Italian Vegetable Torte Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Place a greased 9-in. springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square). Securely wrap foil around pan. Unroll 1 tube of crescent dough and separate into triangles. Press onto bottom of prepared pan to form a crust, sealing seams well. Bake until set, 10-15 minutes., Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add spinach and mushrooms; cook and stir until mushrooms are tender. Drain on several layers of paper towels, blotting well. In a large bowl, whisk 6 eggs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and pepper., Layer crust with half of each of the following: ham, salami, provolone cheese, red peppers and spinach mixture. Pour half of the egg mixture over top. Repeat layers; top with remaining egg mixture., On a work surface, unroll and separate remaining crescent dough into triangles. Press together to form a circle and seal seams; place over filling. Whisk remaining egg; brush over dough., Bake, uncovered, until a thermometer reads 160°, 1 to 1-1/4 hours, covering loosely with foil if needed to prevent overbrowning. Carefully loosen sides from pan with a knife; remove rim from pan. Let stand 20 minutes.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Put a grill pan over medium-high heat, or prepare a grill; the heat should be medium-high, and the rack about 4 inches from flame. Brush eggplant, zucchini and mushrooms lightly with half the oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper; if roasting, grease 2 baking sheets with oil. Roast or grill vegetables on both sides until soft.
• Coat bottom and sides of 8-inch springform pan with oil. Layer a third of the eggplant slices into bottom of the pan, then layer in half the zucchini, mushrooms, tomato, garlic and basil, sprinkling each layer with a bit of salt and pepper. Repeat layers until all vegetable are used. Press the top with a spatula or spoon to make the torte as compact as possible. Sprinkle top with Parmesan and bread crumbs, and drizzle with about 1 tablespoon oil.
• Bake torte in oven until hot throughout and browned on top, about 30 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes before removing outer ring of pan, then let cool for another 10 minutes before cutting into wedges.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. Place squash slices on baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Lightly spritz with cooking spray. Bake 15 minutes or until tender., Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine two eggs, cheeses and sage. In a small bowl, whisk water and remaining egg; set aside., In a large skillet, saute onion in oil until tender. Stir in the spinach, garlic and nutmeg. Cook and stir for 2 minutes; set aside., Unfold one pastry sheet onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out into a 14-in. square. Press onto bottom and up sides of a greased 9-in. springform pan, allowing excess pastry to drape over edges. Brush with reserved egg mixture. , Layer with half of the squash, cheese mixture and spinach. Repeat layers. Roll out the remaining pastry into a 10-in. square; place over filling. Trim edges; fold the bottom pastry over the top and press edges to seal. Reroll pastry trimmings. Cut out with a small leaf cookie cutter; place on torte. Brush pastry with egg mixture., Place pan on baking sheet. Bake at 400° 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire rack to cool for 45 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Refrigerate leftovers.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the vegetables, 3 tablespoons oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Transfer to an ungreased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake at 450° for 25-30 minutes or until vegetables are tender and moisture has evaporated, stirring every 10 minutes., On a lightly floured surface, roll pastry into a 13-in. circle. Sprinkle cornmeal over a greased 14-in. pizza pan; place pastry on prepared pan. Spoon vegetable mixture over pastry to within 1-1/2 in. of edges. Fold up edges of pastry over filling, leaving center uncovered. Brush pastry with remaining oil., Bake at 450° for 20-25 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Sprinkle with cheese. Cut into wedges. Garnish with basil if desired.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Cook the zucchini, onions, garlic, and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat for 10 minutes until the zucchini is tender. Season with salt and pepper.
• Brush the red and yellow peppers and eggplant with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast on a baking sheet for 30 to 40 minutes, until soft but not browned.
• In a 6-inch round cake pan, place each vegetable in a single, overlapping layer, sprinkling Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste between each of the layers of vegetables.
• Begin with half of the eggplant, then layer half of the zucchini and onions, then all of the red peppers, then all of the yellow peppers, then the rest of the zucchini and onions, and finally the rest of the eggplant.
• Cover the top of the vegetables with a 6-inch round of parchment paper or waxed paper. Place a 6-inch flat disk (another cake pan or the bottom of a false-bottom tart pan) on top and weight it with a heavy jar. Place on a plate or baking sheet (it will leak) and chill completely.
• Drain the liquids, place on a platter, and serve at room temperature.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
• Rub an 8" springform pan with butter and dust with about 1 Tbs of the Parmesan cheese.
• Remove the woody ends of the asparagus (hold each spear at both ends and bend it gently- it will snap at its natural breaking point).
• Peel off the outer layer of the stems.
• Then cut the asparagus into 1" segments.
• Cook the asparagus stems for 2 minutes in a saucepan of simmering water; then add the tips and cook for 1 minute.
• Drain the asparagus and set aside.
• Heat the olive oil to medium-low in a 10" frypan and cook the onion until soft.
• Increase the heat to medium and add the zucchini.
• Cook until the zucchini is soft and golden brown, stirring occasionally.
• Then add the garlic and cook for more 1 minute.
• Finally, add the spinach, mix it in, and cook until it is just wilted.
• Take the frypan off the heat, add the asparagus and the basil, mix in, and season generously with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Set aside to cool.
• Mix together the ricotta, mascarpone, eggs, and 1/2 cup Parmesan.
• Add the cheese and egg mixture to the cooled vegetables.
• Mix well and taste for seasoning.
• Grind some sea salt and black pepper to taste.
• Spoon the mixture into the springform pan and scatter with the remaining Parmesan over the top.
• Place in the oven on a baking sheet to catch any drips, and cook for 30 minutes.
• The top should be light golden brown and the mixture still slightly wobbly in the center.
• Let the torte cool for 30 minutes.
• Then put it in the refrigerator for about 3 hours, until the torte has set.
• Serve with a leaf salad.

