Zucchini Pie
July 2, 2010
THE WORLD is full of zucchini know-it-alls. These are people who’ve made zucchini bread, stuffed zucchini, grilled zucchini and zucchini matchsticks. They’ve grown zucchini and given it to friends and used it as doorstops. They believe they have explored the zucchini universe to its fullest and that on their death beds, they will not look back at this one area of their lives with any regret.
I would never attempt to tell a zucchini expert what to do with the stuff. Nevertheless, I believe there are a few squash artisans who have never tried this recipe for Tourte aux Courgettes. It is an easy, delicious and somewhat unusual recipe for zucchini pie, which I have made many times. It has Provençal credentials and therefore will instantly transport you to the sunny meadows of that extremely expensive land. It also brings out the subtle flavor of this common summer vegetable.
In looking over the recipe, which comes from Simple French Food by Richard Olney, I discover that I have violated the instructions in the past. This recipe calls for cubing the zucchini and I always slice it in rounds. It may be a form of culinary dyslexia, or it may be because I don’t particularly like being bossed around by someone I don’t know, and most cookbook writers are strangers to me, but I often disregard the exact letter of the law when it comes to recipes, except in the case of pastries and cakes. I don’t necessarily recommend you do the same thing, particularly if I am the one bossing you around. By the way, the dough for this pie is extremely easy and does not require expertise with pastry crust. It is also delicious, so I absolutely forbid you to substitute store-bought crust.
I sometimes make it with one crust instead of two. I have altered the recipe ever so slightly from Olney’s suggestions.
Ingredients
3 small Zucchini (about 10 oz total)
1 small Onion chopped
1 tablespoon Olive oil
2/3 cup Parmesan grated
2 cloves garlic mashed with a bit of olive oil and salt
1 Egg
Provencal Pastry dough
Olive oil for brushing pastry
Preparation
1. Cut zucchini in 1/4 inch cubes or rounds. Place in a strainer and sprinkle with salt, toss. Set over a bowl for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
2. Meanwhile, heat onion in olive oil over medium low heat for 20-30 minutes. Cook gently and do not allow to color.
3. Preheat oven to 375. Mix parmesan, garlic puree and egg. Rinse and drain zucchini. Combine parmesan mixture, zucchini and onion, pepper to taste.
4. Roll out pastry. Line the bottom of a pie pan, put in zucchini mixture and cover with another piece of rolled-out pastry. Roll in the edges and press with a fork. Cut a V in the middle to vent. Brush with olive oil.
5. Bake 35-40 minutes or until lightly browned.
Provençal Pastry
2 cups flour
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup tepid water
1 egg
1/4 tsp salt
(plus extra flour for working surface)
Making the Pastry
Place the flour, salt, egg, olive oil and water in a mixing bowl. Mix it together with a fork, and then knead it together with your knuckles until mixed through. Form into a ball, cover the bowl with a towel, and let rest for at least an hour
— Comments —
Lisa writes:
“Can she bake zucchini pie, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?”
“She can bake zucchini pie, for the which we’re fit to die!”
Je ne sais pas dire “YUM” en francais.
Kathleen writes:
The French equivalent to “yum” is “miam” or “miam miam.”
Merci mille fois!
