One of the most gratifying aspects of living in Provence is walking to our village market twice a week, browsing the stands of the fruit and vegetable vendors and filling my baskets with produce from the fields around us. I like to come home and spread out my bounty on the kitchen table to plan recipes. The colors, the forms, the ingredients themselves invoke a desire to cook.

Below is the first of two simple recipes I'll share with you that I’ve learned while living here in the south of France. Next week I'll share the second recipe. Both are, in fact, very easy and can be used in many contexts with much delight. I like them because they are visually splendid and they are delicious.

 

Vegetable Tian

(Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 45 minutes)

Tian is an elegant looking dish that you will find on tables all over Provence. A true classic from the south of France.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tomatoes
• 2 zucchinis
• 2 eggplants
• 2 onions
• Olive oil
• 2 branches of thyme
• 2 branches of rosemary
• Salt
• Pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Slice the tomatoes, zucchini, eggplants and onions in fine rounds. The finer the lovelier the effect
2. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
3. In a baking dish layer the vegetables vertically, alternating successively: tomato, zucchini, eggplant, onion, repeat in a circular shape around the dish
4. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper
5. Lay the branches of thyme and rosemary across the top
6. Cook for 45 minutes, covering half-way through