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Ratatouille Tian


From the Provence region of France come wonderful, rustic vegetable dishes. Ratatouille and Tians are among them. Both traditionally use eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes. Ratatouille is generally stovetop-stewed diced/chunked veggies, and a tian is made from uniformly sliced veggies that are arranged in an orderly fashion, then roasted. This recipe is a combination of these two dishes; it is made in the oven, and is easy to adjust to your preference. Enjoy solo, over penne pasta or rice, with crusty bread.

2 c. thinly sliced, about 1/8" - 1/4", Fairytale eggplant (or quartered, then sliced, medium eggplant)

Salt

2 c. thinly sliced, about 1/8" - 1/4", summer squash (can substitute all or part with more eggplant and/or cooked, sliced potato)

1 - 2 c. tomato slices or half-moons (similar in size to eggplant and squash) the more you add, the soupier it will be*

1/2-1 c. thinly sliced bell pepper (or half-rings)- optional

1/4 c. thinly sliced red or other mild onion

Garlic salt, about 1 tsp.

Herbes de Provence, about 1 tsp. (or use combination of rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano)

Olive oil

Optional: 1/4- 1/2 c. shredded gruyere or parmesan, (or soft goat cheese)- nice if serving as a side dish; if serving as a main course over pasta, garnish with cheese at the table.

Put the eggplant slices into a colander, sprinkle lightly with salt, and toss to coat all. Set over bowl or sink, and allow to sweat/drain for about an hour. Pat dry with a paper or cloth towel.

Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease a medium, shallow baking dish.

Keep each sliced vegetable separate by putting into four bowls (peppers and onions can be together). Toss each with 1/4 tsp. or so of garlic salt and herbs- adjust to your taste.

Arrange alternating rows of each vegetable, the rounds should be overlapping and stacked so they're almost upright (don't lay flat). Make two or three scatter-rows of peppers and onions between the other veggie rows to incorporate their flavor into the dish.

Drizzle evenly over all with 2-3 Tbsp. olive oil.

Cover loosely with foil and bake for about 40 - 60 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

Remove foil for the last 10-15 minutes, to lightly brown the veggie tops. If you are using cheese, scatter over the top.

Note: If you have all veggies about the same size, and want to get really fancy-dancy, you can make each row a combination of all vegetables; it's just more putsy. A spiral design in a round dish is fun too. If you don't want to bother with the fuss of stacking the veggies, simply chop or slice at will, mix altogether, and roast! See photos below. It's delicious, no matter how it looks!

*When serving over pasta or rice, I like to add more tomatoes so it's more saucy- and it can be an entree. If I'm going to serve as a side, I'll add far fewer tomatoes, to keep it more "intact".

Recipe created or adapted by Liz Talley, Urban Graze

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