Cast Iron Vegetable Tian Recipes

SUMMER VEGETABLE TIAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush a large, shallow baking dish with olive oil.
• In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook 8 to 10 minutes or until beginning to soften.
• Add the garlic and cook 1 to 2 more minutes. Add half the thyme and salt and black pepper to taste.
• Drain off any excess oil. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and allow to cool while preparing the vegetables.
• Sprinkle half the cheese over onions.
• Slice the zucchini, tomatoes and potatoes into 1/4-inch slices.
• While the vegetables are on your cutting board, season with salt and black pepper.
• Layer vegetables alternately in the dish on top of the onions and cheese, fitting tightly to make one layer. If any vegetables are left, tuck them in wherever you can to use them up.
• Once they're arranged, sprinkle with more salt, black pepper and remaining thyme.
• Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake 35-40 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
• Uncover the dish, sprinkle the cheese on top, and bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until lightly browned.
• Allow to rest 10 minutes before serving.

VEGETABLE TIAN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees.
• Halve the peeled garlic clove and rub bottom of a large baking dish with the cut side of the garlic. Coat the bottom of the dish with 2 tablespoons oil. Arrange vegetables in dish, alternating them and overlapping them. Season with salt and pepper as you layer the vegetables. Scatter herbs on top and drizzle with remaining oil to coat generously. Add garlic cloves evenly over the top.
• Bake 25 minutes, then baste vegetables with oil from pan, and continue baking until tender and browned, about 25 minutes more.

VEGETABLE TIAN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Brush a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking dish with olive oil. In a medium saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons 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.
• Slice the potatoes, zucchini, and tomatoes in 1/4-inch thick slices. Layer them alternately in the dish on top of the onions, fitting them tightly, making only 1 layer. 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. Uncover the dish, remove the thyme sprigs, sprinkle the cheese on top, and bake for another 30 minutes until browned. Serve warm.

TIAN

Steps:

• In a pot, boil 2 inches of water for blanching tomatoes. Place an 8- or 9-inch cast-iron skillet on a burner over low heat, and add butter to melt.
• Peel the potatoes, and slice on a Japanese mandoline into 1/4-inch-thick disks, then arrange in a single layer circle covering the bottom of the cast-iron skillet with its melted butter, keeping the skillet on the burner and leaving the heat on while you start to build the tian.
• Add a second layer of potato slices, and season with salt and pepper, add a drizzle of olive oil and cover with a lid to slightly steam while you slice the yellow onion.
• Peel the onion, then slice into even 1/4-inch or thinner rounds. The Japanese mandoline is sometimes too narrow to use for this, so you may have to use a sharp knife and do it manually.
• Layer abundantly half the onion rings evenly around the pan on top of the steamed potatoes, season with salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil, and recover the pan with a lid while you slice the zucchini.
• Slice the zucchini into 1/4-inch-thick rounds, and layer half of them in concentric, just-overlapping shingled circles over the onions to create a neat layer. Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with oil and recover with the lid while you blanch the tomatoes.
• Season the now-boiling water with a few good pinches of salt, and drop the tomatoes into the boiling water. As soon as their skins split - about 30 seconds - retrieve the tomatoes and run under cold water to quickly cool enough to handle; set aside.
• Build another ring of potato around the tian on top of the now-steaming zucchini, this time just a single layer. Drizzle with oil, season with salt and pepper and recover with the lid to steam a bit while you slip the skins off the tomatoes.
• Layer the other half of the onions as before, season and drizzle and replace the lid as before, while you split the tomatoes in half horizontally with a small sharp knife.
• Add final layer of zucchini to the tian, and season with salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Cover, and let steam while you heat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Place the tomatoes around the top of the tian evenly, and sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top evenly. Drizzle with oil, season with salt and pepper and place in the oven to bake for 30 minutes. (If your skillet threatens to bubble over, slip a sheet pan underneath to prevent any burned wreckage in the bottom of your oven.)
• With a spoon, baste, and drizzle the pan juices that accumulate in the tian over the top when you remove it from the oven at the end. Allow the tian to cool, settle and kind of meld for an hour before eating.

CAST IRON VEGETABLE TIAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400ºF and lightly grease a cast iron pan; sprinkle 1 cup breadcrumbs, cover the bottom evenly and set aside.
• In a skillet over medium heat, add oil and when hot, add onion; sauté for 5 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flakes; sauté for 1 minute. Pour in red wine and cook for 1 ½ to 2 minutes or until absorbed. Spread onion mixture on the bottom of the prepared cast iron pan; set aside.
• Using a mandolin, slice each vegetable with the same thickness of 1/4-inch. Precook squash and russet potato slices in the microwave for 5 minutes on "High"; let them cool off.
• Stack vegetables starting with russet potato slice then a tomato slice followed by squash and zucchini; repeat the same order so the tian looks well balanced in color. Arrange stacks evenly around the outside edge working towards the middle. Pour lemon juice over the veggies and sprinkle with Herbes de Provence, sea salt and black pepper. Cover tightly with foil and transfer to the preheated oven; bake for 60 minutes or until tender.
• Meanwhile, make the topping by stirring gruyere cheese, breadcrumbs and clarified butter together; set aside.
• After an hour, remove tian from the oven as well as foil. Sprinkle topping mixture evenly and return tian to the oven, uncovered; bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving. Makes 8 servings.