Recipe: Ratatouille Tian

RATATOUILLE TIAN (TIAN RATATOUILLE)
"Every French cook I know who went to see the animated film Ratatouille came out of the cinema saying, "Fun movie. but that ratatouille was really a tian," referring to the sequence when the eponymous dish is served to Anton Ego, the restaurant critic. The two dishes do have things in common: their region of origin (Provence) and some of the market-fresh produce they call for (tomatoes, zucchini, onions. eggplants). But while the vegetables are cooked in chunks and on the stovetop for a classic ratatouille, it is the tian that introduces those pretty overlapping rows of thinly sliced vegetables and the oven roasting that coaxes them into caramelization."



"Named after the earthenware pan it is traditionally baked in, a tian is a gorgeous dish that melds the flavors of the vegetables into a warmly sweet ensemble, perfect for serving with a side of Blanch-Roasted New Potatoes. It tastes even better the next day, reheated or cold, over a bowl of long-grain rice or slipped inside a focaccia sandwich with fresh basil and pine nuts."

Fine sea salt
1 1⁄3 pounds (600 g) small eggplants*
3 teaspoons herbes de Provence or a mix of dried thyme, rosemary, basil, and/or oregano
1 1⁄3 pounds (600 g) medium zucchini*
1 3/4 pounds (800 g) plum tomatoes*
Olive oil for cooking
2 small yellow onions
(4 1/4 ounces / 120 g each), finely sliced
8 fresh sage leaves, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced

An hour before you plan to cook, salt the eggplants to remove any trace of bitterness: using a mandolin slicer or very sharp knife, cut the eggplants crosswise into 1/8-inch (3 mm rounds). Put them in a colander, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt, and toss to coat. Let rest for 1 hour to allow some of the moisture to be drawn out of the slices. Pat dry with a clean kitchen towel. Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the herbes de Provence.

Cut the zucchini and tomatoes crosswise into 1⁄8-inch (3 mm) rounds. Place in two separate bowls and sprinkle each with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon of the herbes de Provence.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Lightly oil an 8 10-inch (20 25 cm) glass or ceramic baking dish. Scatter the sliced onions evenly over the bottom. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and a touch of olive oil.

Arrange a row of overlapping tomato slices along one side of the dish. Pack them in tightly so that they are almost upright. Sprinkle with a little sage and garlic. Follow with a row of overlapping eggplant slices and then a row of zucchini slices, sprinkling each with a little sage and garlic as you go. Repeat the pattern until you've filled the dish and used up all the vegetables, packing the rows of vegetables together very tightly. If you have vegetables remaining at the end, slip them among their peers to flesh out the rows that seem to need it.

Drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil, cover loosely with foil, and bake for 30 minutes.

Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) and bake for another 30 minutes.

Remove the foil and bake until the vegetables are tender and the tips of the vegetable slices are appealingly browned, about another 30 minutes.

Serve hot, at room temperature, or chilled.

*Note that this dish looks best if the vegetable slices are all approximately the same diameter; so keep that in mind when you're choosing them at the greenmarket.

Makes 6 servings
Used by permission to Recipelink.com from Clarkson Potter
Source: The French Market Cookbook by Clotilde Dusoulier