Provençal Cooking Minus the Cost of Airfare: Eggplant, Zucchini and Tomato Tian

Dreaming of a summer getaway to the South of France? Fantasizing about leisurely dinners in the warm, Mediterranean air? Keep dreaming, but in the meantime, try this Provençal recipe for eggplant, zucchini and tomato tian. Tian [TYAHN ] is a French word used throughout Provençe that refers both to a shallow cooking vessel and the food that is cooked in it.

The recipe gives you a taste of delicious Provençal cooking while taking advantage of summer’s bounty of ripe, nutritious and colorful vegetables. An 11 x 7-inch glass or ceramic baking dish works well for this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound Japanese eggplant, cut diagonally into ¼-inch thick slices
• 1 pound zucchini, cut diagonally into ¼-inch thick slices
• Cooking spray
• 1 pound large beefsteak tomatoes, peeled, seeded and cut into ¼-inch thick slices
• 1 ½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• ¼ teaspoon salt, divided
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 4 ounces French bread baguette
• 1 cup (4 ounces) grated fresh parmigiano-reggiano cheese
• 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 2 teaspoons fresh oregano, chopped
• 1 ½ teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ¼ cup fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Arrange eggplant and zucchini in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Lightly coat vegetables with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes. Arrange half of eggplant in a single layer in an 11 x 7-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with half of zucchini and half of tomato. Drizzle 2 ¼ teaspoons olive oil evenly over vegetables. Sprinkle vegetables evenly with 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper.
3. Place bread in a food processor; process until coarse crumbs measure 2 cups. Add cheese and next 4 ingredients (through garlic) to processor; process until combined. Sprinkle 1 ½ cups breadcrumb mixture evenly over tomato. Repeat layers with remaining eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, oil, salt, pepper and breadcrumb mixture. Pour broth over top. Bake at 375° for 1 hour or until vegetables are tender and topping is browned.
4. Bon appetit!
   

Nutritional Information:

• Amount per serving
• Calories: 191
• Fat: 8.1 g
• Saturated fat: 3 g
• Monounsaturated fat: 3.7 g
• Polyunsaturated fat: 1 g
• Protein: 10 g
• Carbohydrate: 22.3 g
• Fiber: 4 g
• Cholesterol: 12 mg
• Iron: 1.6 mg
• Sodium: 459 mg
• Calcium: 178 mg

This recipe makes 6 servings. Serving size is approximately 1 cup.

The recipe is courtesy of Joanne Weir, Cooking Light (June 2010).