Vegetable tian with garlic tomato sauce

You can start grabbing a kitchen mandoline and fresh, colorful, and varied vegetables: all of this is the secret for this vegetable tian with garlic tomato sauce to turn out as delicious as you see. That, and the Le Creuset roasting pan, new, light, sturdy and fabulous for making all kinds of roasts.

Roasts, that’s exactly what we will do with these sliced and strategically arranged vegetables in the pan: first, we will make a homemade, well-spiced tomato sauce, intense in flavor, which will be the base of the recipe. On top we will place the vegetables and, for a beautiful and rounded finishing touch, we will sprinkle it with cheese.

The vegetable tian is undoubtedly a classic of French cuisine, and the one we present here is a very natural and intense tian recipe, full of flavor thanks to the homemade, aromatic tomato sauce recipe you’ll see here that will coat every bite with intense pleasure. I hope you enjoy it.

Le Creuset roasting pan

Ingredients (for 4-6 people)

• 1 red onion, diced
• 1 tbsp oil
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste
• 1 tbsp dried rosemary
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 2 tsp sugar
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 lemon, zested
• 2 green zucchinis
• 2 yellow zucchinis
• 2 eggplants
• 2 sweet potatoes
• 5 tomatoes
• 30 g fresh Parmesan cheese, grated

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. First we’ll prepare the tomato sauce. To do this, heat the oil in a Poleon Le Creuset saucepan and fry the onion over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, until it begins to soften. Then add the garlic with a pinch of salt and fry for one more minute.
3. Add the sun-dried tomato paste, rosemary, oregano and paprika before adding all the tomatoes along with half a glass of water. Sprinkle in the sugar and lemon zest and season, then bring to a boil for 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until you get a thick sauce.
4. Meanwhile, with the help of a kitchen mandoline slice the zucchinis, eggplants, sweet potatoes and tomatoes into half-centimeter rounds.
5. Place the sweet potato slices in a large bowl with a little water and put it in the microwave for two and a half minutes (we want to soften it a bit, since it is harder than the other vegetables and with the time the others need in the oven the sweet potato would remain raw). Turn the slices halfway through. Then drain them well and set aside with the rest of the vegetables. If you don't have a microwave, to soften the sweet potato you can put it in a saucepan over boiling water for 5 minutes.
6. Let's assemble the pan. When the sauce has thickened, pour it into the base of the Ovenware Le Creuset roasting pan, spreading it well with the back of a spoon. Arrange the vegetables in rows, alternating each one and always following an order, until you have completely filled the pan. Depending on the diameter of the slices, you will need about four layers to fill the entire pan.
7. Once everything is well arranged, sprinkle the grated Parmesan on top.
8. Place the pan in the oven for 35-40 minutes, until the vegetables have softened and the cheese is golden and crisp.
9. Finally, remove from the oven and let rest for five minutes.

Kobra De Buyer Mandoline and Le Creuset Poleon enamelled cast iron saucepan

Notes

• Vegetable tian is a dish in its own right that you can serve as a starter in a meal. Many other times it is the ideal side for meats and fish: serve a portion of tian, neatly arranged, alongside, as a base, or crowning a piece of meat or fish (whether cooked on the griddle or in the oven). You'll see what a beautiful presentation you get!
• If you choose to serve it on its own, I suggest accompanying it with a little salad: simply some arugula or spinach with cashews and a lemon vinaigrette, it will pair wonderfully.
• You can also serve it as an appetizer: skewer a few slices with toothpicks and arrange them on a serving platter to place in the middle of the table. You’ll see how quickly they disappear!