Tian provencal of courgette and tomato

Slice the tomatoes thinly.

Strip the courgettes with a peeler, one strip off and one left on all the way round, for a striped decoration.

Slice the courgette, tomato and onion three to four millimetres thin -- thinly, but not extremely thin.

Choose the tool by the amount: a very thin knife for a small amount up to three or four people, a hand mandolin for a medium amount, a food processor for a large one.

Choose the dish: small individual ones, or a larger pan. A large one takes a great deal of courgette and tomato to fill.

Cook the onion in a bit of olive oil over a moderate heat to soften it without colouration, 10 to 15 minutes. A little colour is not a problem; the point is softness, because it is the bed the vegetables lie on.

Crush garlic and rub it over the inside of the dish everywhere.

Spread the softened onion over the bottom and flatten it so nothing slides, then season with black pepper and salt.

Lay the courgette and tomato slices alternately, pushing them down as you go; they reduce as they cook and a tight packing serves better.

Season with salt and pepper and a sprinkle of bay leaf crushed to a powder with a knife; the seasoning is the whole flavouring of a Roger Verge confit of vegetables.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius, about 400F.

Pour over a good amount of olive oil -- enough to confit the vegetables, as for a confit of duck.

Bake at least an hour, until everything melts down and reduces to almost a jam-like consistency, soft enough to serve with a spoon.

Done in one hour precisely; it looked half cooked for a long time and collapsed only at the end.

Add a tiny bit of oil on top and leave it to cool almost to room temperature and set, so the juices come back to the surface.