Tian Provençal
(Summer Vegetable Gratin)
I am avid collector of what is commonly known as “Kitchenalia” nowadays; even before I started to use various bits and bobs for my food styling photos, I was always drawn to a dusty flour dredger or a set of teaspoons, as well as anything resembling an old baking tin. For me, old utensils and baking paraphernalia have a story to tell – I often wonder who owned them before and what recipes they used in them or baked in them……it’s a little piece of social history in my kitchen, as well as being a beautiful prop for food photography. And in all my collection of baking dishes, pans and trays, there is one piece of earthenware that I absolutely love to pieces, it’s my old and very much used Tian.
The glaze is cracked and mottled, and it has obviously been used over an open flame, as the underneath is black, but it’s one of my most used pieces of baking equipment, and it’s lovely enough to be served from the oven to the table too. A Tian is the name of a traditional earthenware cooking dish from the Provençe in the South of France, a favourite region of mine, and one I have visited recently, as you can read here: Travel Diary Preview: Terroir & Wine in Provence, Gard, Rhone Valley and Ardeche, here: Foraging and Cooking with Les Aventurières du Goût in Provence and here: Avignon, South of France with Cheese, Wine, Apples, Nocturnal Picnics & Fine Food………
……and the name of this region’s earthenware baking dish is now also given to the recipe which is cooked in it. It’s a recipe that not only relies on the local pottery, but also for local and seasonal vegetables, oil and herbs, as a modern traditional tian is a baked vegetable dish that is usually served as an accompaniment to grilled meat and fish. It used to be a dish of stewed meat in the 18th century, usually with no added liquid, so the meat and vegetables would cook in the earthenware dish in their own juices; nowadays, it is predominately made with vegetables, sometimes with cheese or even with fruit. My recipe today for Tian Provençal (Summer Vegetable Gratin) is all vegetables, and is vegan as well as vegetarian of course.
Although aubergines (eggplant) is traditional in this dish, I was bereft of any, so I just used courgettes with tomatoes, onions and garlic! I prefer the use the round courgettes (zucchini) in this dish, it gives a better “shape” to the finished dish. I also popped a stray green tomato into the dish that is shown in the photographs, so please DO use any summer vegetables you have to hand, but try to make it colourful. This beautiful recipe was cooked in my new toy, a wonderful Panasonic Slimline Combi Microwave Oven, that was kindly sent to me for review from the lovely peeps at Panasonic! I HAVE cooked in one of these microwave ovens before, with Rachel Allen no less, and you can read all about my experience here: Bruschetta to Roast Beef! Cooking with Rachel Allen at Cactus Kitchens, London.
It made me smile that such a traditional recipe, that would have been cooked over an open flame or in a wood oven, was receiving the 21st century treatment by be cooked in a microwave, albeit an oven in a microwave! I have only had the Combi Microwave Oven for two weeks now, but I have used it EVERYDAY, and mainly for the convection oven facility, which is perfect for just two people. It’s very compact, but as you can see from the photos above, it is very generously sized inside, and takes most of my large roasting trays and tins, as well as this tian. The tian cooked in an hour on 190C, which is exactly the same time and temperature it could have cooked for in my large family range oven.
The tian was beautifully cooked with tender, melt in the mouth vegetables, all bathed in a garlicky olive oil jus…….as it was a diet day, we just enjoyed it by itself with some plain grilled chicken, but it is fabulous when served as a main meal with crusty bread and cheese. The added sprigs of herbs added a subtle flavour the whole dish and can be discarded before serving. This type of Provençal dish is usually served at room temperature, and not when hot and just out of the oven, that way the flavours of all the vegetables and herbs is more pronounced. I hope you will try this recipe this summer, it will be perfect for any glut of tomatoes and courgettes you may have too! Karen
Disclaimer: I was sent a Panasonic Slimline Combi Microwave Oven (RRP: £249) for free and for review; I was not asked to write a positive review and all views and opinions are my own and are not representative of Panasonic of the PR company.
Tian Provençal (Summer Vegetable Gratin)
Print recipe
| Serves | 4 |
| Prep time | 15 minutes |
| Cook time | 1 hour |
| Total time | 1 hour, 15 minutes |
| Dietary | Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian |
| Meal type | Lunch, Main Dish, Side Dish, Snack |
| Misc | Pre-preparable, Serve Cold, Serve Hot |
| Occasion | Barbecue, Casual Party |
| Region | French |
| By author | Karen S Burns-Booth |
Ingredients
- 2 medium green courgettes (round are best)
- 2 medium yellow courgettes (round are best)
- 3 tomatoes
- 2 onions, peeled
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 to 6 fresh thyme sprigs (with flowers if possible)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
Note
Tian provençal (Summer Vegetable Gratin) An authentic recipe from the Provençe in the South of France for a baked summer vegetable dish in an earthenware dish. Use any summer vegetables you have to hand, aubergines and peppers are also good in this recipe.
