PROVENCAL VEGETABLE BAKE
I had the pleasure of meeting Gabriel Gaté a few times and it's with pleasure that I can tell you that I'm bringing a special French food segment by Gabriel Gaté who has been kind enough to share his recipes with me.
Everyone knows Gabriel Gaté in Australia. Gabriel is a French chef based in Melbourne with an international reputation with his remarkables TV appearances on Australian TV but also of course as a cookery author.
Every year, we can watch Gabriel on SBS with delectation during the Tour de France, suggesting us a gourmet tour. To start this new food segment, I picked a recipe from the South of France, as a tribute to my region. Gabriel Gaté explains to us how to obtain the maximum flavours from the Provence Region.
This dish is typical of the region and a good example of how creative the locals are with their vegetables. 'Tian' is actually the name of the cooking dish used. You will need a large ovenproof dish, made of eitheir porcelain or cast iron.
PROVENCAL VEGETABLE BAKE
Tian aux Légumes Provençals
125 ml (4 1/2 fl oz 1/2 cup) extra virgin-oil
1 large brown onion, thinly sliced
1 red or green capsicum (pepper), seeds removed, thinly sliced
2 medium eggplants (aubergines), halved and thiny sliced
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
4 medium zucchini (courgettes)
6 tomatoes, cut into 5 mm (1/4 in) slices
salt
freshly groung black pepper
2 tablespoons finely cropped lemon thyme
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
3 tablesspoons dry breadcrumbs
Serves 6
Heat half the oil in a large, non-stick frying pan. Add the onion and cook, stirring continuously, for 2 minutes. Add teh capsicum, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring again. Add the eggplant and garlic and cok over low heat for about 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.
Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F).
Peel off the zucchini skin in vertical strips, 1 cm (1/2 in) apart, so that trips of skin remain. Cut the zucchini into 5 mm (1/4 in) slices.
Transfer the cooked vegetables to an ovenproof dish. Arrange the zucchini and tomato slices on top of the vegetables in alternate, overlapping rows. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle evenly with lemon thyme. Drizzle evenly with the remaining oil. Bake for about 30 minutes. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs and bake for a further 10 minutes.
Voilà, it's ready. Bon appétit. Gabriel and I are looking forward to hearing your comments.
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Source: "Délicieux - The recipes of France" by Gabriel Gaté - Hardie Grant Books
To buy the book: Click here
