Zucchini Tart ... Easy as Pie!

Two zucchini recipes within a week? Well, it IS that time of the summer! Every time I think I have the zucchini mound on the countertop wittled down, another batch comes through the back door ... and it is SO shiny and smooth and fresh that I just have to do something else with it! So yesterday, I made two zucchini tarts and shucked some corn to have a nice Meatless Monday supper.

This is an easy tart to make, but there are a few different steps (read- more dirty bowls). It's light and less 'quiche-y' than other vegetable/egg tarts. Look at the recipe and you'll see what I mean. My friend Gundel shared this recipe with me when she visited us from Germany. Her method of wringing the moisture from the grated zucchini saves the tart from being soggy. The addition of the crumble topping is brilliant, too. It adds just the right amount of crunch with just a hint of Parmesan tang atop the more subtle salty Feta in the filling below. A good use of zucchini!

Zucchini Tart

Makes 2 deep-dish tarts

Ingredients:

1- 2 crust pie crust recipe, chilled
6 eggs
1 c. sour cream
kosher salt and black pepper
¼ tsp. nutmeg
4 c. grated zucchini ( about 2 - 8 inch squash)
1 ½ c. crumbled Feta cheese
½ c. minced onion
1 c. toasted breadcrumbs (Panko works really well!)
½ c. grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp. butter, melted
2 tbsp. fresh chopped parsley

Making the Tarts:

1. Make your favorite pie crust recipe and chill it for at least one hour.

2. Grate the zucchini and turn the wet squash into a colander that has been lined with an impeccably clean dish towel. Wrap the cloth tightly around the squash and squeeze the juices out of the zucchini. Leave the squash in the towel for an hour.

3. While the crust chills and the zucchini drains, prepare the Panko/Parmesan tart topping: Melt the butter and set aside, toast the Panko crumbs in a fry pan on the stove top until brown and crispy, chop the parsley, and toss the above with the Parmesan in a bowl until the butter is incorporated. Set the topping aside until later.

4. In another bowl, beat 4 eggs and add the sour cream, salt and pepper, and nutmeg. Beat to make a thick mix.

5. Add the Feta cheese and onions and stir to combine.

6. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

7. Divide the pie crust recipe in half and roll out two rounds large enough to line 2 deep dish pie plates. Crimp the crust edges, line the tart shells with foil and pie weights and blind bake for 10 minutes in the 400° F oven.

8. Remove the crusts, take out the liners and weights, and cool the tart shells for a few minutes.

9. Divide the zucchini between the two tart crusts, fluffing the zucchini and spreading it evening over the bottom of the crusts.

10. Divide the Feta, onion, egg mixture between the two tarts and gently spread it over the zucchini. Place the tarts in the oven and bake for 35 minutes.

11. When 35 minutes has passed, pull the tarts from the oven and quickly top them with the bread crumbs/Parmesan crumble topping.

12. Beat the last 2 eggs with a bit of cream or milk and pour over the two tarts, trying to moisten as much of the topping as possible.

13. Return the tarts to the oven and continue baking for another 10 minutes or so.

14. When the topping has ‘set’ and is golden brown and crusty, take the tarts out of the oven, cool slightly before serving with whatever seasonal vegetable you’ve got going on.

...enjoy the summer's bounty!