Directions
| Step 1 | Pre-heat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas mark 5 and add 1 of the tablespoons of the olive oil to an earthenware dish about 20cm (8") long or 20cm (8") square. |
| Step 2 | Slice all of the vegetables thinly and arrange them in two (or more) rows in the tian (dish) as shown in the photo - pack them tightly together so they stand up. |
| Step 3 | Sprinkle the minced garlic over and around the vegetables, pushing some down between the gaps between them. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and then arrange the sprigs of thyme in and around the vegetables. |
| Step 4 | Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the vegetables, and cover the dish with tinfoil. |
| Step 5 | Bake in the pre-heated oven for 1 hour, removing the tinfoil for the last 20 minutes of cooking. After an hour, test the vegetables with a knife, they should be soft but should still retain their shape. |
| Step 6 | Allow to cool for 15 to 20 minutes and serve at room temperature as an accompaniment to grilled meat and fish, quiches and tarts or as a vegan and vegetarian main course with crusty bread. |
As this recipe has edible herb flowers in it, I am entering it into Cooking for Herbs for August, where theme is Summer Herb Flowers
Alison says
I love the look of this dish, full of summer flavour
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks Alison, it is PACKED with summery flavours too! Karen
Craig - The Usual Saucepans says
Wow – that looks absolutely delicious, perfect for a summer lunch outdoors. Perhaps with a cheeky little glass of vin blanc! And done in a convection oven and everything. Amazing. Definitely going on my ‘to make’ list.
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks SO much Craig! This is such a great recipe and as you say, perfect with a cheeky glass of vin! Karen
Roberta Briffa says
Karen, can I say just say: I am in awe! This recipe looks absolutely beautiful as always and I can’t wait to try it or a version of it, depending on what ingredients I manage to find. I could spend days just browsing through this lovely space. Beautiful!
Karen Burns-Booth says
Awwww thanks so much Roberta! It’s always lovely to hear how much my readers enjoy what I do here! Thanks for taking to time to let me know, Karen 🙂
Heidi Roberts says
This looks so beautiful both before and after cooking!
Karen Burns-Booth says
It is one of those recipes that looks good before and after cooking Heidi!
Goldie says
looks amazing! I want to try this ASAP! is it sort of a version of Ratatouille?
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks Goldie – yes, it is a sort of baked Ratatouille!
Colette says
This is so pretty and looks so fresh, healthy and delicious! Must go and search for round courgettes now…. 🙂
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks so much Colette – it is such a pretty dish as well as being extremely tasty too!
Dom says
this is just such a charming dish of fresh healthy but hearty vegetables. It would be a joy to eat! Stunning as always x
Karen says
Thanks Dom – it’s become a firm favourite here already! Karen
Nayna Kanabar says
This gratin looks so pretty nad delicious. I love the way you have arranged all the veg.
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks Nayna, it’s a very attractive dish, as well as being tasty too!
Choclette says
Loved hearing about your tianKaren and finding out what it is and where it came from. This dish looks so pretty too and a lovely way to use up a glut of courgettes, which I’m sort of hoping we might get at some point this summer!
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks Choclette, it’s one of my favourite cooking utensils as well as recipes too! Perfect for the courgette glut as you say, and all summer veggies.
Glamorous Glutton says
This is a wonderful summery looking dish. I bet it tastes amazing. Definitely bookmarked. GG
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks GG – a very useful side dish for all summer barbecues too!
Goldie says
Hey Karen–I just wanted to say real quick that after viewing this recipe I couldn’t get it out of my head and coincidently I had my first Zucchini pop up in my garden so I threw together a Zucchini Linguine post on my blog! Thanks for reminding me about this wonderful Summer Veg!
Low Carb Recipes says
This looks like a beautiful dish! I’m excited to try something like this, maybe with some goat cheese sprinkled in!
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks – I do sometimes add goat’s cheese on top! Great minds think alike!
Ioana says
What a great idea. Some parmesan would make this recipe even better. Love the fresh and summery vibes of this healthy recipe.
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks Ioana, yes, it would add some extra flavour.