Tuscan Courgette Scarpaccia — an Easy and Delicious Summer Bake

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Tuscan Courgette Scarpaccia — an Easy and Delicious Summer Bake

In our garden, we grow standard courgettes (Nelson ‘Black Beauty’) and striped courgettes (Nelson ‘Latino’ F1) in grow bags. We also grow mini courgettes (Buzzy® ‘Patio Star’) on our glazed terrace. I do not allow the courgettes to grow too large, as I dislike the soft, seedy centre. When using larger courgettes, I always scoop out the seeds.

During the summer, I often make oven-baked stuffed courgette flowers and courgette fritters. Today, I decided to make scarpaccia di zucchine, a thin and crisp savoury courgette bake originating from the province of Lucca. The wheat flour can be replaced with fine polenta, chickpea flour or a mixture of the two. I departed slightly from the original recipe by adding Parmesan shavings.

Serves: approximately 8-16
Quantity: one large baking tray and two smaller ones
Preparation time: 15 minutes 
Resting time: 1 hour
Cooking time: approximately 30 minutes, or until golden brown on top and crispy bottom

I bought my French de Buyer mandoline from Eiring’s kitchenware shop on Korkeavuorenkatu in Helsinki more than 20 years ago. It still works perfectly, and spare parts, such as replacement blades, are available.
Eiring is one of the leading kitchenware retailers in the Nordic countries, offering a wide selection of kitchen tools and equipment to suit every need. https://eiring.fi/en


Ainekset

  • 1 kg courgettes
  • 2 small red onions
  • 200 g plain flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 30 g Parmesan shavings
  • 200 ml water
  • (1/4 tp of baking powder, optional)
  • salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp breadcrumbs, which may be replaced with fine polenta
  • fresh rosemary

Method

  • Wash the courgettes and trim off the ends. Slice them thinly and place them in a large bowl.
  • Peel the onions and slice them thinly. Add the onions and Parmesan shavings to the courgettes.
  • Whisk together the eggs, flour, baking powder and water, then season the mixture with salt and black pepper. Pour it over the courgettes. The batter may seem quite thick at this stage, but do not worry, as the courgettes will release liquid while resting.
  • Mix with a spoon until all the courgette slices are evenly coated.
  • Cover the bowl with a tea towel or baking tray and leave the mixture to rest at room temperature for one hour. Stir it again after resting.
  • Grease baking baking tray/s with extra virgin olive oil. You can also sprinkle breadcrumbs over the base.
  • Spoon the mixture onto the tray and into the dish, spreading it as evenly as possible into a fairly thin layer.
  • Sprinkle the surface with breadcrumbs or fine polenta and fresh rosemary. Finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
  • Bake the trays one at a time in a conventional oven at 180°C for about 30 minutes, or until the surface is golden brown with a crispy bottom.
  • Cut the scarpaccia into pieces and serve warm or cold as a snack, starter or accompaniment to an aperitif.
Ready for the oven!


The joy of home-grown courgettes!