Eggplant and orzo casserole - Giouvetsi
The eggplant Giouvetsi is an easy culinary suggestions from Mount Athos for the summer months. A monks version of the traditional baked barley, in which the meat has been replaced by eggplants. Although in the monastic kitchen the main purpose is not deliciousness but to avoid starvation due to strict fasting, this recipe is a taste surprise. A simple monks food that is, however, so delicious that it tests our self-restraint and our discipline.
We wash the eggplants well, cut them into cubes and leave them in salted water for about an hour.
At the same time, we clean the onions, garlic, pepper and chop them.
We also wash the tomatoes and cut them into slices.
We drain the eggplant cubes well, wipe them with some absorbent paper and salt them.
We put half of the olive oil to burn in a deep pan and frizzle the eggplants.
When they are ready, we remove them and leave them aside.
We put the remaining olive oil in the pan and saute the garlic and the pepper.
Then, we add the orzo and continue sauteing.
Then, we add the tomato paste and mix well.
We season with oregano and season with salt and pepper.
We place the eggplant cubes in an ovenproof dish and spread the orzo on top.
We pour 5 cups of water, preferably boiled, into the container and mix slightly.
We cover the food with the tomato slices and season them with salt, pepper and oregano.
We bake the food in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for about half an hour, until the tomatoes turn golden brown and the liquids are saved.
If we do not want to put paste, but juice from fresh tomatoes, then we will slightly reduce the amount of water.
On days of catalysis we can add a little feta or a little gruyere.
If we want, we can finish our orzo in the pot, without the oven. We simply add the eggplants, the water and as soon as it boils well, we turn off the food and remove it from the heat. We wait for the liquids to be absorbed because this continues to cook even off the heat.
