Monday, September 10, 2012

Zucchini Crostata









 As much as I love stuffing those globe zucchini growing in my garden, it was time for a change and 


Panini Girl gave me just the inspiration I needed for those cute little green orbs. Yes, you can make this with the regular long zucchini too, but you'll need to line up a couple of rows of zucchini slices, rather than one overlapping disc as you see in the above photo.

Roll out the pastry dough and spread the topping. Tip - roll out the dough directly onto parchment paper and transfer the whole thing to a cookie sheet that's been preheated. If you have a pizza stone, so much the better. I used one the second time I made this and the crust turned out more evenly browned on the bottom.






Slice the zucchini thinly (or use a mandoline), arrange over the cheese and season with salt, pepper and thyme.






Sprinkle parmesan cheese over the slices, then plop a small cherry or grape tomato in the center.






 Bake as directed.






And dig in. Enjoy with a fresh tomato salad before the season's over.







Zucchini Crostata

printable recipe here

recipe adapted from Panini Girl (My changes in red)




Crust


1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick (8 ounces) plus 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter
About 1/4 cup ice water


In a bowl toss flour with salt. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Using a fork, stir in the ice water by tablespoons until the dough holds together when pressed. Sprinkle in more water if needed. Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap well and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes before rolling out.

Filling


2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced (I used a mandoline, but you can just use a knife and slice about 1/4″ thick or a little less) (I used one medium globe zucchini)
1/2 cup ricotta cheese (I used one cup)
1/4 cup goat cheese (I used a little bit of gorgonzola in addition since I had it, and it was delicious too)


1 extra large egg (extra large or jumbo because I save a little bit for the egg wash at the end)
freshly grated zest of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
salt and freshly ground pepper
extra-virgin olive oil
1 egg, beaten with a little water (use a little bit of the egg you reserved above instead)


Heat a baking sheet or pizza stone in a 375 degree oven. Mix ricotta and goat cheese (and egg, except for a little bit to brush on top later) together until smooth. Add lemon zest and salt and pepper to taste. Roll out your dough into a circle (directly on a piece of parchment paper on your countertop). Spread cheese mixture over the dough, leaving a 2″ border. Arrange zucchini slices in an overlapping pattern. Sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves, salt, pepper and the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Drizzle a little olive oil over the zucchini. Fold the the edges of the crust up over the filling. Brush the crust with the beaten egg. Lift the parchment paper with both hands and transfer to the baking sheet or pizza stone. Bake at 375 degrees for about 35 minutes. Serves: 4 as a main course, 6-8 as an appetizer

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25 comments:

  1. Beautiful! This crostata must really scrumptious. I love that filling.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  2. I'm making a salad with the last of the zucchini, wish I had seen this first! This crostata is gorgeous!

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  3. I wish I had this for today's lunch. I love a savory tart.

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  4. I wish I had this for today's lunch. I love a savory tart.

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  5. Wow…this looks really good. I love it. I am thinking of some other versions of this recipe like eggplant and sweet potato, might be really good too. :)

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  6. How pretty, and it sounds wonderful. I love new ideas for zucchini!

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  7. This looks so exceptionally pretty made with one of your globe shaped zucchinis, Linda! I also like the other commentor's idea to make it with eggplant.

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  8. omg...that is beautiful! And here I am with a garden empty of zucchini :(. this makes me want to plant more!!

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  9. I love the combination of cheeses - yes to the gorgonzola! Alas and alack - no zucchini for me - 3 plants - 3 whole zucchini - done early July. Overrun with cucumbers. Rather have the zucchini

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  10. I am definitely going to make this soon. One thing though...1 stick of butter is only 4 oz (you list 8). I live in France where sticks of butter are 250g so I rely solely on the weights of ingredients.

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  11. That is calling me! Although I have my own zucchini (and I've been trying hard to get them smaller) my neighbor brought me one that was the size of a small bat!

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  12. What a gorgeous presentation! Now I wish I had grown some zucchini this year but our farmers' market isn't far away.

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  13. I have plenty of long zucchini in the fridge waiting for their moment to shine.

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  14. Simply perfect and I just picked my last two rounds this morn! Beautiful presentation.. I see dinner tonite :)

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  15. ha un aspetto delizioso Linda,il ripieno è fantastico !

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  16. This is so simple yet so beautiful. This reminds me of my Swiss Chard Crostata. Oh, how I'd love a slice of this with a cold glass of vino and a salad. Perfection.

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  17. Thank God someone finally baked a 'savory' crostata! I am all over this cheesy crostata. I absolutely must bake this and now I have to find those round zucchini! Thank you so much Linda!

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  18. Your crostata is gorgeous and I love your additions! Thanks for the link too.

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  19. There's a lovely cafe across from my place that's called 'split pea seduction', they make the best crostada and i've always wondered how it was done! Thanks!

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  20. Dear Linda, What a delicious work of art. Blessings dear. Catherine xo

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  21. Ottima idea la tua crostata di zucchine. Un abbraccio, buona giornata Daniela.

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  22. I'm in love! :D

    This is beautiful crostata, Linda. That slice is calling to me!

    Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment on my scone recipe, I appreciate it!

    Cheers,
    Tammy<3

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  23. This looks beautiful! I've seen fruit pies made this way but never a 'crostata' - what a great name!

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  24. Oh my gosh. This looks incredible. I'm so hungry for this right now.

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