Karen Wright: Greek dish uses up fresh summer produce

Of course, it is not essential to have an allotment to grow your own fruit and vegetables. Many of our things can be grown in pots in the smallest of gardens or even on windowsills. From pot to plate, we can really make the most of fresh crops throughout the summer and into the autumn and even winter.

Some plants can grow so well that it can be a struggle to find ways of using everything up. Preserving crops for later in the year is one option, for example by pickling, freezing or making chutneys. Gifting excess crops to family and friends is another way of spreading joy, I am always happy to make use of anything that comes my way, within reason of course!

Courgettes and tomatoes are two things that are often over bountiful. Tomatoes are wonderful when home grown and so flavourful but remember not to store them in the fridge as the cold impairs the flavour. Eaten fresh in salads or sandwiches is marvellous or making them into soup or tomato sauce for pasta will quickly use up the crop. Tomatoes are the one thing I use most in my recipes.

A recipe I want to share with you that is a perfect way of using both tomatoes and courgettes is a Greek dish called Briam (pronounced Breeyam). It is a hybrid of roasted and braised vegetables, and it is a great crown pleaser.

To make the dish, cut potatoes thickly into one-centimeter slices and par boil them for a few minutes, then drain and set to one side. Meanwhile cut courgettes and large tomatoes into slices of the same thickness. Chop up a large onion and crush a few garlic cloves. Mix a tablespoon of tomato purée with 250ml vegetable stock or white wine. Put everything into an ovenproof dish with two tablespoons of olive oil and a couple of tablespoons of dried oregano and some salt and pepper. Mix well before covering the dish with foil and baking in a hot oven for about thirty minutes. After half an hour, remove the foil and continue to cook until everything is very soft and tender.

This is a vegan dish, but it can be served with scattered feta cheese too and a big chunk of crusty bread.