Summer Vegetable Tian: Simple and Elegant

The term tian simply refers to a dish of thinly sliced vegetables that have been cooked in fat of your choice and baked au gratin. This crispy and colorful Summer Vegetable Tian is the perfect side to showcase the medley of mouthwatering veggies that the season has to offer!
The following excerpt is from The Heal Your Gut Cookbook by Hilary Boynton and Mary G. Brackett. It has been adapted for the web.
RECIPE: Summer Vegetable Tian
Serves 6 to 8
This simple but elegant dish is perfect for serving when company comes over and makes an especially nice side for fish. It’s always beautiful, and the vegetables are completely interchangeable — so use what you have.
Ingredients
1 eggplant, sliced
1 red onion, sliced
1 zucchini, sliced
2 tomatoes, sliced
3 tablespoons ghee or fat of choice
1 teaspoon sea salt
1⁄2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
Handful of fresh thyme, stripped off stems
3 cloves garlic, smashed or chopped
Procedure
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place the vegetables in a big bowl, and drizzle with the fat.
- Add the sea salt, pepper, thyme, and garlic. Using a large spoon, gently toss to coat.
- In a round, well-greased baking dish, place the vegetable slices in a repeating pattern of concentric circles. You can also use a rectangular dish, and make a pattern of alternating rows.
- Add a bit more ghee on top of the vegetables, and cover with foil.
- Cook for 20 minutes, remove the foil, and baste the vegetables with the juices in the bottom of the pan.
- Cook for an additional 20 minutes, basting once again halfway through.
- Remove from the oven and serve.
Recommended Reads
Veggie Mandala with Chervil Aioli Sauce: A Natural Spring Recipe
Recent Articles
Want to spice up your traditional bread recipes? This salt-rising bread recipe by fermentation expert Sandor Ellix Katz has all the simplicity, flavor, and uniqueness you’ve been searching for! The following is an excerpt from Sandor Katz’s Fermentation Journeys by Sandor Ellix Katz. It has been adapted for the web. What Is Salt-Rising Bread? Salt-rising…
Read MoreNothing says “spring” like a fresh, foraged meal! Savor the flavors of the season with this Milkweed Bud Pizza recipe.
Read MoreWhat’s so great about oyster mushrooms? First, you can add them to the list of foods that can be grown indoors! They are tasty, easy to grow, multiply fast, and they love a variety of substrates, making oyster mushrooms the premium choice. The following is an excerpt from Fresh Food from Small Spaces by R. J.…
Read More