In a Greek kitchen the word ‘lathera’ refers to vegetables cooked in olive oil, usually with tomato. It’s a recipe that’s not really a recipe, but rather a flexible way to cook and enjoy seasonal vegetables when at their tastiest, most abundant and cheapest.

Embrace the quantity of olive oil used. It is the key to carry the flavours through the vegetables. You’ll later savour the puddle of cooking juices on your plate, mopping it up with crusty bread. Serve the dish hot, or allow flavours to intensify and serve at room temperature the next day. As the weather warms, substitute the carrots with slices of eggplant or green beans. There’s also a cauliflower option at the end of recipe.

Serve 6-8

3/4 cup (180ml) extra virgin olive oil

1 leek, white part only, finely sliced (or 1 bunch spring onion, cut into 6cm lengths)

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

400g Nicola potatoes, cut into 1cm-2cm wide slices 

1 bunch Dutch carrots, each carrot cut diagonally into three, tops trimmed

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped (or 420g can chopped tomatoes) (optional)

1 teaspoon sea salt, plus extra

black pepper

1 medium zucchini, cut into 2cm wide rounds

6 sprigs oregano, or thyme

1/3 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

80g feta, crumbled (optional)

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy based saucepan over a low-medium heat. Add the leek and cook for 8-10 minutes until softened and translucent, stirring occasionally, reducing the heat if starting to brown. Add the carrots and potatoes and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour in 2 cups (500ml) of water, then stir in the tomato paste, tomatoes, if using, and season with a teaspoon of salt and grinding of pepper. Increase the heat to high and bring to a high simmer.  Add the zucchini, oregano or thyme, reduce heat to low-medium, cover with a lid and cook at a low simmer for 15 minutes. Remove lid and gently stir, to prevent vegetables sticking on the base.  Replace the lid and simmer for another 15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender, but still holding shape. Taste and season with extra salt and pepper, if needed. Stir through half of the parsley.

To serve hot, sprinkle over the remaining parsley. Scatter over feta, if using. Accompany with bread to mop up the cooking juices.

If using the next day, store in an airtight container in the fridge. The flavour improves on keeping.  Serve at room temperature

Cauliflower option:

Substitute the potato, carrots and zucchini with half a cauliflower head cut into florets. Follow the recipe above reducing the water to 1 cup (250ml) and one tomato, if using.

Recipe by Fiona Hammond, Nov 2023.