This vegetable forward tart is teaming with seasonal zucchini.  Barely held together with a thin batter, this crowd pleaser is well balanced with the sweetness of sun dried tomatoes and brightness of lemon zest. It is a superb dish to bring to a potluck and equally delicious served warm or cold.

Makes 30 small appetizer squares

8 large dinner portions

4 medium (2lbs)  zucchini, sliced thinly

1 red onion, sliced thinly into half moons

3 handfuls of baby spinach

1/2 cup roughly chopped basil

1/2 cup roughly chopped parsley

1 jar (250ml) sundried tomatoes in oil

1/4 cup olive oil

Zest of 1 lemon

1 tsp salt

2 tsp freshly ground pepper

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups corn meal

1 tbsp baking powder

2 eggs

3 tbsp granulated sugar

1/4 cup of water

Garnish

Lemon wedges

1/4 cup grated parmesan

Preheat oven to 375F

1. Line a 12×16 baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Into a very large mixing bowl add sliced zucchini, red onion, spinach, basil and parsley.

3. Drain the sundried tomatoes, reserving all the oil. Add about 1/4 cup of olive oil to the sundried tomato oil so you end up with 3/4-1 cup of oil in total.

4. Add the sun dried tomatoes to the bowl along with the lemon zest, salt and pepper and stir to combine.

5. In another bowl mix together the flour, cornmeal and baking powder.

6. Pour the flour mixture into all the vegetables and use your hands to toss the ingredients together.  Be sure to coat all the vegetables well.

7. Whisk together the eggs and sugar and pour it into the vegetable bowl along with all the oil, mix well.

8. A thin batter will begin to form around the vegetables.  Add the 1/4 cup water and continue to mix by hand until everything is well incorporated.  Be sure you have no dried flour left in the bowl.

9. Line a baking sheet with parchement paper and pour out the mixture on to it. Use your hands to push the vegetables into the corners.

10. Place in the oven for 55 min until vegetables are quite brown and set.

11. Cool for 15 min then slice up into squares and serve with a squeeze of lemon juice and sprinkle of parmesan.

Tip: Substitute the sun dried tomatoes for roasted red peppers OR olives OR marinated artichoke hearts. If you do substitute you will need 1 cup of olive oil in total since you won’t have the oil from the tomatoes to use.

For a printable version of the recipe click here.