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eggplant tian – can you take another eggplant recipe?

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“When the good Lord begins to doubt the world, he remembers that he created Provence.” Frederic Mistral

Hi there,

A few years ago I had the very good fortune to spend a week in Provence. Provence is everything everyone says it is and more. It is incredibly beautiful and filled with the smell of lavender, good bread, and delicious foods.

Our trip coincided with the summer solstice. We were delighted and surprised to see that the town celebrated the solstice with a street party. There were lights strung across the streets, music, people dancing, having a glass of wine or just out strolling arm in arm. What a way to celebrate the beginning of summer. Outside of the June 21st I delivered my son, Stephen, it was the most memorable summer solstice I have ever experienced.

One of the dishes I had that night was an eggplant tian. When I saw fairy tale eggplants at the farmer’s market on Saturday, it brought back the memory of that night. What follows is my recreation from memory of that beautiful dish.

Ingredients:

  • 5 heirloom tomatoes sliced very fat
  • 1/2 Vidallia Onion sliced very thin
  • pint basket of mini eggplant sliced in half
  • 1/4 cup of pesto
  • 1/4 seasoned olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon of togarashi seasoning
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • parmesan cheese shredded to cover top

Directions:

  1. spray a round cassoulette dish with olive oil
  2. layer sliced tomatoes overlapping
  3. layer onion
  4. layer eggplants
  5. pour olive oil evenly over the vegetables
  6. dot the top with pesto and seasonings
  7. Cook covered at 400 for 30 minutes
  8. Uncover and cook 10 more minutes
  9. layer the parmesan cheese over the cassoulette and cooking another 10 minutes

Special Note: This makes a delicious side dish or lunch.

Talk soon, ❤️💕 Bernadette

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39 responses to “eggplant tian – can you take another eggplant recipe?”

  2. Dorothy's New Vintage Kitchen – I'm a writer, cook, gardener, photographer, poet, quilter, and accomplished daydreamer. I'm also a wife, mother, grandmother, sister. cousin, aunt, and friend, no particular order on any given day. I've been a writer all my life, newspaper reporter and columnist, radio news writer, and magazine contributor, and poet and short-story writer as the spirit moves. Now, I turn my attention to my cookbook, the blog, and a cooking column "Memorable Meals," which runs in our county newspaper. Besides my family, I love dogs, cats, good coffee, chocolate, and my never-dwindling pile of books I intend to read. Our family ran a small Vermont Inn for 18 years, with our focus on local, organic ingredients. I cook from scratch, and try not to use anything that has ingredients I cannot pronounce! After many years of daily serving up local delicacies, cooking classes, and catering, we are now only open for special events, and the odd cooking class. We also host musicians and artists, having helped produce a musical festival and other musical events for nearly 20 years. Many incredible artists have found a place at our table. Wonderful experiences, we will treasure always. My family and friends are my practice subjects. With a family that includes nut, peanut, tree fruit, and vegetable allergies, gluten intolerance, dairy intolerance, vegetarians, vegans, heart conscious, and a couple of picky eaters, there has to be a few quick tricks in the book to keep everyone fed and happy! Personally, I do not eat red meat or most full-fat dairy (usually) for health reasons, making the occasional exception at Thanksgiving and Christmas or our anniversary if the duck is locally raised. I do eat fish and seafood, so I try to come up with alternatives and substitutions when available. I serve local organic eggs and cheeses to my family who can tolerate dairy (My husband recently had a heart attack, and I need to watch my own cholesterol so I am careful, but have been known to let a little piece of really good cheese accidentally fall on my plate!). I believe strongly that eating in a way that is good for our planet is also good for our bodies, and I try to educated myself about our food sources! I cook by the seasons and draw on inspiration from the strong and talented women in my family who came before me, as well as the youth in the family who look at the world with fresh eyes. Food links us all, whether sharing a meal, cooking it together, or writing about it for others to enjoy. I love taking an old recipe and giving it a modern spin, especially if I can make it a littler healthier and use foods that are kinder to the Earth and to our bodies. I believe strongly in sustainable, delicious eating of whole foods, and the wonderful flavors we have at our fingertips! And finally, I love conversing with all the talented cooks and chefs out there who dot the globe! It's a wonderful, world full of culinary pen pals, and I cherish them all! XXXOOO Dorothy
    Dorothy’s New Vintage Kitchen says:

    Sounds enchanting Bernie!

    Reply
  3. Chef Mimi – As a self-taught home cook, with many years in the culinary profession, I am passionate about all things food-related. Especially eating!
    chef mimi says:

    Beautiful. And what delicious memories!

