Courgette, Ricotta and Shallot Torte

I have a serious problem with buying cookbooks and I keep telling myself that I don’t really need anymore but here I am still buying them because I can’t help myself. It’s an addiction, I’m convinced. So with all of the cookbooks in my collection I’ve promised myself to cook more from them this year. It forces me to cook new recipes that I wouldn’t normally try. Anyhow, I just recently bought a copy of “The Italian Deli Cookbook” by Theo Randall. I’ve been cooking from it nonstop since I got it and each recipe I’ve made just gets better and better. I wanted to share this Courgette, Ricotta and Shallot Torte from the book. It’s a simple (yet very delicious) vegetarian recipe that utilizes store-bought puff pastry for ease and fresh courgettes (zucchini). You need to try this torte because it’s unbelievable, and while you’re at it, pick up a copy of the book. You’ll use it again and again.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Unroll puff pastry and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Dock all over the top with a fork. Whisk 1 egg with the milk and brush the puff pastry liberally. Bake until puffed up and golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven (but leave it on) and allow to cool.

**Note: There is no need to make homemade puff pastry for this recipe, not when there is great puff pastry in the freezer section of your grocery store. My store has frozen puff pastry that is rolled up (almost like pie dough) so I just unroll it and it’s in a rectangle ready to go. If you find the folded puff pastry kind, just unfold and lightly roll out with a rolling pin to remove the creases slightly.**

Set a large skillet over medium-high heat with the olive oil. Once hot, add in the sliced courgette, shallot, garlic, thyme, and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 20 minutes, until the courgettes and onions have become soft and slightly caramelized. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. 

This is a European book and so courgette is what zucchini is called there. I like that fancy name for it, but it’s really just regular zucchini. This recipe would also be just as delicious with summer squash as well.

In a bowl, mix the ricotta with half of the parmesan, the torn basil and the remaining egg. Season with salt and pepper and mix well to combine. 

**Note: I made this recipe as was written in the book, but in making it, I realized that you don’t need to waste the egg you used for the egg wash. You can just mix the remaining egg wash into this ricotta step without needing to use the second egg. I’ll be doing that next time myself.**

Once cooled, gently push down on the risen puff pastry to form an even base. Spread with the ricotta mixture, leaving a 1-inch border along the edges. 

**Note: The docking will help somewhat but the puff pastry will still puff up so we need to even it out as best as possible so that we can top it.**

Top with the courgette and shallot mixture and then sprinkle over the remaining parmesan. Bake until golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. 

To make the crisp, herby salad, toss everything together the romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, mint, basil, parsley olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a large bowl and season well with salt and pepper.

**Note: This salad is optional, as the torte is delicious just by itself, but the salad adds a nice freshness and crunch to the torte so I highly recommend it.**

The torte is delicious while still crispy, flaky and warm. But if you have leftovers, you can store them in the fridge and then just rewarm in a 350°F oven until heated through. The torte is also great at room temperature, which makes it perfect for pot lucks or dinner parties (once we’re allowed to have them again, of course).

It’s a great recipe to switch up with all sorts of different in-season vegetables. Eggplant, squash, corn or even tomatoes would all be delicious. The ricotta lends itself so nicely to so many different toppings.

Slice up the torte and top it with the crisp, herby salad. It pairs so nicely with a chilled crisp white wine on a lazy weekend when you don’t really feel like cooking up anything too fancy. It’ll still impress everyone though so keep it in mind when you want a show-stopping recipe.

It’s so good and I can’t recommend it enough. I hope you’ll give it a try soon and make sure you grab a copy of “The Italian Deli Cookbook” because it’s filled with so many great recipes.  I’ve already made about five recipes from it and they’ve all been incredible. Let me know what you think below. Stay safe out there, my friends.

Courgette, Ricotta and Shallot Torte

This Courgette, Ricotta and Shallot Torte from Theo Randall's "The Italian Deli Cookbook" is simple but packed with so much fresh flavor! With a bit of help from the store (thanks to pre-made puff pastry) you'll have dinner on the table in no time.

Servings 6 servings

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Ingredients

Torte:

• 1 320g store-bought rolled puff pastry, thawed
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons whole milk
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 5 courgettes zucchini, sliced into thin rounds
• 3 medium shallots finely sliced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves chopped
• Kosher salt and coarse black pepper
• 9 ounces ricotta
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 8 basil leaves torn

Crisp Herby Salad:

• 1 large head of Romaine lettuce shredded
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
• 1 Persian cucumber roughly chopped
• 10 mint leaves finely chopped
• 10 basil leaves finely chopped
• 1/4 cup Italian parsley finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• Kosher salt and coarse black pepper

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Unroll puff pastry and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Dock all over the top with a fork. Whisk 1 egg with the milk and brush the puff pastry liberally. Bake until puffed up and golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven (but leave it on) and allow to cool.
• Set a large skillet over medium-high heat with the olive oil. Once hot, add in the sliced courgette, shallot, garlic, thyme, and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 20 minutes, until the courgettes and onions have become soft and slightly caramelized. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
• In a bowl, mix the ricotta with half of the parmesan, the torn basil and the remaining egg. Season with salt and pepper and mix well to combine.
• Gently push down on the risen puff pastry to form an even base. Spread with the ricotta mixture, leaving a 1-inch border along the edges. Top with the courgette and shallot mixture and then sprinkle over the remaining parmesan. Bake until golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
• To make the crisp, herby salad, toss everything together in a large bowl and season well with salt and pepper. Slice the torte and serve with the salad on top. Enjoy!

Notes

Adapted from Theo Randall's "The Italian Deli Cookbook"

Author: The Candid Appetite