Recipe: Crustless Zucchini Pie

The French would call this a flan, I suppose, but this rustic Balkan dish--called mamaliga in some parts of mainland Greece--uses cornmeal as thickener with just two eggs and no cream.

8 to 10 appetizer portions

    • 2 pounds zucchini or squash, coarsely grated
    • salt
    • 1 cup chopped onion
    • 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
    • 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
    • Freshly ground pepper or Aleppo pepper flakes, to taste
    • 1/4 cup packed fresh mint leaves, chopped
    • 2 eggs
    • 1/3 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
    • 2 medium tomatoes thinly sliced (optional)
    • 2-3 tablespoons toasted breadcrumbs

Toss the zucchini with 1 teaspoon salt and let wilt in a colander for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Press the zucchini to extract most of their juices and transfer to a large bowl. Add the onion, the cheese, the cornmeal, plenty of pepper, the mint, and the eggs, one at a time, mixing well with a good spatula. Add the olive oil and mix once more.

Lay a piece of parchment paper on the baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Pour in the zucchini mixture and even the surface with a spatula. If you like, lay the tomato slices on top, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with the bread crumbs.

Bake for 10 minutes and lower the oven temperature to 375°F. Bake 25-30 minutes until set and golden brown on top. Let cool and cut into bite-size pieces to serve.