Mince herbs, not words

Behold, my beacon of summer, the zucchini tart.



For my own, persnickity, word-snob reasons, I've decided to call this dish a zucchini tart, not a quiche. And I don't care if saying "tart" is less accurate than saying "quiche." The word "quiche" to me is loaded with memories of roll-n-bake Pillsbury crusts, chunks of mystery ham, and bagged cheddar cheese. When I think of that kind of food, I have to sit down. I sit down and I reach for digestive enzymes.

Dictionarys provide no guidance on which word is better. I've read one definition that calls quiche "a rich, unsweetened custard pie, often containing ingredients such as vegetables, cheese, or seafood." Epicurious calls a tart "very simply... a pastry crust with shallow sides, a filling and no top crust." Perhaps "quiche" is the more technical French name for an eggy, creamy, savory pie, but "tart" is an international generic term. Let's get generic, then. I have no patience for frumpy, dumpy quiches.

The zucchini, the star in this tart, comes from the Ruebke family at the Kansas Grown Market at 21st and Ridge in Wichita, Kansas. Thank goodness for the KGM, because the zucchini in my kitchen garden are still robust little sprouts! The process for this tart is lengthy, but you will be accompanied by the heavenly scent of roasting veggies for most of your cooking.



Zucchini and onion tart
makes six servings

Veggies for roasting:

• 1 fat, glorious zucchini
• 1/2 of a medium-sized, sweet yellow onion
  
• 1 tsp. chopped rosemary
• 3 garlic cloves
  
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• sea salt and/or black pepper

Crust:

• 1 cup pastry flour
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 pinch sea salt
• 1 tsp. turbinado sugar
• 1 tsp. chopped rosemary
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup milk

The filling:

• 3 large (organic) eggs
• 3/4 cup low-fat milk
• pinch sea salt
• 2 Tb. Parmesan cheese
• 3 oz smoked Swiss cheese (or four deli slices, each cut into two triangles)

Preheat an oven to 375 degrees and wash your veggies. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, rosemary, peppers, garlic powder, and sea salt.

Cut the entire zucchini in half, and then into thin, angled slices. Next, cut the onion into narrow, wispy strips and quarter the garlic cloves. Transfer the veggies to an aluminum foil-lined cookie sheet, being careful to not overlap the zucchini. (To make your zucchini look like my pictures, keep the onions and zucchini separated on the sheet.) Liberally brush the vegetables with the oil mixture and coat both sides of the zucchini pieces. Roast the veggies while you prepare the crust and filling, for about 35-45 minutes. The onions should be fragrant and tender and the zucchini lightly browned.

To prepare the crust, toss the flours, salt, sugar, and rosemary in a small bowl. Add the milk and olive oil together, and whisk the crust with a fork until the dough is just combined. Using your hands, shape the dough into a ball and let it rest while you bring a 9-inch pie plate and a roll of plastic wrap to your cooking area.

Lay one large piece of plastic wrap on a counter and lightly flour its surface. The length and width of the wrap should be larger than a pie plate. Tear off another piece of plastic wrap and place it on the floured piece; slide the wrap around until both pieces are floured. Place the dough in the center of the wrap "sandwich" and use a rolling pin to roll out the crust to a 1/4-inch circle.

Remove one piece of wrap, place the pie plate upside-down on on the center of the dough, and give everything a good FLIP! If the crust is centered and draped comfortably in the pie pan, remove the last layer of plastic and trim the excess pie dough. Poke a few holes in the crust bottom with the tines of a fork.

By now, the veggies should be roasted and ready. Remove the veggies from the oven and layer the onions along the bottom of the pie plate. Whisk together the eggs, Parmesan, salt, and milk, then pour it all over the onions. Reserve a few dozen zucchini slices to decorate the top of the tart, and layer the rest in the filling. Arrange the smoked Swiss in a pinwheel to cover the tart, and then decorate with a final layer of zucchini and more rosemary. Bake the tart at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until the center of the tart is cooked.