Tian Provençal

Provençal tian is a classic vegetable dish from southern France with tomatoes, courgettes and aubergines. The vegetables cook slowly in a cast-iron pan on a bed of gently fried onions, with garlic, olive oil and herbes de Provence. The flavours come into their own when served lukewarm.

Serves: 4 people
Preparation: approximately 20 minutes
Cooking: approximately 55–70 minutes
Total time: approximately 75–90 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 ripe tomatoes
• 2 small courgettes
• 2 small aubergines
• 1 medium onion
• 6 garlic cloves
• 4–5 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons herbes de Provence, such as a mixture of thyme, oregano and rosemary
• sea salt or table salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Equipment

• An ovenproof cast-iron frying pan or skillet, approximately 28–30 cm in diameter
• A sharp knife or mandoline

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven
   Preheat the oven to 180 °C (conventional heat).
2. Slice the onion and chop the garlic
   Peel the onion, halve it and slice into thin half-rings. Peel the garlic and finely chop the cloves.
3. Slice the vegetables
   Wash the tomatoes, courgettes and aubergines. Trim the ends where necessary and cut the vegetables into slices approximately 3–4 mm thick. If you have a large-diameter aubergine, halve the slices so they are closer in size to the tomatoes and courgettes.

Method

1. Heat the olive oil
   Place the cast-iron pan over a medium heat and heat 1–2 tablespoons of olive oil in it.
2. Gently fry the onions
   Add the onions and gently fry for 8–10 minutes, until translucent and lightly golden. Stir regularly and avoid letting them become too dark.
3. Allow the pan to cool slightly
   Remove the cast-iron pan from the heat. Spread the fried onions evenly over the base and allow the pan to cool for a few minutes.
4. Arrange the vegetables in overlapping layers
   Arrange the aubergine, courgette and tomato slices alternately, overlapping them on top of the fried onions. Work in a circle from the outer edge of the pan towards the centre. Stand the slices slightly upright and let them overlap. Place the vegetables close together without packing them tightly.
5. Add the garlic
   Distribute the finely chopped raw garlic evenly between and over the vegetables. The garlic will cook along with the vegetables in the oven.
6. Season the vegetables
   Sprinkle the vegetables evenly with the herbes de Provence, salt and freshly ground black pepper.
7. Drizzle with olive oil
   Drizzle the remaining 2–3 tablespoons of olive oil evenly over the vegetables.
8. Bake the tian in the oven
   Place the cast-iron pan without a lid in the centre of the preheated oven. Bake the tian for 45–60 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and the top is lightly coloured. Some of the moisture from the vegetables evaporates during baking, concentrating the flavours.
9. Check whether the vegetables are cooked
   After approximately 40 minutes, check that the vegetables are cooking evenly. If the top becomes too dark while the vegetables are still firm, loosely cover the pan with aluminium foil and continue cooking.
10. Allow to rest and serve
    Remove the pan from the oven and allow the tian to rest for approximately 10 minutes. Serve preferably lukewarm, directly from the cast-iron pan. Delicious as a side dish with grilled fish, chicken or lamb chops, or with crusty bread and a green salad as a light meal.

Tips

Choose vegetables of a similar size
Tomatoes, courgettes and aubergines of roughly the same diameter are easier to arrange evenly. Halve the slices if an aubergine is considerably wider than the other vegetables.

Cook the vegetables uncovered
Tomatoes, courgettes and aubergines release moisture during baking. Placing the pan in the oven uncovered allows some of this moisture to evaporate, concentrating the flavours.

Serve the tian lukewarm
Allow the tian to rest briefly after baking. The vegetables stay neatly in place and the flavours come into their own when the dish has cooled slightly.

Use the cast-iron pan from hob to oven
The onions are first gently fried in the same pan, then the vegetables are cooked in the oven. This keeps the onions beneath the vegetables as a flavourful base and removes the need for a separate oven dish.