Courgette tart with Quartirolo cheese and lemon
Ingredients
(for a rectangular baking sheet measuring 35x12 cm)FOR THE SAVOURY SHORTCRUST PASTRY :
250 g Italian ‘00’ flour
125 g butter
1 egg yolk
4 g salt
cold water, to taste
(around a quarter of the weight of the flour)
FOR THE FILLING :
3 courgettes (not too large)
1 shallot
extra virgin olive oil, to taste
thyme and marjoram, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste
grated zest of one organic lemon
100 ml cream
2 eggs
30 g grated Grana Padano cheese
60 g diced Quartirolo
some basil leaves
Method:
Sift the flour onto the pastry board and mix with the diced butter. Rub with your fingertips until you get a breadcrumb-like mixture. Add the egg yolk, water and salt and continue to knead briskly until you get a soft and even dough. Leave to stand in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, covered in cling film. In the meantime, cut the courgettes in half, remove the insides and cut them julienne-style. Brown the chopped shallot in a saucepan with a little oil and a spoonful of water, add the courgettes and season with salt and pepper. Cook briefly over a high heat until the courgettes are dry and crunchy. Add the aromatic herbs and the grated lemon zest and leave to cool.Roll out the shortcrust pastry to a thickness of 3 mm and place over a well-greased and floured baking tray. Prick the base with a fork and leave the tray in the freezer for 10 minutes.
Cover the shortcrust pastry base with baking paper, fill with dried pulses and blind bake at 180°C for around 20 minutes. You can also do this the day before and keep the base in a dry place, covered with a tea towel.
Whisk together the egg, cream, salt and pepper to make a sauce. Fill the savoury shortcrust pastry base with the courgettes, the diced Quartirolo cheese and a few torn-up basil leaves and cover with the egg-based sauce. Bake in the oven at 180°C for around 20 minutes, until the surface becomes golden brown.
This savoury tart can be served warm or cold.
AICI – Associazione Insegnanti di Cucina Italiana
Nicoletta Airenti’s recipe