—and is quite a bit easier than a traditional ratatouille, since the vegetables don’t all have to be browned. Here’s the recipe, as I made it; it would serve four as a main course and 6 or more as a side dish.

1 small eggplant, halved lengthwise and then sliced ¼ inch thick.
1 medium onion, sliced
1 large garlic clove finely chopped
½ pound red potatoes, sliced ¼ inch thick
½ pound summer squash, sliced ¼ inch thick
1 red bell peppers, seeded and sliced
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, or more to taste
10-12 ounces tomatoes, chopped, or a 16-ounce can, drained
Salt & freshly ground pepper
¼ pound sliced mushrooms
2-3 Tb. chopped flat-leaf parsley
2Tb. chopped marjoram or oregano, or 1 tsp. dried.

1. Sprinkle the eggplant with salt and put on paper towels for 30 minutes. Thinly slice the onions, peppers, and mushrooms and chop the garlic. Cut the potatoes and squash into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Squeeze excess water from eggplant and pat dry.
2. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet and add the onions. Cook until tender and translucent, about 6-8 minutes. Add a salt and pepper, then stir in the garlic, peppers and mushrooms. Cook for another minute or two, until mushrooms are lightly browned and peppers begin to soften. Sprinkle herbs on top of mixture, reserving about 1 Tb for the top.
3. Lightly oil an earthenware baking dish or a Dutch oven. Put the tomatoes in a bowl and season liberally with salt and pepper. Stir 2 Tb. of olive oil. Spread a thin layer of tomatoes in the baking dish or Dutch oven and top with one-third of the onion mixture. Top with half the potato slices. Layer half the zucchini slices over the potatoes, then layer on half the eggplant. Season with salt and pepper between layers. Layer another third of the onions over the vegetables and top with half of the remaining tomatoes. Repeat the layers with the remaining vegetables, ending with a layer of the onion mixture topped with the remaining tomatoes. Sprinkle the top with any remaining herbs. Pour any juice from the tomatoes over the mixture and add additional olive oil, if desired.
4. Cover with foil or a lid and bake for 1 hour. Press the vegetables down into the juice and bake another 30 minutes, or until all the vegetables are thoroughly tender. Let stand for ten minutes or cool until warm before serving, or refrigerate overnight and reheat