Recipe: Rebekah Peppler's Tian

Assembling a tian often occupies a slice of my afternoons in Provence. It’s a mind-resetting culinary pause between lunch and apéro, with a background track of cicadas and, depending on if we’re on holidays or not, keyboard percussion. It’s meditative to stand alone in the kitchen, tucking slices of vegetables tightly together, alternating colors and textures in the baking dish, letting your mind wander. Don’t be too precious about the ingredient list; the beauty of a tian is that you can and should use whatever you find in the garden or at the market. Planted too much zucchini and can’t shove any more off on your neighbors? Use extra zucchini. Add eggplant, skip the potatoes, sprinkle bread crumbs on top, throw a swipe of tomato sauce on the bottom of the dish. Any tian tastes best made a bit in advance and served at room temperature, so make it between emails or swims, letting it sit on the counter until dinner.

xx, Rebekah

Tian

Prep Time: 20

Total Time: 1 hour

Serve: 6

INGREDIENTS:

4 tablespoons [60 ml] extra-virgin olive oil

6 medium shallots, thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 sprigs fresh thyme

Pinch red pepper flakes, if desired

Fine sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons dry white wine or vermouth

3 or 4 medium zucchini or summer squash, sliced into ¼-inch [6 mm] thick rounds

3 or 4 medium Yukon gold potatoes, sliced into ¼-inch [6 mm] thick rounds

6 to 8 medium, ripe tomatoes, sliced into ¼-inch [6 mm] thick rounds

Instruction:

Prep!

Preheat the oven to 400°F [200°C]. In a large skillet over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of the oil. When the oil is hot, add the shallots and cook, stirring often, until they are tender and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, and red pepper flakes (if using). Season with salt and pepper and continue to cook for 1 minute more. Pour in the wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Cook until the liquid evaporates, about 1 minute, then transfer the shallot-garlic mixture to a 9-by-13-inch [23 by 33 cm] baking dish, discarding the thyme sprigs.

Assemble!

Alternate adding the zucchini, potatoes, and tomatoes to the baking dish in one layer, overlapping the slices, and packing the rows tightly together. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Bake until the vegetables are tender and lightly browned, 35 to 40 minutes.

Enjoy!

Serve warm or at room temperature. Tian will keep, tightly covered and refrigerated, for up to 3 days.