cooking @ home

©2008 Harry Kenney

Before I publish my recipes I like to do research. Especially those recipes that feature ingredients that are considered more unusual or less-known to the American palette. And definitely those that require a different technique of preparation and/or cooking. Regular visitors here already know that I want to present you with more than just a recipe but also with some knowledge and background to go with it.

I look around not only to compare the different styles of various recipes but also to determine what are the variations folks have come with as well as what are the classical, traditional components of a dish. For instance, for this vegetable tian, every recipe but one talked about slicing the veggies such that you had 1/4-inch thick disks of roughly the same size (as much as possible) laid out on it’s side and forming a single layer atop of a bed of onions.

Where as dozens and dozens conformed to the manner I just described only one, Emeril’s recipe, differed. As such it was more confusing and it stood out from the crowd as being very different, and so it seemed that must be his special variation. Then, however, after I actually made this dish (and obviously before publishing it here) I discovered a second totally different version, different from both the “norm” as well as from Emeril’s, so a third variation. The “troubling” thing is I found this at Epicurious, and it was from Bon Appétit magazine, and it was by a three-star French chef known for his Provencal dishes, Roger Verge. And so yes, he makes it a third way. So that’s Emeril’s way, Verge’s way, and the most proliferated way which is the very one I did here as well.

So which is the original? I’m in doubt, thrown off balance from that last discovery. Ok, so does this even matter you might wonder? In a big sense: no, it’s the taste that matters in the end. But as said, I like to usually establish the norm, and then figure out the variants off it. Why? Just so that I have a centering, a balance. You see I am neither a “classist” nor a “fusionist”. I’m whatever I want to be at the time I make something. But I do like a “compass” when I’m cooking — to know if I’m heading in the right direction, going a totally different direction or just going around in circles. And now my compass needle is spinning around quite haphazardly.

So much for what I can’t say definitely. Let’s brush that past and now the question becomes: What can I definitely say about this dish? Well, it’s worth the trouble, that’s number one. It will taste rather different than you are used to — and I mean that in a very good way; that’s two. Vegetarians rejoice for even though, omnivore that I am, I treated this as a side dish at my home — I had it with ham and pineapple in case you were wondering — this tian can very very much be an entree for certain. I don’t think any real vegan is going to say this is dish is just another veggie side. It’s a meal.

What else can I say? That tian is not only the name of the dish, but it’s named for the shallow casserole of the same name — buy just try finding one either to buy or just to see what it looks like, and I couldn’t. Also, Epicurious’ Food Dictionary says “a tian can be any of various dishes, but originally referred to a Provençal dish of gratineed mixed vegetables.” Now it’s time to define what a gratin is. While most famously (in America) referring to au Gratin potatoes, a gratin is “any dish that is topped with cheese or bread crumbs (this one has cheese) mixed with bits of butter (nope, I used olive oil) then heated in the oven or under the broiler (oven for this dish) until brown and crispy.” However before all of that, a tian is braised (lid on) and then it is roasted (no lid).

You’ll find my “faithful” rendition here contains, because of the “need” to keep things all about the same diameter (back to the often-made disk version): zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes and potatoes. And since I now know there are other versions where the size doesn’t matter and others where one makes two or more layers, I’m already looking forward to sometime in the future trying out one of Verge’s tians which involves eggplant, bell peppers, tomatoes, olives and anchovies.

A final thought: Recall I mentioned I had this as a side with ham? If you are not having this as your main course and you are likewise having some kind of meat with it, I suggest that to get the most out of this dish you should serve it with a more neutral or understated protein. That is, while it might go fine with steak or beef or pork, I think they might be too overpowering. And so you will likely find that ham or chicken or fish would make a better pairing. But, paired or solo, you will find this a delicious and very different way to have the same old vegetables, and I think once you’ve had this you’ll have it again and again. Bon appetite!

Vegetable Tian Provencal
©2008 Harry Kenney

1 medium yellow onion, sliced thin (into strips)
1 large zucchini, sliced into 1/4 inch disks
1 yellow squash (of similar diameter), sliced into 1/4 inch disks
2 tomatoes (of similar diameter), sliced into 1/4 inch disks
2-3 Red Bliss potatoes (of similar diameter), sliced into 1/4 inch disks
1 glove of garlic, smashed and thinly sliced
olive oil
1/4 cup grated Gruyere (or grated Parmesan)
thyme, fresh preferred, dried otherwise, lots of it
herbes de Provence, light sprinkling (optional)
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 375°F. In small frying pan, medium heat olive oil, put in the garlic and add the onion. Do not brown, you want translucent medium-soft onions. When these are done place them into large area shallow-to-medium height casserole dish.

Now alternating, take a slice of yellow squash, tomato, potato, zucchini and place them in the dish in whatever four-set order you began with and make this a tight fit. If you have a circular dish you can try to make a circle and then an inner area. Or you can make rows. See photograph above for best visual of this. When completed, give a heavy drizzle of olive oil atop all the vegetables, salt and pepper, then a heavy dose of dried thyme or a medium (but still heavy for fresh) dose of fresh thyme on top, you can even leave the sprigs on at this stage if you wish. If you have herbs de Provence a light sprinkling of that too works out nicely.

Place in oven for 40 minutes either with a lid or covered in aluminium foil. Take out after this amount of time. If you used fresh thyme remove any sprigs (if you did dried, nothing to do here.) Sprinkle again liberally with the oil. Now cover with the cheese on top. Back in the oven, now uncovered for 30 minutes until cheese melts and gets a brown on it.

Take out. Leave cool for five minutes or so and serve. Depending on if this is your entree or a side and how much you portion out, this can serve anywhere from 2-3 (as an entree) to 4-6 (as a side).

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