Vegetable Tian

Well, I’m in Houston this week visiting family, but don’t worry, there will be plenty of cooking going on here.  My aunt Jolene is a great cook (Jolene’s Chocolate Chip Cookies is her recipe).  Jolene, all my cousins and I were in the kitchen preparing our wonderful meal tonight.  We had Panko Shrimp and cocktail sauce, a mixed salad with homemade vinaigrette, toasted garlic bagels, brown mountain cake, and this wonderful Vegetable Tian recipe.  This dish is colorful and very pretty, and tastes excellent with the shredded Gruyere cheese on top.   Vegetable Tian is Ina Garten’s recipe from her “Barefoot in Paris” cookbook.  Enjoy!

Slice onions and saute over low for 8 to 10 minutes, until tender.  Add garlic, saute one more minute.  Spread the onion mixture on the bottom of the baking dish.

Slice vegetables in 1/4-inch thick slices.

Layer them alternately in the dish on top of the onions, fitting them tightly, make only 1 layer.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, thyme leaves and sprigs, and olive oil.

Cover and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

Uncover the dish, remove the thyme sprigs, sprinkle cheese on top.

Bake for another 30 minutes until browned.  Serve warm.

Vegetable Tian
Ingredients
Good olive oil
2 large yellow onions, cut in half and sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb medium round potatoes, unpeeled
3/4 lb zucchini
1 1/4 lbs medium tomatoes
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, plus extra sprigs
2 oz Gruyere cheese, grated

Directions
1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2.  Brush a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with olive oil.  In a medium saute pan, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil and cook the onions over medium-low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until translucent.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute.  Spread the onion mixture on the bottom of the baking dish.
3.  Slice the potatoes, zucchini, and tomatoes in 1/4-inch slices.  Layer them alternately in the dish on top of the onions, fitting them tightly, making only 1 layer.
4.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, thyme leaves, and thyme sprigs and drizzle with 1 more tablespoon of olive oil.  Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
5.  Uncover the dish, remove the thyme sprigs, sprinkle the cheese on top, and bake for another 30 minutes until browned.  Serve warm.

Yield:  4 to 6 servings