Vegetable Tian

I think we have established already I love anything French…  so every time we have a get-together with my French-speaking friends, we try to create French recipes to keep the theme intact.

I first made this recipe for the Yoga Center – back when I was more consistent cooking at least once a month.  It was a way to introduce cooked vegetables in a different way than how they make them week in week out. 

Most recently, I shared the recipe with my friend Annie Mariel and she was the one who actually made the version photographed here.  It is cheesy yet tastes very light.   She created it as an example of Parisian cooking…  bon appétit.

VEGETABLE TIAN

2 large onions, sliced in half

2 garlic cloves, minced

5-6 potatoes – I used russet potatoes, but Ina Garten says that Yukon Golds are a particularly good choice

2 medium zucchini

4 medium sized tomatoes – I used plum tomatoes

1 tsp kosher salt

½ tsp black pepper

1 tbs thyme leaves or 1 tsp Italian Seasonings blend

2 ounces gruyere cheese, grated

Olive oil

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 F
2. Brush a rectangular baking dish with olive oil.
3. In a medium sauté pan, heat a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onions and cook for about 8 minutes until they’ve beginning to soften.  Add the garlic and cook for a few additional minutes.  Spread this onion mixture on the bottom of the baking dish you oiled.
4. Wash well and dry the potatoes.  Slice them in thin slices, about ¼” thick.  Slice the zucchini, tomatoes too the same thickness.  Layer them alternatively on top of the onions.  I placed them slightly at an angle one on top the other like shingles. Place a potato, zucchini, tomato, potato, zucchini, tomato, and so on…
5. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, thyme leaves or Italian Seasonings and drizzle a bit more of olive oil.
6. Cover the dish with a parchment paper and then aluminum foil.  Place in oven and bake for 30-40 minutes until the potatoes are tender and cooked. 
7. Remove the covering, add the grated cheese and bake for another 30 minutes until the vegetables are browned nicely on top.

Tags: onion, potato, tomato, zucchini