Tourlou on the Tray from Mount Athos
This recipe comes to us from the Eastern Orthodox Monks on Mount Athos, or the "Holy Mountain," a remote, self-governing monastic peninsula in Northern Greece. It operates as the world's oldest surviving monastic community, famous for its strict isolation, complete ban on women, and centuries-old daily routine.
The Monks say: “Tourlou is the summer food par excellence and in the pan it melts wonderfully. Those of the vegetables we don't like or don't have, we just remove them.” This is because they cook with vegetables and herbs straight from their gardens, meaning the ingredients are the freshest available at the given time.
INGREDIENTS
2 medium russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and sliced (about 10–11 oz)
7 oz (about 2 cups) green beans, trimmed and halved
7 oz (about 2 cups) whole okra, trimmed
2 medium eggplants, cut into 1-inch cubes
5 bell peppers, cut into 1-inch squares
2 medium zucchini, sliced into ½-inch rounds
4 medium onions, finely chopped
1 bunch fresh parsley, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
5 ripe tomatoes, grated (or about 3 cups grated tomatoes)
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS
To make tourlou in the pan from Mount Athos, first add the oil and onions to the pan or in a wide saucepan and sauté them over low heat for 10-15 minutes.
Immediately after that, add all our vegetables, except okra, tomatoes and parsley. The okra, if put in from the beginning, will melt.
Add water just enough to cover your vegetables and season with salt.
Cover with a lid, increase the heat a little, and cook for about 20 minutes.
Add the okra and continue cooking for another 15 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, parsley, and black pepper.
Let your food simmer for another 10 minutes or until all the liquids are saved and the food is left with only its oil.
Kefi Life® Extra Virgin Olive Oil is cold extracted from 100% Koroneiki olives grown and harvested in the Kalamata region of Southern Peloponnese, Greece. Kefi L!fe EVOO is Packed with antioxidants and flavor.
It is characterized by its aromas of green grass, artichoke, and sweet almond with a mild peppery finish.