October 24, 2005

Zucchini Polenta Tart

[This is a republication of a post originally published in September of 2004.]

I have a particular soft spot for polenta and anything cornmeal.

Unfortunately, they are not at all common in France : I have occasionally seen polenta served at restaurants (and I will reliably dart onto any dish that mentions it as a component, especially if it claims to be croustillante), but it is rather hard to find in French food stores. You need to go to organic stores -- where you will find instant organic polenta, passable but not stellar -- or to some small Italian stores, where you will likely be charged an arm, a leg and the left ear of your firstborn for what was, originally, peasant food.

Another solution is to have your two best friends get some for you on their trip to Rome, or a blogger-friend bring some from Ticino as she comes to Paris for a few days (thanks again Theresa!), but these aren't sources you can rely on year round, of course.

The idea for a tart in which the base would be a disk of oven-baked polenta had been on my mind for a little while, and this recent profusion of excellent quality polenta in my happy kitchen cabinets (oh they certainly can't complain of deprivation, no) was the perfect occasion to put it in practice, using Marie-Laure and Laurence's Italian polenta with dried porcini.

There is something singularly satisfying about imagining a dish in your mind, making up the recipe as you go, and have it turn out even better than you expected : this tart was everything I hoped it would be, pretty and appetizing, its base golden and crispy outside, but moist and nicely mealy inside (with embedded mushrooms as a bonus), the layer of thinly sliced zucchini well-seasoned, its flavor wonderfully teased by the sharpness of the fresh parmesan. It also made for a very nice lunch the next day, and would be a great brunch item too.

Zucchini Polenta Tart

- 1 kg zucchini
- 250 g cornmeal (not precooked, preferably stone-ground, possibly with dried mushrooms)
- 50 g parmesan
- olive oil
- herbes de Provence
- salt, pepper

Cook the polenta according to package directions, until it gets to a rather thick texture. Season with salt and pepper. Preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F). Pour the polenta in a 10-inch springform tart pan. If you don't own a springform tart pan, get out of my sight. I am, of course, kidding : line a 10-inch cake or tart pan (see how lenient I am? cake or tart pan!) with parchment paper and use that.

While the polenta cooks, rinse the zucchini, trim the ends, and slice thinly, preferably using the mandoline you got from your parents for your twenty-fifth birthday. Heat a little olive oil in a large pan, add in the zucchini slices, sprinkle generously with salt, pepper and herbes de provence, and toss to coat. Put the lid on, and cook on medium-low heat for twenty to thirty minutes, until the zucchini is just cooked but not so much that it falls apart. Stir gently from time to time while it cooks to make sure all the slices cook evenly, but make sure not to turn them to mush. Transfer to a colander, and leave to drain.

Put the polenta into the oven for about fifteen minutes, until the top of the polenta turns crusty and golden. Remove from the oven, remove the sides of the springform pan (be careful : it will be, obviously, very hot). If you're not using a springform pan, just pop the disk of polenta out of the pan you're using, which should be easy since you have lined it with parchment paper. In either case, put the disk of polenta on a cookie sheet, and return to the oven for another ten minutes, until the sides are also crusty and golden. Remove from the oven. Flip the disk of polenta, remove the bottom of the springform pan (or the parchment paper) and return on cookie sheet (the not-yet-crispy side will face upwards, the crispy side downwards) and into the oven for a final ten to fifteen minutes, until the disk of polenta is crisp all over.

Remove from the oven, and arrange the zucchini slices harmoniously over the top of the polenta disk. Return into the oven for about ten minutes, top with freshly grated parmesan, cut in slices and serve -- warm, at room temperature or cold.

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More Recipes Like This One:
~ Cacao & Zucchini Absorption Pasta
~ Zucchini Tart on a Hazelnut-Thyme Crust
~ Fregola Sarda with Zucchini and Pinenuts
~ Zucchini Polenta Tart
~ Parmesan & Zucchini Chilled Soup

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