Summer Vegetable Tian
I first made this beautiful, veggie-packed dish back in the 1980s from one of my Julia Child cookbooks. I was reminded of it while flipping through Dorie Greenspan’s new book Everyday Dorie. There, on page 234 was the tian! Even though it’s been a few years since I’ve made one, all the glories of the tian came rushing back to me — the paper-thin slices of zucchini, potato, and onion that get crispy on the outside and jammy on the inside as they roast. The tomatoes tucked in between that melt into a sauce. The use of way more olive oil and garlic than seems prudent.
My first tian in over 30 years was a success and I couldn’t wait to share it with you all. The French, however, have been making tians out of vegetables forever. Pretty much any vegetable amenable to slicing into rounds is fair game for a tian. The French version, like Dorie’s, often includes eggplant along with the zucchini, potato, tomato, and onion.
Veggies + olive oil + garlic + salt
Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Yet the method of layering the vegetables in a circular pattern is what makes this such a special dish. The key, as one of Dorie’s friends told her, is to have “too much oil, enough salt and a long cooking time.” Served in triangular slices, just like pie, this tian packs in tons of brain healthy veggies in each bite.
You don’t need a special tian, but a mandoline helps
The word “tian” refers to the typical pottery casserole dish as well as the dish itself. But you don’t need a special dish to make this; a 9-inch pie plate works perfectly well.
It does help to have a mandoline, however, to cut the vegetables into paper-thin slices that are all the same size. You can do a fine job with a sharp knife and a little attention to detail. I have two mandolines for my cooking school, but the last time I made a tian I couldn’t find either one! So I put on my reading glasses and got to work making the slices as uniform as possible. My hand-chopped tian was just as beautiful and delicious, albeit a bit rustic looking.
Make a tian from any round vegetable
Here, I substituted sweet potatoes for the typical potato to add brain healthy carotenoids and more fiber. Eggplant would be wonderful, too. Or, try slicing sweet red peppers into uniform pieces and tucking them between the other veggies.
We know from numerous studies, including the MIND diet study, that eating vegetables every day protects cognitive power and reduces Alzheimer’s risk. I hope my version of this classic dish, with a nod to Julia and Dorie, helps makes it even easier (and more delicious) to fill your plate with veggies.
Prep Time | 30 minutes |
Cook Time | 70-90 minutes |
Servings |
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- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 large garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 2-3 medium tomatoes
- 1 medium zucchini
- 1 medium yellow squash
- 1-2 sweet potatoes scrubbed
- 1-2 large red onion
- coarse sea salt about 1 tsp
- Handful of fresh thyme
Ingredients
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- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Rub a 9-inch round baking dish (such as a pie plate) with the cut side of a clove of garlic.
- Using a mandoline or a sharp knife, slice the vegetables no more than ¼-inch thick. Ideally, all the vegetable slices should be about the same size.
- Pour half the olive oil into the baking dish. Arrange the vegetable slices in the dish in a circular pattern, alternating evenly between the tomato, zucchini, sweet potato and onion. Fill the center of the dish with a smaller circle of vegetables. Sprinkle the vegetables liberally with the salt. Tuck the garlic slices between the vegetables evenly throughout the dish.
- Strip most of the thyme of its leaves, leaving a few intact sprigs for garnish. Drizzle the rest of the olive oil over the top and sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves. Add an additional sprinkle of salt.
- Bake for 70 to 90 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Top with thyme sprigs and cut into triangular pieces. Serve hot or warm.
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