Zucchini and smoked bacon tart

Name: Zucchini and smoked bacon tart
Ingredients: 225 g flour; 100 g cold butter; 1/8 teaspoon salt; 1 egg; 500 g zucchini; 1 medium red pointed pepper (150 g); 300 g smoked bacon; 2 eggs; 150 g cașcaval; 200 g sana; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

Appetizers - Zucchini and smoked bacon tart by Ivona C. - Recipia

Zucchini release a lot of water as they cook, so this zucchini and smoked bacon tart needs a filling that has cooked down well. It’s a savory tart with red pointed pepper and cașcaval, a Romanian semi-hard cheese, held together with eggs and sana, a Romanian fermented milk, on a shortcrust base. I cut it into slices and serve it cold, just how I like it. Prep: 20 minutes. Cook: 60 minutes. Rest: 85 minutes. Total: 165 minutes. Serves: 8. Approximately 480 kcal and 17 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

For the pastry

225 g flour
100 g cold butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 egg

For the filling

500 g zucchini
1 medium red pointed pepper (150 g)
300 g smoked bacon
2 eggs
150 g cașcaval
200 g sana
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

Preparation

1. Mix 225 g flour with 100 g cold butter cut into cubes and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Work in 1 egg and knead just until the dough comes together, then refrigerate for 30 minutes. 2. Slice 500 g zucchini into rounds. Put them in a large frying pan with no fat and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring from time to time. Add the finely chopped red pointed pepper and 300 g smoked bacon cut into small pieces; cook for another 10 minutes, until the liquid has evaporated. Leave the mixture to cool. 3. Beat 2 eggs with 150 g grated cașcaval, then stir in 200 g sana. Add the cooled zucchini, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper. Mix and refrigerate the filling for 10 minutes. 4. Heat the oven to 180°C. Roll out the dough and fit it into a 24 cm tart tin. Prick the base with a fork and bake for 10 minutes, until the surface is slightly dry. 5. Pour the filling over the pastry and bake the tart for about 30 minutes, until the middle is set and the top is browned. Leave it to cool in the tin for 45 minutes, then serve cold.

Notes

Choose small or medium zucchini; large ones have a seedier, more watery center, which you can scoop out before slicing. If the smoked bacon is very salty, taste the filling before adding more salt, since the cașcaval adds salt too. You can use 300 g cooked, shredded chicken instead. The pastry and cașcaval contain gluten and dairy, and the tart also contains eggs. The tart keeps covered in the fridge for up to 3 days, and you can bake it a day ahead. I serve it with a green salad and a simple dressing. The texture is a little like a thick omelet, but it also has a tender tart crust.