Steps:

• In a mixer, or in a food processor, add the flour and rock salt. Begin mixing and add the oil, then slowly add the water until the dough just comes together.
• Knead the dough with your hands for 10 minutes; it will be quite tough.
• Wrap the dough in cling film and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Sweat onion and garlic in a pan with a little olive oil.
• Add the crushed tomatoes and simmer for 30 minutes.
• Slice the eggplant into .5 in rounds and slice zucchini lengthwise into 1/4 inch strips.
• Grill vegetables on a high heat on a barbecue, griddle or in a frying pan.
• Add sugar and vinegar to the tomato sauce and simmer until thick.
• Add the anchovies.
• Take ½ of the dough and roll out to a thickness of approximately 0.2mm.
• The dough will spring back so just keep working it until you get a large circle (approximately 15 inches).
• Place on greaseproof paper onto a baking tray.
• Layer the filling in the center of the dough, leaving approximately 2 inches around the edge for sealing.
• Layer in the order of eggplant, zucchini, prosciutto, tomato sauce, basil leaves, and parmesan.
• Repeat, and finish with a layer of eggplant.
• Roll the remaining dough out to a similar size and lay over the filling.
• Crimp and fold the edges to seal the torta (you can trim the edges a little if you have too much dough), and prick the top a few times with the point of a sharp knife.
• Brush the torta with egg wash.
• Bake at 340ºF for 30-40 minutes.
• Cut into wedges and serve with a green salad.

Steps:

• Halve onions through root end and thinly slice. Finely chop garlic. In a large heavy skillet cook onions with salt to taste in 2 tablespoons oil, covered, over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 15 minutes. Add garlic and cook mixture, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until any liquid onions give off is evaporated. Add tomatoes with juice, sage, and thyme and simmer, stirring occasionally, until excess liquid is evaporated and mixture is very thick. Season mixture with salt and pepper and cool. Preheat oven to 450°F. Brush at least 2 shallow baking pans with some remaining oil.
• Cut eggplants crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick rounds and arrange in one layer in baking pans. Brush eggplant slices with some remaining oil and roast in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of pans halfway through roasting time, until tender and golden, about 20 minutes. Cool eggplant 5 minutes and transfer with a slotted spatula to paper towels to drain.
• Cut zucchini lengthwise into 1/3-inch-thick slices and roast in same manner until tender and pale golden, about 25 minutes. Cool zucchini 5 minutes and transfer to paper towels to drain.
• Quarter bell peppers lengthwise and discard stems, seeds, and ribs. Arrange peppers, skin sides up, in oiled baking pans and brush with some remaining oil. Roast peppers in same manner until tender and lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Cool peppers 5 minutes and transfer to paper towels to drain.
• In a 1 1/2- to 2-quart heavy saucepan melt butter over moderately low heat and whisk in flour. Cook roux, whisking, 3 minutes and whisk in milk and cream. Bring mixture to a boil, whisking, and simmer, whisking occasionally, 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and cool sauce 5 minutes. Whisk in eggs, two thirds Parmigiano-Reggiano, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. and lightly oil a 14- x 10- x 2 1/2-inch or other 3 1/2-quart shallow baking dish. In baking dish arrange half of eggplant, overlapping slices to form an even layer, and season with salt and pepper. Top eggplant with half of tomato mixture, spreading evenly, and pour about one third Parmigiano-Reggiano custard over it. Nestle half of zucchini in custard and season with salt and pepper. Top zucchini with half of peppers. Repeat layering, reserving half of remaining custard for topping. Pour reserved custard over final layer of peppers and sprinkle with remaining grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.
• Bake torte in middle of oven until custard is puffed and golden brown, about 35 minutes. Let torte stand 10 minutes before serving.