Instructions
Onion fondue
- Peel and thinly slice the onion, then sauté it over low heat in a little olive oil for 5 to 10 minutes.
Important: Don’t let the onion brown or burn—it will give the rest of the dish a bad taste, and besides, it’s not good for your health!
Cutting vegetables
- Wash the eggplants and slice them into thin rounds (2–3 mm).
Place the eggplant slices on one or more kitchen towels, sprinkle them with coarse salt, and let them draw out their liquid while you prepare the rest of the vegetables.
- Wash the zucchini and slice them into thin rounds without peeling them.
Set aside in a bowl.
- Rinse the tomatoes and slice them (aim for slices about 5 mm thick; otherwise, they’ll fall apart).
Set aside.
Assembling the vegetables
- Crush a clove of garlic and rub it over the earthenware dish.
Pour a little olive oil into the dish (about 2 tbsp).
Place the caramelized onion pieces at the bottom of the dish and spread them evenly across the surface.
- The eggplant slices should be covered with small droplets.
Place a kitchen towel over the eggplant slices to dry them.
- Arrange the vegetables vertically, alternating slices of zucchini, tomatoes, and eggplant.
Pack the vegetables as tightly as possible (they will shrink during cooking).
- Preheat the oven to 180°C. Finely
mince a second clove of garlic and sprinkle it over the vegetables. Then
drizzle olive oil over the vegetables, making sure to coat them all.
- Sprinkle with herbes de Provence.
Cover the dish with parchment paper to prevent the vegetables from burning too much.
Notes:
- There’s no need to salt the vegetables (or very little) since the eggplants are already salted,
- Personally, I prefer to avoid aluminum foil in the kitchen due to long-term health risks, particularly during cooking and when it comes into contact with acidic foods.
- Bake for an hour and a half.
Once it’s done baking, let your tian cool in the oven—it’ll be even more flavorful and delicious that way 😋