Lunch
Courgette Scarpaccia
Despite it's unappealing translation, scarpaccia, or 'old shoe', is a Tuscan courgette tart which, when baked until crispy transforms humble ingredients into rich comfort food. Serve on its own or with a herby yoghurt or mayonnaise dip.
Method
- Slice the courgettes into incredibly thin rounds, no thicker than 2-3 mm.
- Salt in a colander and leave them over a jug or bowl the sink for 20 minutes to extract the water, which you should keep for later.
- Heat the oven to 220 degrees C (200 fan). Oil a large shallow tray, around 30 x 40cm, and then dust it with polenta. This is what stops the base going soft.
- Squeeze all of the liquid from. Any water left will make the end product less crispy, so do this properly.
- Whisk together the chickpea flour, polenta, retained courgette water, 2 tbsp of the olive oil and plenty of black pepper. It should be about the consistency of single cream.
- Stir in the squeezed courgettes, the onion and two thirds of the cheddar.
- Spread the mixture over the tray as thinly as it will go, no more than 5mm. It will look sparse, which is right. Scatter over the rest of the cheddar and drizzle with the last 2 tbsp of oil.
- Bake for 40 - 45 minutes until it’s deep golden and crisp at the edges. If the middle still looks pale, give it another 5 minutes.
- Leave it for 5 minutes. Cut into squares and enjoy warm.
Plastic-free tipTraditional scarpaccia calls for parmesan rather than cheddar. Parmesan crisps up more easily than cheddar but an aged cheddar truckle is your best, plastic-free option. You can also find flavoured versions if wanted to experiment.