Summer vegetable tian – zomergroente tian (GF-DF-SF-V)

This classic Provencal oven dish is called a tian, named after the earthenware pot which is used to give the dish its distinct flavour. But you can also use another type of oven dish.

The tian is filled with the rich flavours of courgette, aubergine and tomato, summer flavours, enhanced by a persillade, a mixture of garlic, basil and parsley and a good splash of extra virgin olive oil.

You can prepare the dish in the morning, so you just have to put it in the oven in the evening. It’s a light dish, which you can eat with a piece of fish or an omelette and some salad. The next day, you can eat the left-overs, if there are any, cold, as an anti-pasta.

I am quite busy in my garden right now and the vegetables are growing so hard, as well as all the wild flowers and uninvited plants, which we call weeds. There is a lot to weed now!!

Every time I go there it amazes me that out of a tiny seed, such richness can grow. I adore my garden, go there almost every day, just to be there, to work a bit and take some lovely vegetables home to cook. Like this beautiful Golden Burpee. I cooked it, peeled it, sliced it and ate it with just a bit of dressing, wow! Heaven!!

For the tian recipe (2-3 pers) we need:

1 medium aubergine/ eggplant

2 medium courgettes/zucchini

2 big juicy tomatoes

½ cup chopped parsley

¼ cup chopped basil

2-4 cloves of garlic, finely choppped

Pepper

Sea salt

I like to slice my vegetables fine, 3-4mm, because then you can make a lot of layers which will melt in your mouth after baking.

When you are going to bake the dish after preparation, pre heat the oven now on 160°C.

First we slice the aubergine/eggplant. Lightly salt the slices and place them in a colander for 30 minutes, so the moisture can release. Rinse them quickly and dry with paper or cloth towel.

In the meantime you make the persillade: chop garlic, parsley and basil very fine and mix together. Set apart.

Slice zucchini and tomatoes.

Take a stone/ovenware dish and brush lightly with some olive oil and begin layering the vegetables:

1 layer of tomatoes, 2 layers of zucchini, 1 layer of eggplant, sprinkle with some persillade and pepper and salt. Then repeat until you used all of the ingredients. 

Drizzle generously with olive oil.

Bake the tian in the oven for 1 hour and 15-30 minutes, till the vegetables feel tender when you pierce them with a fork.

Make sure that the vegetables don’t brown too quickly, by checking them regularly and if so, place a lid or a piece of aluminium foil on top.

Voor de tian (2-3 pers) hebben we het volgende nodig:

1 medium aubergine

2 medium courgettes

2 flinke sappige tomaten

½ kop fijngehakte peterselie

¼ kop fijngehakte basilicum

2-4 tenen knoflook, fijngesneden

Peper

zeezout

Ik hou ervan om mijn groentes vrij fijn, 3-4mm, te snijden, zodat ik veel lagen kan maken en ze uiteindelijk op je tong smelten na het bakken.

Als je het gerecht meteen wilt bakken verwarm dan nu de oven voor op 160°C.

Snijd eerst de aubergine en leg ze in een vergiet, besprenkel ze licht met wat zout en laat 30 minuten staan zodat de sappen eruit komen. Spoel ze snel af en droog met theedoek of keukenpapier.

Ondertussen maak je de persillade: hak de knoflookteentjes, peterselie en basilicum fijn en meng door elkaar. Zet apart.

Snijd courgettes en tomaten.

Olie de ovenschaal licht in met wat olijfolie en begin dan met de lagen in de volgende volgorde: 1 laag tomaat, 2 lagen courgette, 1 laag aubergine, besprenkel met wat persillade en peper en zout en ga zo door tot alles is opgebruikt. 

Besprenkel royaal met olijfolie en bak de tian in het midden van de oven, 1 uur en 15-30 minuten, tot de groentes zacht zijn als je erin prikt met een vork.

Mocht het gerecht te hard bakken en te bruin worden, leg dan een stuk aluminiumfolie of een deksel op de schaal.