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Yiahni is a traditional Greek way of cooking. Remember our recipe for potatoes yiahni? In a yiahni, vegetables are slowly cooked in olive oil, with some tomato paste or tomatoes. Onions and garlic are often used. The result is a mellow, comforting vegan stew. It is usually served hot as a main dish with some feta cheese and crusty bread, but you can also have it cold as part of several meze dishes, or even as a side.
Inspired by these traditional dishes, we are making a vegan stew with cauliflower, a favourite winter vegetable. As tomatoes are not in season, we opt for our tomato passata, made from organic Greek tomatoes, picked during the summer when they are at their best. This aromatic tomato passata has no seeds or peel and no added salt and is perfect for cooking.
We also added tomato paste (double concentrated!) roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes and olives, which offer depth and character to this dish. More olives, olive oil and feta cheese, to serve, are a must. Don’t forget to check out our range of traditional Greek recipes.
Serves 4
1 large cauliflower
2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for serving
1 large red onion
3 cloves of garlic
50g sun-dried tomatoes
2 roasted red peppers
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 bottle of tomato passata or 3-4 tomatoes
½ tub of olives (we used Kalamata olives), plus more to serve
Salt, pepper
Feta cheese (to serve)
Finely slice the onion in half-moons and mince the garlic. Finely chop the sun-dried tomatoes and roasted red peppers. Add the tomato paste to 1 cup of warm water. Set aside.
Break the cauliflower into large florets. In a heavy-bottomed skillet with a lid, add the 1 tbsp of olive oil. Brown the cauliflower over high heat, seasoning with salt and turning it around so that all sides are slightly charred, 5-7 minutes. Remove from skillet and set aside.
Place the remaining olive oil (1 tbsp) in your skillet and lower the heat to medium. Add the onions and garlic and gently fry until translucent.
Return the cauliflower to the skillet, adding the roasted peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, tomato paste and water, tomato passata and olives. Season with pepper. Cover with the lid and let it bubble, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is tender, about 1 hour.
Serve with more olives, plenty of olive oil and feta cheese.
