Never trust a rat! Those rats in the movie Ratatouille got it wrong! What those little creatures make, although using the same ingredients, is a traditional recipe from Provence called Tian Provençal. Ratatouille is chopped, simmered or roasted. With that cleared up, I have two versions of this recipe for you to try. It's great as a vegetarian dish or as a side dish with chicken, fish, or meat. And, in this video, I was given the biggest zucchini I've ever done seen. Watch the video and read on for the recipe...
Jean-Luc’s Traditional Tian Provençal
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
Serves 4 (as main dish) to 6 (as side)
Great for: a side dish for pork,
chicken, and lamb dishes, or a stand-alone vegetarian meal
Wine suggestion: A Bandol Blanc or rosé
2 red onions, peeled and sliced in thin
rounds
1 clove garlic, peeled, de-germed, and
finely minced
2 zucchinis, skin on, sliced
6 tomatoes, sliced
1 large eggplant, skin on, sliced
1 healthy pinch herbes de Provence
1 healthy pinch fleur de sel
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 400°F. In a skillet over
medium heat, add a dash of olive oil, along with the onion and garlic, cooking
until translucent, about 5 minutes. Place the onions in the bottom of a 9 x 12
baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil. Place the vegetables, alternating tomato,
eggplant, and zucchini, in the pan on top of the onions until the whole baking
dish is filled. (The vegetables aren’t layered, but stacked sideways like a
spine.) Drizzle the vegetables with olive oil. Season with herbes de Provence, a bit of fleur de sel, and pepper,
and bake for 35 minutes. Serve with rice or quinoa.
note: if yellow summer squash is in season, add it to the recipe for a blast of color and taste! Pourquoi pas?
Kathy’s Goat Cheese and Balsamic Glaze Tian Provençal
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
Serves 4 to 6
Great for: a side dish, a vegetarian
meal or anyone who loves tomatoes and cheese
Wine suggestion: A Sancerre Rosé
1 log goat cheese, sliced in rounds*
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Preheat oven to 400°F. Prepare
Jean-Luc’s tian and
after the vegetables have been placed in the dish, add in the . When the vegetables are in rows, add
in slices of goat cheese throughout. Bake for 25 minutes.
10 minutes before serving, in a small
pot, heat up the vinegar over high heat for about five minutes, until it reduces
to a syrup-like consistency. Carefully pour over vegetables and bake for
another 5 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature with rice or quinoa.
* Feta cheese is also delicious in this
recipe.
Bon app! And bisous!
