Author Notes
I first read about this tian in a Tom Douglas cookbook (Tom's Big Dinners,) and have since made some version of it, seasonally dependent, nearly once a week. This can easily be made with tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini. Or sweet potato and fennel. Later in the season, I turn to this variation on the theme. —MrsWheelbarrow
Ingredients
- Crumb topping
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2 tablespoons
unsalted, high quality butter
-
2 cups
dry toasted bread crumbs
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2
garlic cloves, minced
-
1/4 cup
parsley, chopped
-
1 tablespoon
thyme leaves
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1/2 cup
Parmesian, grated
- Vegetable Base
-
1
long necked butternut squash
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4
leeks
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1
medium shallot
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12
shiitake mushrooms, sliced
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8 ounces
fresh spinach
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2-3 tablespoons
unsalted, high quality butter
-
salt and pepper
-
Olive oil
Directions
-
Butter a heavy baking dish. I use a Le Creuset 9" oval baker. Double the recipe for a larger Tian, and use a rectangular baker. Preheat the oven to 400°.
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Heat 2 T butter in a large skillet until bubbling, stir in the breadcrumbs and then stir together the rest of the ingredients for the crumb topping and set aside.
-
Separate the squash neck from the bulb. (I use the bulb for soups, first roasting it to make it easier to free the squash from the peel.)
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Peel the neck and then slice into thin rounds using a mandoline or a very sharp knife.
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Trim and thinly slice the leeks Into rounds. Slice the mushrooms. Mince the shallot.
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Blanch the spinach, squeeze dry and chop. (or substitute thawed frozen chopped spinach.)
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In a heavy skillet, heat 1 Tbls of butter, add the shallot when it is foaming, then the mushrooms. Cook, undisturbed, until softened and beginning to brown. Remove from the pan and set aside.
-
Wipe out the skillet and heat 1-2 Tbls. of butter. Add the leeks and cook them slowly until just beginning to brown. Place the leeks on the bottom of the well buttered baking dish.
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Add the spinach, sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with a little olive oil. Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper and drizzle again with a little olive oil.
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Next, add the squash. Make it decorative. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
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Bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle on the crumb topping. It will seem like a lot, but it isn't. Reduce the oven heat to 350° and bake for an additional 20 minutes. Serve.
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