Foodie Friday -- Tian de légumes a la Provençale

First things first, don’t let the title scare you. This recipe is from my French sister-in-law. She made it for this Thanksgiving AND the day after when the fam got together for leftovers. The veggies disappeared both days--yes, it’s that good. It’s a pretty dish without all the cream soups, canned fried onions or cheese sauce that cover up the fact that you’re eating vegetables.

Françoise did give me permission to change up the recipe since I have a tendency to do that, but I won’t. Why mess with a good thing?

During this past year, I became a firm believer in keeping it simple when it comes to vegetables. Enhance without covering it up. Overcooking or covering up veggies simply negates the health benefits, which is also why you won’t find a whole lot of vegetable recipes on this blog.   

Tian de légumes a la Provençale

2-3 tomatoes

2-3 zucchini
2-3 yellow squash
1 onion
Herbes de Provence
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Preheat the oven to 355 F.
Slice and sauté the onion in about 2 tbsp of olive oil until they are soft. Set aside.
Cut the zucchini/ squash/tomatoes evenly into ¼ -inch slices.  
Spread the onion on the bottom of a 9 by 13 oven dish. On top of the onion, make rows of vegetables (alternate one row of zucchini, one row of squash, one row of tomato) along the short side of the baking dish.
Drizzle with a couple tbsp of olive oil. Generously sprinkle with herbes de Provence. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Cook for 25 minutes in the oven at 355, reduce heat to 300 F and cook for another 25 minutes.

Disclaimer: I’ve never actually made this dish so my suggestions are purely observations.

Hints & Suggestions:

·         Instead of drizzling olive oil, use olive oil spray to cut the calories, but not the flavor.

·         I’m sure the 355 degree oven could be changed to 350F . . . the 355 temp is probably a conversion from Celsius.

·         Use a large onion or two smaller ones since they will sweat down and you need to cover the bottom of a large pan.

·         My SIL used regular tomatoes and sliced them in half, but you can use Roma tomatoes, which are about the same diameter as the squash.

·         If you have a mandolin use it, but don’t slice your fingers along with the veggies.

·         Slice one of each veggie first, then start layering to figure out how tightly you want to pack them, then slice as needed. Or slice all of it and nosh on the leftovers that don't fit in the dish!

 

Enjoy!  Later, Peeps!