It’s National Zucchini Day (yep) … Zucchini Ricotta Galettes

Today is another of those goofy food holidays but this one actually makes sense given the season: National Zucchini Day. It’s that time of the year when for a lot of people, zucchinis grow 2 feet overnight and overwhelm their lives. Enthusiastic gardeners plant a little too aggressively in the spring and to their delight, the plants flourish. Come August, these formerly delightful gardens are spitting out giant zucchini like aliens. I’ve seen them abandoned in office kitchenettes, in paper bags mysteriously left near front doors, in sidewalk boxes marked “Take me! PLEASE!” and once, I saw a woman whip one out of her purse and give it to the bewildered hostess as an open house gift. Also around this time of year, I tend to get requests for a good zucchini recipe that isn’t a quick bread. As good as those are, they get pretty tired so I usually recommend this simple savory tart.

The pastry comes together easily from simple ingredients: flour, butter, salt and water. The filling is a few grated zucchinis, ricotta, parmesan and delicious flavorings like garlic, onion and a bright pop of lemon. You can make one tart or several smaller individual tarts, which are I particularly enjoy alongside a nice green salad for an easy summer dinner.

I started with a simple recipe found at epicurious.com and have mixed things up over the years. I now add some thyme to the pastry and the filling, a sprinkle of crispy bacon, a few slices of fresh chili to make it interesting. The best news? The recipe uses 3 medium zucchini though you could probably add an extra one or two if the situation is dire. In the game of summer harvests, you do what you need to do.

STRESS THERAPY BAKING FACTOR: THANK HEAVENS FOR SMALL FAVORS. Sometimes peace comes from finding a good and delicious use for things that are hanging out in the fridge, threatening to overwhelm your life. Cheesy and wrapped in a buttery crust, it doesn’t get much better. It may also be a good thing that these little tarts taste a bit more of cheese than zucchini. You might be a little sick of zucchini so this will be a welcome respite. I also find working with pastry dough, as long as the kitchen isn’t too hot, to be one of the most rewarding tasks out there. So big ups for the therapy end of things.

 

Seven years ago: Chocolate Peanut Rice Krispie Treats
Six years ago: Betty’s Pies exploring Minnesota
Five years ago: Life in Southwest France
Four years ago: Sour Cherry Slab Pie
Three years ago: Prosciutto Stuffed Figs
Two years ago: Guinness Crème Anglaise
Last year: Carrot Green & Parmesan Bites

ZUCCHINI RICOTTA GALETTES – adapted from this recipe
Makes 8 individual galettes (or 1 big galette)

For the pastry:
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon kosher salt
12 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into ½” cubes (1 ½ sticks)
4 Tablespoons ice water

for the filling:
4 strips thick cup bacon, cut into ¼” pieces
3 cups coarsely grated zucchini (3 medium zucchini)
½ medium onion, diced (about 1 cup)
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
zest of 1 lemon (about 1 teaspoon)
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¾ cup whole milk ricotta cheese
¼ cup grated Parmesan
2 large egg yolks
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

½ cup grated Parmesan
1-2 thinly sliced thai or Serrano chilis

1. For the pastry: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, thyme and salt.
2. Add the cold butter cubes and toss to coat.
3. Using your thumb and first two fingers, rub the butter and flour until the mixture is the size of small peas. Make sure you leave some pea sized chunks – this is what makes the pastry flaky.
4. Make a well in the center, add the ice water mixture and begin to combine.
5. Gently knead the mixture together making sure to work in all the dry bits of flour.
6. For individual galettes, divide the dough into 8 pieces, pat into flat discs, stack on pieces of parchment paper, wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least ½ hour while you make the filling. Make ahead: Will keep in the fridge for 2 days or frozen up to 2 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge.
7. For the filling: over medium heat in a large saute pan, cook the bacon until crisp.
8. Remove bacon and allow to drain on a paper towel lined plate until needed.
9. Add onion; sauté until soft and translucent, about 7 minutes.
10. Add grated zucchini and lemon juice; reduce heat to medium-low and cook until zucchini is tender, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes.
11. Add garlic; sauté until fragrant, about 1 minutes. Cool to room temp.
12. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, ¼ cup Parmesan, egg yolks, salt and pepper.
13. Gently fold in the cooled zucchini mixture.
14. Preheat oven to 425°F and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
15. To assemble: Roll out each dough disk to a round, 1/8” thickness. I find it easiest to do this on small-ish squares of parchment paper.
16. Spoon 1/8 of the filling into center of each round, leaving 1 ¼”-1 ½” pastry border.
17. Sprinkle 1/8 of the cooked bacon on top, 1 Tablespoon of parmesan cheese and sprinkle a few of the chilies on top (if desired).
18. Carefully fold up the pastry edges, up and over the filling to create a round pastry with about 2”-2 ½” of exposed filling in center.
19. Transfer to a parchment lined sheet pan and repeat with remaining filling and dough rounds.
20. Bake: 15 minutes at 425°F.
21. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F and bake until crust is golden and filling is set and begins to brown, about 25 additional minutes.
22. Let rest 5 minutes. Can be made 4 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.
23. Serve individual galettes hot or at room temperature with a green salad.

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