Cook and Drink

A delicious combination of tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant and onion. Add flavoured olive oil (garlic and Herbes de Provence), assemble and transfer to the oven. That’s all! The result is a Tian, a vibrant and very tasty dish. Thanks to the preperation in the oven, without additional liquid or sauce, the taste and aromas of the vegetables are pleasant and intense.

A few weeks ago, we prepared Ratatouille Niçoise. We read about variations such as Confit Bayaldi and saw beautiful presentations by Remy (Ratatouille) and other chefs. We also came across a recipe for Tian. Then it all made sense: the nouvelle cuisine version of ratatouille combines the ingredients and preparation of a classic ratatouille with the presentation of Tian.

Tian is the name of a ceramic casserole dish used in the Provence and other parts of France. The dish prepared in it is also called Tian. We found lots of versions, including a Tian d’Anchois, in Hélène Barale’s book La Cuisine Niçoise. A combination of a rich tomato sauce, fresh anchovies and bread.

When shopping for our Tian we wondered if we should add onion. Our greengrocer on the Cours Saleya in Nice was clear: white onions are mandatory.

What You Need

• 1 Courgette or Zucchini
• 1 Eggplant or Aubergine
• Tomatoes
• White Onion
• 2 teaspoons (or more) Herbes de Provence
• 2 cloves of Garlic
• Black Pepper
• Olive oil

What You Do

1. Wash the zucchini, the tomatoes and the eggplant
2. Heat your oven to 200 °C or 390 °F
3. Slice the zucchini, the tomatoes and the eggplant into thin, evenly sized pieces.
4. Cut the eggplant and/or zucchini slices in half to make layering easier.
5. Slice the onion, but thinner
6. Crush the garlic
7. Combine garlic, olive oil and herbes de Provence 
8. Coat the dish with half of the oil
9. Assemble the dish
10. Drizzle with the remaining oil-mixture
11. Add some black pepper
12. Sprinkle with some extra herbes de Provence
13. Cover the dish with aluminium foil
14. Bake for 20 minutes
15. Remove the cover and continue baking for another 20–25 minutes
16. Allow to cool for 10 minutes
17. Serve in the dish