Briam ratatouille from France but also from Tinos

Ratatouille is the French briam. But Antonia Zarpa from "Thalassaki" in Tinos gives it a Cycladic air using seasonal vegetables and fruits, which she "builds" in the pan in a way that resembles "handmade, edible… dry stone", as she says. It is impressive in appearance and with a special taste. It accompanies the festive meats wonderfully, but also fish and burgers.

Preparation: 1 hour, Baking: 1 hour + 20΄

Materials (for 8 people - baking tray 32x25):

• 6 medium potatoes
• the white part of 1 leek
• 5 medium beets
• 4 medium dried onions
• 4 medium carrots
• 300 gr. pumpkin
• 1 medium celery root
• 3 sour apples
• 4 pears
• 1 orange (try the orange. If they are too sour or bitter, they may alter the taste of the food)
• 4 - 5 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons soup fresh thyme, chopped, or 1 tsp. soup dried thyme, grated
• 1/4 bunch parsley, finely chopped
• 10 almonds, unsalted and raw
• 4 - 5 walnuts, coarsely chopped
• 2 teaspoons soup with lemon juice
• 200 ml olive oil + for the pan
• salt, freshly ground pepper

Procedure:

Peel and chop the vegetables and fruits into very thin round slices (ideally 3 mm thick). For this work we use a sharp knife or, ideally, the tool called a mandolin (we find it in shops with kitchen tools). Put the vegetables in one bowl and the fruits in another. In the bowl with the vegetables add 150 ml of olive oil, salt and pepper.

In the bowl with the fruit add 50 ml of olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice (so that the fruit does not turn black). Preheat the oven to 160 ° C. Grease the pan and carefully place the fruits and vegetables tightly and upright, side by side, alternately, from one end of the pan to the other (see photo).

Scatter the herbs and nuts as we set up our edible dominoes. We repeat. Make 3-4 strips of vegetables. Cover the pan with foil and bake for about 1 hour. Uncover and continue baking for another 20 minutes, so that the ingredients take on color and the excess liquids evaporate. There will be some liquid left in the pan. Also, some vegetables (eg celery root, carrots) may "hold" a little, but we do not mind. All we have to do is make sure the potatoes are done.

What we drink: The yellow pumpkin and herbs will match a Chardonnay lightly passed through a barrel.

Photo: GIORGOS DRAKOPOULOS Recipe: ANTONIA ZARPA