vegetable tian

classic French dish showcasing gifts from the Garden

Elegant and Easy

vegetable tian

 

No one will say no to vegetables when they’re this colorful and so beautifully arranged. This vegetable side is impressive enough for a special company dinner, but easy enough to whip up for a weeknight supper. It takes a bit of time to slice all the vegetables, but you can start the dish in advance and bake it when you’re ready. This week, I’m making it as part of my menu for Parasha Lech Lecha.

 

French in origin, a tian is the name given to both the dish and the food that’s cooked inside it. A tian is typically glazed only on the inside. They can be hard to find in this country, but no worries! It can be prepared just as successfully in a ceramic tart pan, a quiche pan, or any round baking dish with straight, low sides. They can even be done in a square or rectangular pan, but I like the way they look in a round dish.

 

Many tians use potato slices as one of the vegetables, but I omit them here because my menu is already carb-heavy. You decide whether or not to add them.

 

The trick is to try to buy vegetables that are approximately the same size in diameter. Asian eggplants, long and thin, are the go-to for this dish that also includes zucchini, yellow summer squash, and ripe tomatoes. If all you can find are globe eggplants, cut the larger slices into half moons.

You can keep it vegan or finish the top with a bit of grated hard cheese. You can also add dollops of fresh goat cheese or a soft bleu cheese when you take it out of the oven.

 

You’ll find recipes for tians that use all sorts of herbs, but I’m going with herbs de Provence. What could be more French, for a dish that’s French in origin? You can use all fresh herbs—thyme, rosemary, tarragon, and lavender—or buy a pre-mixed jar of the dried herbs.

 

Don’t be put off by the amount of oil. Without sufficient oil, the vegetables will turn out dry. Besides, perhaps the greatest treat will be the tasty oil left at the bottom of the dish, just begging you to dip in some good, fresh bread to sop it up.

You could probably stretch this to feed 6, but I warn you—make an extra one if you have more than 4 people because I’ve seen people (my husband) go back for thirds.

And that’s saying something for a vegetable side dish

Vegetable Tian

Ingredients:

  • 6 tablespoons best quality, extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1 medium/large yellow or white onion, finely diced

  • 2—3 garlic cloves, minced

  • 1 long, thin zucchini

  • 1 long, thin yellow squash

  • 1 long, thin, Asian eggplant

  • 2—3 Roma tomatoes

  • Kosher salt, as needed

  • A few grinds of the pepper mill

  • ½—1 teaspoon herbs de Provence

  • 2—4 tablespoons freshly grated hard cheese, such as French Mimolette or Emental. Parmesan, Romano, and Aged Asiago also work.

  • (Omit for a vegan tian)

  • Optional: some bits of chevre or soft bleu cheese for garnish

  • Optional: a few sprigs of thyme, or rosemary, or tarragon, or a combo, for garnish.

 

Method:

  • Preheat the oven to 400°

  • Wash all vegetables but don’t remove the skins. (The skins are necessary for them to hold their shape after baking.)

  • Slice the zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant, and tomatoes into 1/4 inch slices. Lay them out in a single layer on a plate or a cutting board and salt them liberally to extract some of the water.

  • Warm the oil in a skillet and sauté the onion over low/medium heat until they are soft and tender. Just before they begin to take on color, add the garlic and sauté another minute.

  • Pour the oil, with the onions and garlic, into the bottom of your baking dish. Hold back about 2 tablespoons of the oil (without the onions) to drizzle over the top.

  • Wipe the excess salt off the vegetables with a paper towel.

  • Pick up one slice of each vegetable and arrange them in a stack. Lay the stack on edge in your dish. Repeat the process, maintaining the same order, until you’ve used them all up. Try to match the slices by size as much as possible, keeping the smaller ones for the middle of the dish.

  • Sprinkle all over with the herbs de Provence and then with the grated cheese, if using.

  • Drizzle the remaining oil over the top of the vegetables.

  • Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake for another 20—30 minutes until the vegetables are all tender and cooked through, and have picked up some brown spots.

  • Remove the dish from the oven and, if you’re using goat cheese or bleu cheese, add it immediately so that it melts a bit.

  • Garnish with a few sprigs of fresh herbs, if desired, and serve.