The Possibilities for Zucchini and Rice Crostata

As I begin my third year of food blogging, I have to share that this journey continues to excite me.  I am still learning about how to use this blog and hope to make navigating easier for you this year.  Perhaps a recipe link on the menu bar (since I haven't populated that yet)?  Maybe only small snapshots of each post so as one scrolls down the option to read more is there if necessary?  The seriousness of nutrition has me thinking too...a lot.  So I am hoping to explore more savory, healthy dishes this year because it's time.  Have you seen the size of my Dessert label? Anyway, thanks for your visits to this blog, and I hope that my sharing provides some spark to your food thoughts.

This is an ideal recipe, one that stands out as an hors d' oeuvre, adds pizzazz as a side, or comes center stage as the entrée.  This crostata, or tart, can be adorned with an olive oil crust or not, your choice.  The filling as a stand alone is that good.  Its creamy cheesiness? A salute to ricotta and parmesan cheeses.  Beauty? Hats off to the whopping green onion invasion and flecks of grated zucchini consistent across an egg custard.  The crust?  An olive oil wonder that almost rolls itself out.  Really!

Let's not forget the rice and the unique way that it is cooked into this crostata.  For those of you who feel that cooking rice is a puzzle you cannot solve, move to the head of the class.  You will ace its special handling prior to its baking in this dish.

Notes:

1)  I made this dish twice in December and both times the eye appeal and taste were success stories.  The recipe is from Lidia Bastianich's food blog.  You may know of her:  a proud Italian woman who shares her heritage through food on network TV, in cookbooks, and at her NYC restaurants.  The first baking was for the taste of the filling only, because even a fabulous crust cannot carry a disappointing filling, right?  I also cut the ingredients in half.  Why make so much if the filling was going to disappoint, right?  Guess what?  The filling passed!

2)  Most of the photos in this post are of the half-recipe filling sans crust.

3)  I used the full recipe as a vegetarian entrée for Christmas dinner, and the following day as a brunch side dish.  I am going to call that move a stroke of genius.

4)  I used an 8 x 8 inch square pan the first time I made half the recipe.  But when I made the entire recipe, I used a 13 x 9 inch pan.  Still, this was not the size baking sheet that Lidia recommended (a 12 x 18 inch rimmed baking sheet).  No problem, the filling was thicker, the baking was longer (as you would expect), but the results were just as lovely.

5)  Don't skimp on the scallions.  They add beautiful color to the tart.

6)  Though Lidia recommends placing the tart pan on a pizza stone to bake, I did not.

Rice and Zucchini Crostata
from Lidiasitaly.com

For the dough
2 cups all-purpose flour (more for working)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup cold water (more if needed)

For the filling
1 pound zucchini
1/2 cup short-grained rice (I used arborio)
2 cups ricotta (I used part-skim and did not drain)
1 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
2 bunches of scallions or more, finely chopped (2 cups worth)
3 large eggs
2 cups milk (I used 2%)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Butter or cooking spray for the baking pan

Directions

1.  Grease your baking pan and preheat the oven to 375ºF.

2.  To make the dough, place the all-purpose flour and salt into your food processor.  Add the olive oil and water as well.  Process for about 30 seconds or until a soft dough forms around the blade.  Add a bit more water if this doesn't happen.  The dough should be smooth and soft.

3.  Take the dough out of the processor and knead by hand on a flat surface until it is smooth and soft, adding a bit of flour to your surface if the dough is too sticky.  Form the dough into a rectangle, wrap in plastic wrap to rest at room temperature.  Alternately, dough can be refrigerated for up to a day.  Return to room temperature before rolling.

4.  To make the filling, shred the zucchini on the coarse holes of a box grater into a large bowl.  Place the rice into this same bowl and toss the rice and shredded zucchini together.  Let sit for at least 30 minutes (mine sat for over an hour) so that the rice absorbs the zucchini liquid.

5.  Then fold the ricotta into the rice and zucchini mixture, followed by the grated cheese, scallions, beaten eggs, milk, salt.  Stir until thoroughly mixed.  The picture below is from the half recipe, which explains the 2 eggs.  Do the math:  3/2 = 2! (Close enough!)

6.  At this point, you can bake the filling in an 8 x 8 inch prepared pan (as I initially did when I cut the ingredients in half) or a 13 x 9 inch prepared pan if you've made the full amount.  Either way, it's a great meatless breakfast, lunch, or dinner, needing only some roasted veggies on the side.

7.  To put the whole recipe together, roll the dough to a rectangle that's 4 inches longer than either the length or width of the baking pan.  Transfer the dough into the baking pan by rolling it up around the rolling pin (and then unrolling) or folding it in quarters and lifting it into the pan (and then unfolding).  When centered, press the dough gently to flatten it across the bottom, leaving the flaps overhanging the sides.  If the dough needs repair from a tear, pinch a small piece of dough from the edges and patch by pressing this piece onto the torn area.

8.  Scrape the filling into the dough-lined pan and spread with the spatula so that it evenly fills the crust.  Fold the dough flaps over the filling, pleating around the corners.  Lidia says it will look like a picture frame of dough with the filling in the center.

9.  In addition to my baking pan being smaller than Lidia's suggested size, it also had higher sides than a baking sheet, so my crust just stood rather than folded.  This was not a problem.

10. I also added a few coarsely-chopped peppadews for some added color.

11. Bake for an hour, give or take, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  If it browns too quickly, cover lightly with foil.

12. The result is a moist, creamy, and tasteful filling (with or without a crispy crust).  Give it a try and let me know what you think :)