    Reply

  6. Great summer dish! This classic combination of eggplants and tomatoes is one of my favorites. 🙂

    Reply
  8. V.M.Sang – UK – I was born and educated in the north west of England. I trained as a teacher in Manchester and taught in Salford, Lancashire, Hampshire and Croydon. I write fantasy novels currently. I also make cards, knit, crochet, tat, do cross stitch and paint. I enjoy walking on the Downs, cycling and kayaking. I do not enjoy housework, but like cooking.
    V.M.Sang says:

    This sounds a delicious dish, but I’ve never heard of togarashi seasoning. It sounds Japanese.
    I used to have a residence secondaire in Brittany. In all of France, on the solstice, every town has a music evening. As you say, it’s a great time, and a wonderful tradition. Of course, during the pandemic, it hasn’t happened.

    Reply

    • Thanks for stopping by. Yes, togarashi seasoning is a Japanese seasoning with hints of hot pepper and orange and lemon. It doesn’t have any salt. It marries well with vegetables.

      Reply
  9. the Painted Apron – Life is all about creativity for me, as long as I'm creating something I am happy! I hope I will inspire your daily life and give you ideas for your own wonderful creations!
    the Painted Apron says:

    I’ve had vegetable tians before but never with eggplant, this sounds wonderful!
    Jenna

    Reply
  10. Darlene – British Columbia, Canada – Writer of children's stories, short stories and travel articles. https://twitter.com/#!/supermegawoman http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=201634059868404&id=631897250&ref=notif&notif_t=like#!/pages/Darlene-Foster-Writer/362236842733
    Darlene says:

    I make a similar dish but without the pesto. I will be adding that next time!! Thanks. I too love Provence. I took a cooking class there.

    Reply

    • Darlene, that cooking class must have been so much fun. Provence has so many wonderful fruits and vegetables. When we were there, I took a class in Marsielle. I am going to do a post about that in the near future.

      Reply
  11. Jacqui Murray – Laguna Hills, CA. – Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular prehistoric fiction saga, Man vs. Nature which explores seminal events in man’s evolution one trilogy at a time. She is also the author of the Rowe-Delamagente thrillers and Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. Her non-fiction includes over a hundred books on integrating tech into education, reviews as an Amazon Vine Voice, and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. Look for her next prehistoric fiction, Savage Land.
    Jacqui Murray says:

    I tried so many times to make decent eggplant. This sounds like a perfect recipe.

    Reply
      • Jacqui Murray – Laguna Hills, CA. – Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular prehistoric fiction saga, Man vs. Nature which explores seminal events in man’s evolution one trilogy at a time. She is also the author of the Rowe-Delamagente thrillers and Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. Her non-fiction includes over a hundred books on integrating tech into education, reviews as an Amazon Vine Voice, and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. Look for her next prehistoric fiction, Savage Land.
        Jacqui Murray says:

        I like easy.

  12. I love eggplants cooked in all ways 😋😋 Are simple delicious 😋 Especially when they bring us lovely memories 🥰😉

    Reply
  15. bubblebathselfempowerment – The pandemic brought a lot of awareness to me about climate change, food shortages, how quickly our hospitals could colapse and more. This has sent me on a mission of becoming self-sustainable, empowered and working to help heal the earth. That is what the focus of this blog has become. The main way I'm working at this is through building a food forest and documenting as much as possible in hopes to inspire others. The more of us that do this, the more it will help heal the earth. When we buy produce from the grocery store, it was grown through monoculture, and that leads to use of chemicals that goes onto our food and into our planet, destroying soil. If we grow our own through permaculture (a food forest), we give the soil health. We also give ourselves health by growing organic foods and herbs that contribute to our health. There's a lot more to this, but this touches the surface. I'm only one year into this but my food forest is growing. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.
    bubblebathselfempowerment says:

    Sounds delicious and what a great memory!

    Reply

  16. I am amazed at how you have gone from Eggplant- reluctant to Big Fan! This sounds sooooo delicious! And your stripey eggplants are so beautiful!

    Reply
  17. Karen – New England – I travel the back roads of the world, sharing great food and interesting places and enjoyable pastimes.
    Karen says:

    To me, this is the kind of dish I think of when someone mentions food from Provence.

    Reply
  18. Becky Ross Michael – North TX – A native Michigander/Michiganian, Becky now lives in North Texas. This former teacher writes both fiction and memoir. When she's not working on stories and books for adults or children, Becky freelances as a writer, proofreader, and editor.
    Becky Ross Michael says:

    I love eggplant!

    Reply
      • Becky Ross Michael – North TX – A native Michigander/Michiganian, Becky now lives in North Texas. This former teacher writes both fiction and memoir. When she's not working on stories and books for adults or children, Becky freelances as a writer, proofreader, and editor.
        Becky Ross Michael says:

        You too!

  19. Thanks for sharing your Provence experience! Talk about being in the right place at the right time! I had never heard of “fairy tale” eggplant, but I can see why the name fits, they are adorable. Your plated picture looks so elegant and delicious!

    Reply

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