Vegetable tian, also known as Provencal tian, is a French vegetable recipe, specifically from the southern region of Provence. In its preparation the same ingredients are used as in a ratatouille recipe but, instead of chopping them into cubes or variable pieces, here the vegetables are cut into slices and cooked in the oven.
In the past, the original or classic tian was made with specific ingredients, but nowadays it is very common to use vegetables that are in season, and even add some type of meat, fish, seafood or cheese, as in this case, at the end of the gratin. . If you don’t know how to make a Provencal vegetable tian, follow the step by step that we teach you, and serve it as a starter or garnish with other meat or fish dishes to achieve a perfect combination.
Ingredients to make Vegetable Tian:
- 1 green zucchini
- 1 eggplant
- 3 tomatoes
- 1 red bell pepper
- 2 onions
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 handful of grated Parmesan or mozzarella cheese
- 1 splash of extra virgin olive oil
- Thyme or mixed herbs de Provence
- Salt
How to make Vegetable Tian:
Gather the ingredients to start preparing the Provençal vegetable tian.
Tip: To achieve a uniform cooking and a good presentation, choose a courgette, an aubergine and some tomatoes with the same thickness, that is, whose slices have approximately the same diameter?
Peel the onion and cut it into feathers. Put it over medium-low heat in a pan with plenty of olive oil (3 to 4 tablespoons) and sauté it for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t burn.
Then add the peppers cut into strips and continue frying for another 5-6 minutes, or until the onion and peppers are well poached (as in the photo). Spread this mixture on the bottom of a glass baking dish, in my case oval, and add the crushed garlic on top. This will be the base of the Provençal tian.
Wash and cut the tomatoes, aubergine and zucchini into slices not too thin or too thick. For this you can use a mandolin or vegetable cutter, or simply a very sharp knife.
Trick: Be very careful when cutting the vegetables of the Provencal tian to avoid accidents on your hands.
Arrange the vegetables in alternate layers on top of the sauce in the oven dish as in the photo. Drizzle them with a little oil, season with salt and thyme and/or the Herbes de Provence mixture and cover the tian with aluminum foil. With the oven preheated to 180 °C cook it for 45-50 minutes.
Trick: The order of my vegetables was eggplant-zucchini-tomato but you can change it to your liking, the important thing is to get a good visual effect.
After that time, take out the roasted vegetables and sprinkle the cheese on top. Put them in the oven again, this time at 200°C for 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese is au gratin and the vegetables are well baked.
Serve the Provençal vegetable tian as a starter or as an accompaniment to other dishes.
