Italicious

I love a savory pie, but since our move to the States I haven’t made any. Since I am not a baker, I never made my own crust and got used to the wonderful puff pastry that I could buy at the store, it was already round and fit my tart pan perfectly. Not here, puff pastry are sold in sheets, not rounds and pie crusts just aren’t the same. I need to embark on crust and puff pastries, I know, I am a sad excuse for a cook, dough just intimidates me.

I finally decided to get over myself and use frozen pie crusts, I know, shame on me, I should get over myself and make one, but that is the next step! I had a container of ricotta in the fridge, and I had no idea what to do with it. A problem I would have never encountered in Italy, even the industrially made ricotta was delicious, good enough to eat with a spoon. Not this stuff. It needs to be cooked into something. I had made a lasagna the week before and was reminded of why I never much cared for ricotta in a lasagna. So a savory pie it would be.

Zucchini and Ricotta Pie

• 1 lb zucchini
• 15 oz. ricotta
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup of heavy cream
• 1/2 cup of sliced shallots
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large tomato, sliced
• 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
• pinch of marjoram
• a few sprigs of basil, chopped
• 2 pie crusts
• salt and pepper to taste

Grate the zucchini using a food processor or a hand grater. Place in a large colander, salt generously, and let drain for 1 hour, pressing down on it occasionally to squeeze out liquid. After an hour, take up handfuls and squeeze out moisture (or wrap in a kitchen towel and twist the towel to squeeze out the moisture). Place in a bowl.

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat, and add the shallots. Cook, stirring, until tender, about five minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the zucchini. Stir in the herbs, ricotta and eggs.

Preheat the oven to 350°. If you are using frozen pie crusts, allow them to completely thaw before filling with the ricotta-zucchini mix.

Slice the tomatoes and place them on top of the filling in the pie. Bake for about 45 minutes and serve either warm or at room temperature.

~ by italicious on August 10, 2009.

Posted in basil, eggs, formaggi, Liguria, quiche, summer squash, vegetarian, zucchini
Tags: ricotta, savory pie, vegetarian, zucchini