Tian Of Pumpkin Food

PUMPKIN OR BUTTERNUT SQUASH TIAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Butter a 13 x 9 inch baking dish.
• Dredge pumpkin or butternut squash in a bag with flour, crumbled basil, salt and pepper; shake off excess.
• Put in the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with Parmesan and garlic; add more pepper to taste and drizzle with oil.
• Bake for 30-40 minutes.

PROVENCAL PUMPKIN TIAN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Peel the pumpkin and cut the flesh into smallish pieces. Put it in a pan with about 6 tbsp water. Put the lid on and steam for 15-20 minutes until very soft.
• Mash with a masher or fork, season and add the nutmeg. If it is watery, return to the heat and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated.
• While the pumpkin is steaming, fry the onion in a medium-sized saucepan in the butter and oil for about 10 minutes, until softened but not brown. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Gradually pour in the milk, a little at a time, stirring all the time to prevent lumps from forming, and cook over a low heat until the sauce thickens.
• Mix the white sauce with the pumpkin and the egg, and beat well. Pour into a well-buttered small ceramic baking dish. Sprinkle over the cheese and almonds and bake for 40 minutes, or until slightly firm and golden on top.

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.

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 OF PUMPKIN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the pumpkin, leeks, carrots and squash in a small roasting pan. Sprinkle the pumpkin with mace. Roast the vegetables until tender, about 45 minutes. Let cool. Cut the pumpkin, carrots and squash into thin slices. Set aside.
• Combine the shallots and olive oil in a saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the vinegar, red wine and 1/2 cup of the chicken broth. Cook over low heat until golden brown, about 30 minutes.
• Cover the bottom of an oval gratin dish with the shallots. Place the pumpkin, carrots and squash in alternating rows over the shallots. Sprinkle with thyme. Add the remaining chicken broth, salt and pepper. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes.

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.