This savory zucchini pie is perfect for brunch, lunch, or as a side dish for dinner. It does not take long to make and is a crowd-pleaser.  Selin Rozanes, in her Turkish Flavours cooking class in Istanbul often teaches this dish to her students. After doing some research, I discovered that the Sefaradis (as they are known in Turkey), call this dish Almodrote (a wonderful word from Medieval Spain that indicates a paste made from garlic and cheese). Depending on your taste, you could make it quite thin and crispy, or leave it to be a little fuller, like a quiche. Personally, I like the thin crust, which I have substituted for pizza crust for the gluten-free crowd. There is also another version made with charred eggplant instead of zucchini that even those who proclaim to detest eggplant devour.

Ingredients:

4 zucchini, coarsely grated

½ lb feta cheese, crumbled

3 eggs, beaten

6 scallions/ spring onions

2 T fresh chopped dill

salt and pepper

2 T flour (I use a rice flour if this is to be a GF dish)

grated mozzarella or jack cheese for the topping

½ cup olive oil (optional)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400 f/ 200 c.

2. Start by grating the zucchini, salting it, and putting it into a colander. A heavy weight on top is very useful here to rid it of excess water. Set aside.

2. Next, continue by chopping the scallions very finely.

3. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, add the feta cheese, flour, spring onions and dill.

4. Squeeze the rest of the water out of the zucchini and add them to the egg mixture.

5. Mix well together and then add the flour, just enough to hold it together.

6. Check the seasoning. If your feta is very salty, you will probably not need any more salt. Fresh ground black pepper is always good.

7. Oil a baking pan or cookie sheet and pour the mixture evenly into it. You can see that Selin uses a nice glass tray.

8. Sprinkle the grated cheese on top and bake between 30-40 minutes until it is golden brown. Allow to cool and then cut and serve.

 

photo: Jen Osiol (thanks, Jen!)

You can see from the photo below that I may have been a little skeptical while Selin was making it, but I soon was won over by the finished product.

(photo: Jen Osiol)