Tian Provençal

Working with The University of Sheffield

Tian Provençal

Season: AutumnSummer

You can’t have too many ideas for courgettes, tomatoes and aubergines at this time of year. This classic French dish is a more aesthetically pleasing version of a ratatouille – the ‘tian’ refers to the round ceramic oven dish traditionally used in Provence. There are plenty of recipe versions online but we’ve gone for one by Rachel Khoo from her book My Little French Kitchen. Can be eaten hot or cold – as a side-dish or as the centrepiece with some good bread and salad and maybe some cheese.

Ingredients

4 onions (ideally red), peeled and finely sliced

4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed

4 sprigs of fresh thyme

4 tbsp olive oil

1 aubergine (approx. 250g)

1 courgette (approx. 160g)

5 firm tomatoes (plum tomatoes work well)

A pinch of salt

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Fry the onions, garlic and thyme in 2 tablespoons of the oil for about 10 minutes, until soft and starting to turn golden.

Meanwhile slice the aubergine and courgette crossways (2mm thick). Use a mandolin if you have one. Slice the tomatoes into 3mm-thick slices.

Tip the softened onions, garlic and thyme into a round ovenproof dish and top with a few slices of the vegetables to make a flat surface. Arrange the rest of the sliced vegetables, alternating the colours, standing vertically in a circular arrangement around the dish.

Drizzle with the rest of the oil and sprinkle with salt. Cook in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until the vegetables are soft and golden on top.