Zucchini Polenta Tart Recipes

Steps:

• Place the flour, 3/4 teaspoon of salt, and the butter in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse 12 to 14 times, until the butter is the size of peas. With the processor running, pour the vinegar and ice water through the feed tube and continue to process and pulse until the dough just comes together. Dump out on a floured board, form into a disk, wrap in plastic, and chill for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place the zucchini in a colander set over a plate. Toss it with 2 teaspoons of salt and set aside for 30 minutes. Spread the zucchini out on a clean dish towel, roll it up, and squeeze gently to remove some of the liquid. Put the zucchini slices into a bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. With a fork, mash together the goat cheese, thyme, lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Roll the dough out on a floured board to an 11-inch circle and place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Spread the dough with the goat cheese mixture, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Lay the zucchini slices in tightly overlapping circles, starting at the very edge of the pastry (the zucchini will shrink when it bakes). Continue overlapping circles of zucchini until the whole tart is covered. Drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with pepper. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the dough is golden brown. Cut in wedges and serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

Steps:

• Put a baking sheet in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Lay the pie dough on a piece of parchment. Slightly raise the edges and crimp. Stir together the mayonnaise and mustard in a small bowl, then spread the mixture over the crust.
• Put the zucchini and thyme in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil; toss gently to combine. Arrange the slices over the mayonnaise mixture.
• Carefully remove the hot pan from the oven. Slide the parchment paper onto the pan and bake until the crust is golden and the zucchini is tender, 20 to 30 minutes.

Steps:

• First, make the polenta crust. Bring the vegetable stock to a simmer in a medium saucepan and, working quickly, pour the polenta into the pan. Keep your pan over a low heat and, using a wooden spoon, stir constantly, beating any lumps that form. Continue stirring for 5-6 mins until the polenta is very thick.
• Remove the pan from the heat, add the Gruyère and stir until the cheese has melted. Finally, stir through the beaten egg, season generously, and allow to cool slightly.
• Lightly brush a baking sheet with oil. Tip the polenta into the centre and, using a spatula or oiled fingers, gently spread the polenta into a rectangle shape roughly the size of an A4 sheet of paper.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Smother a thin layer of pesto over the polenta, leaving a 1-1.5cm border around the edge of the tart. Top the pesto with slices of courgette, intermittently adding the sliced garlic and most of the basil. Season with ground black pepper and a good sprinkling of gruyère.
• Cook on the middle shelf of the oven for 45 mins. Reduce the temperature to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 for a further 15 mins. Remove and allow to cool for 5-10 mins, scatter over the remaining basil and serve.

Steps:

• Begin making the polenta. While it's in the oven, cook the squash. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy nonstick skillet, and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until just about tender, about five minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for a minute or two, until fragrant. Stir in the squash and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and toss together for five to eight minutes, until it is coated with oil and beginning to soften. Add the tomatoes and their juice, the sugar and salt to taste. Turn the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring often, for five to 10 minutes, until the tomatoes have cooked down slightly. Turn the heat back down to medium and cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and aromatic. If they begin to dry and stick to the pan before the end of the cooking time (if you're using fresh tomatoes, this may happen because there isn't as much juice as with canned tomatoes), add up to 1/4 cup water. Stir in the parsley and mint, and simmer for a few more minutes. Remove from the heat, taste, adjust the salt and add pepper.
• When the polenta is ready, remove from the oven. If adding Parmesan, stir it in. Spoon onto plates, and make a depression in the center. Top with the zucchini. Garnish with additional Parmesan, and serve.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees, and place an inverted baking sheet on the middle rack. Brush a 10-by-15-inch rimmed baking sheet with butter.
• Brush 1 phyllo sheet with butter, and fit into baking sheet, leaving a 1-inch overhang. (Keep remaining phyllo covered with plastic wrap as you work.) Top with a second phyllo sheet in a slightly different position, and brush with butter. Repeat with remaining phyllo and butter, creating a crust with a 1-inch overhang on all sides. Fold edges under to double the thickness. (Don't worry if some pieces crack along the edge.)
• Whisk together eggs, cream, milk, cheese, basil, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
• Crumple 6 layers of foil into a rectangle the size of the tart, and fit into crust. Bake crust, set on inverted sheet, until edges are golden, 7 to 8 minutes. Remove foil. Bake until surface is golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer crust to a wire rack, leaving inverted sheet in oven.
• Immediately pour custard carefully into crust (do not overfill). Arrange zucchini over top, slightly overlapping. Bake on inverted sheet until custard is set in center, 20 to 22 minutes. Immediately slide tart onto wire rack, lifting from 1 end using a large, wide spatula. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil while you stem the greens, and wash them thoroughly in several rinses of water. If the ribs are wide, wash and dice them, then set aside. Fill a bowl with ice water. When the water reaches a rolling boil, add a generous amount of salt and the chard leaves. Blanch for one minute, until just tender. Using a slotted spoon or deep-fry skimmer, transfer to the ice water, then drain. Squeeze out excess water and chop. Set aside.
• Heat the oil over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet, and add the onion and diced chard stems, if using. Cook, stirring, until tender, about five minutes. Stir in the zucchini. Season to taste with salt, and cook, stirring, until just tender and still bright green, about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, thyme and rosemary, and cook with the zucchini and onion until the garlic is fragrant, about one or two minutes. Stir in the greens, toss everything together, and remove from the heat. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
• Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Stir in 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste), the zucchini mixture, and the Gruyère. Mix everything together, add pepper, taste once more and adjust seasoning.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Oil a 10-inch tart pan. Roll out two-thirds of the dough and line the pan, with the edges of the dough overhanging. Freeze the remaining dough. Fill the lined pan with the zucchini mixture. Pinch the edges of the dough along the rim of the pan. Place in the oven and bake 50 minutes, until set and beginning to color. Allow to rest for at least 15 minutes before serving (preferably longer). This can also be served at room temperature.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Grease and line a large baking tray with baking parchment. Bring the stock to the boil in a large saucepan, then slowly pour in the polenta, whisking all the time. Bring it to the boil and bubble for 8 mins, whisking continuously. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese, butter, rosemary and plenty of seasoning. Spread the polenta over the lined tray and bake for 30 mins.
• Meanwhile, mix the mushrooms with the thyme and some seasoning. Heat a splash of oil in a large frying pan and fry the mushrooms in a couple of batches until golden. Tear the mozzarella into pieces and pat dry with kitchen paper. Top the baked polenta with the mushrooms and mozzarella, then bake again for 10 mins or until the cheese is melted and bubbling. Scatter the rocket over the tart and drizzle with the balsamic vinegar.